Inflation occurs when the costs of goods and services experience a sustained increase. Keep in mind that most things go up in price over time, whether there’s an increase in demand or a currency’s value. Simply put, an item you paid for 10 years ago is going to cost you more today due to inflation.

As the US government issues more bonds and prints more money, inflation happens. As a result, businesses begin to raise the cost of their products or services. However, this can also occur if too much money chases only a small number of goods and services; this is called supply and demand. As demand goes up and supply doesn’t, prices will rise.

With so many Americans without sizable retirement savings, it’s often our duty to remind our readers of the importance of having retirement savings. Here is a refresher guide to help you stay on track.

Retirement saving is important, but since it’s so far into the future, it’s hard for folks to give it importance. Thankfully, some people are thinking about it but don’t necessarily know where to start. The following is meant to guide people in the right direction.

For most people, retirement usually means easing into a worry-free life where you can spend more time with family and pursue hobbies you neglected while still working full time. But these days, one of the biggest concerns about retirement is not being able to afford a lifestyle without a steady source of income.

For those who have envisioned retiring earlier, the challenge doubles as financial security for early retirees seems like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, there are steps you can follow to ensure that you are financially stable by the time you decide to retire.

Retirement is more a state of mind than anything else. Traditionally, an age for retirement was considered based on the ability of a person to work and handle work-related stress easily without the effect of the same becoming much of a burden on the health of the person. Thus most often the age for retirement would be either of 58 years or 60 years.

Most people who are planning to retire early or those who have retired early are generally people who have found alternate part-time work or have taken up work as consultants and thus they have been able to leave the general 9 AM to 5 PM work culture and enjoy a retired life earlier than their contemporaries.

My Sister lives in London. My parents live in India and I am here in the USA. Different countries, different financial systems, and regulators. But some things are common. There are some tax-advantaged retirement accounts where employers can contribute and there is another form of retirement savings where you can contribute from your savings.

In the USA, they are known as 401k and IRA. In India, they are the Provident Fund and Public Provident Fund and in the UK they are pension funds and ISA (Individual Savings Account). Here we will talk about the UK, as the rules of contribution and withdrawal to these funds are different in different countries.

Retirement, you may be looking forward to or you may be hating the thought of it, or both, at the same time. How can that be?  Well, we are living longer, more active lives. But a shifting economy has put a dent into the finances of millions of Americans approaching retirement age.

As such, many Americans are worried that they will run out of money at some time during their retirement.  But you don’t need to worry and here are some of the strategies you can use to make sure you have the money you need.