Retirement Planning

The Internal Revenue Service offers information about the different types of tax-advantaged retirement plans, such as IRA-based plans, 401(k) plans, and IRC 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuity Plans. Click on a retirement plan of your choice to get a definition of the type of plan as a whole (for example, an explanation of what IRAs are) and then examples and definitions of specific types of accounts or investments that fall into each plan.

Money Magazine at CNNMoney.com has a retirement planning lesson in its “Money 101” section that provides an outline of things to know about retirement planning as well as the basics of 401(k) plans and IRAs, which are the most commonly utilized retirement vehicles. This section also has a quiz that you can take after you’ve finished reading to see how much information you’ve retained.

The Motley Fool publishes “Is Your 401(k) Foolish?” provides an extensive (and quirky) explanation of 401(k)s and 403(b)s. This guide begins with a 101 course to 401(k)s, gives advice about how to choose your investments wisely, and much more.

Kiplinger.com presents this article "Max out your 401(k)." It's a guide to understanding 401(k)s, and more importantly, getting the most out of them. It offers tips on forming a plan, padding your 401(k), and understanding the myriad rules that govern how money goes into and comes out of them.

The IRS has a simple and concise explanation of IRA-based accounts. Here you'll find definitions of traditional, Roth, SARSEP, SEP, and SIMPLE IRA plans. The IRS also offers "check-ups" to help business owners and employers understand the different IRA plans and which plan is best suited for their company.

The Motley Fool presemts “All About IRAs,” a comprehensive guide to the IRA. This guide covers the 11 types of IRAs; discusses contributions, conversion, and distributions of your IRA funds; gives answers to common IRA questions; and even provides a short IRA glossary. Read this guide from start to finish or navigate to a section of interest using the list of sections on the right side of the page.

SmartMoney.com’ presents “Which IRA Is Best?,” explaining the three major types of IRAs (Roth, deductible, and nondeductible) and provides a chart to let you know who is eligible for each type, the maximum yearly contributions allowed for each, and the regulations regarding withdrawals. This article should help you determine which IRA is right for you.

Eons publishes this article with the "10 myths of IRA investing." Sponsored content alert: content for the article is provided by Fidelity Investments, so the article is peppered with “How Fidelity can help” links.

The U.S. Social Security Administration site has a retirement planner that helps you understand your social security retirement benefits, provides benefit calculators, explains retirement options, and more.

AARP’s “Social Security 101” gives a quick overview of what social security is and who is eligible to collect it. The main social security section of the AARP site has articles and opinion pieces from the AARP about current social security laws and potential changes to the social security system.

SMSmallBiz’s “Tax-Free Retirement Accounts for the Self-Employed” provides a chart of the different types of retirement accounts you can set up as a self-employed individual and the yearly contribution limits of each. Not sure what the difference is between a Roth IRA and an SEP? No problem; this page also explains in further detail what each account is and how it might benefit you.

Fidelity has information to help the small business owner choose between SEP-IRAs, SIMPLE-IRAs, investment-only plans, 401(k)s, and self-employed 401(k)s. The information is pretty straightforward and credible, but keep in mind that Fidelity is also pitching their products and services, and there are alternatives.

MarketWatch published this article in 2006, entitled, "'Dilbert' deserves the economics Nobel," describes how the nine-step financial formula devised by the "Dilbert" cartoon's creator, Scott Adams, is not only brilliant but, in a parallel universe, worthy of the Nobel prize.

IRS has "Retirement Tips for Individuals" that outlines some simple steps you can take to prepare for retirement. This page provides advice such as "Review Your Social Security Statement" and "Learn About Your Spouse's Retirement Plan."

The Motley Fool presents this retirement planning section, which is short, straightforward, and full of amusing articles to help you plan for retirement. Especially useful are the "Avoid These Pitfalls" section and the "Five Retirement Must-Knows" section. The Motley Fool also offers a paid service called "Rule Your Retirement" that can help you plan.

Money Central on MSN.com's “Retirement and Wills” planning section provides some useful articles as well as "retirement decision centers" that offer insight on issues such as "The right way to retire early" and "How to live well in retirement."

I Will Teach You to Be Rich has an aptly named entry called "The World's Easiest Guide to Understanding Retirement Accounts" that is perfect if you are in the early stages of your career. This blog entry provides a straightforward overview of 401(k)s and Roth IRAs, plus charts and examples to support the author's opinion that investing early is the best way to ensure financial security during retirement.

My Retirement Blog has a post, “7 Retirement Tax Haven States” that might make you reconsider where you live to get better mileage on your retirement savings.

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. site guides you through all aspects of financial planning including how to do research for yourself and how to find a trusted financial adviser. In addition to having a sidebar for basic information, the site also posts featured articles.

The Financial Planning Association hosts PlannerSearch, a tool that gives you access to a nationwide database of financial planners. Enter your zip code or city, and then refine your search by selecting the type of service you need. The service asks that you register an account, but you can also elect to search anonymously.

Fidelity.com provides a chart to help you understand the benefits of saving early. Click on a question of interest on the left of the screen to get tips about figuring inflation and other risks into your retirement planning, healthcare options during retirement, a preretirement checklist, as well as ways to make your money last during retirement. Know that Fidelity.com is ultimately trying to get you to invest in their products, but that the advice (taken with a grain of salt) can prove helpful to any investor.

Vanguard has a “Retirement Center” that breaks down your retirement concerns into three sections: “I’m already saving or just starting to save for retirement,” “I’m preparing to retire,” and “I’m already retired” so that you can get the information most relevant to your situation. Like Fidelity.com, Vanguard is trying to get you to invest with them, but the site nonetheless provides some great advice for any retirement questions and provides tips about where to allocate your assets, which IRA is best for you, and how much you should withdraw in retirement.

Bankrate has a 401(k) calculator that predicts the amount in your plan at retirement, by factoring in amount already saved, monthly salary, percent of salary contributed, percent of employer contribution, rate or return, and years left working.