Personal Finance 87

This major milestone can be attained

It’s not a magic number, but when your 401(k) finally hits the $1 million mark, it certainly feels like a major milestone.

You’re not there, yet? Not even close? Well, consider the average cost of retirement is $738,400, according to Merrill Lynch’s 2017 Finances in Retirement study.

Many retirees need quite a bit more. Your own number will vary depending on your standard of living and lifetime income and savings, so it’s best to use a retirement calculator or meet with a financial advisor.

But for now, consider $1 million just because it’s a round number and a decent starting point. How can you get there? We turned to financial planners for their best tips.

Click through gallery to see what they said.

WALMART VS. DOLLAR TREE

Dollar stores are brimming with bargains, and often beat Walmart on the price of many items. But Walmart can give shoppers more bang for the buck on some consumer favorites. Cheapism.com compared prices on similar items at Walmart and Dollar Tree, the nation’s largest chain of dollar stores, and found 10 that are cheaper at Walmart. The savings are substantial on some items, and pocketing a few extra pennies on others can add up over time. (Although the products were comparable, they weren’t always identical, as the dollar store carries relatively few name brands.)

Everybody dreams of a dirt-cheap wedding, or getting a steal of a deal on a house, or having someone magically foot the bill for our child’s college education.

But for most of us, those are pipe dreams. The real way to save is to work hard at trimming the costs of more mundane purchases we make every day.

Following are ways you can cut costs on nine such buys.

When it comes to living expenses, the truth is that most Americans subsist on a very thin margin. Seventy-eight percent of Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck to make ends meet, according to CareerBuilder.

The good news is that if you take a closer look at how you live, you’re likely to find many areas in which you can trim expenses and give yourself an extra buffer.

Click through to see dumb expenses you need to slash from your budget — and how you can save thousands of dollars.

Hurricanes and wildfires are getting stronger

Hurricane Florence could cause as much as $170 billion in damage overall as it pummels the Carolinas, making it the most expensive storm to hit the U.S., as FEMA prepares to provide disaster relief.

From hurricanes and flooding to earthquakes and wildfires, several states have experienced the devastating impact of natural disasters in recent years — and Americans are now paying for it. In fact, extreme weather disasters cost taxpayers about $675 billion between 2011 and 2017, according to the Center for American Progress. Natural disasters — including Hurricane Harvey and the wildfires in California — have left thousands of residents in need of disaster aid as well as cities in need of significant repairs.

Click through to see why extreme weather is one of the major reasons Americans tap into their emergency funds.

DOLLARS AND SENSE

Whenever you walk into a supermarket or restaurant, you’re entering an atmosphere that’s designed to make you spend more money than you had planned.

Because staples like milk and eggs are placed at the rear of grocery stores, customers are forced to walk past enticing food displays. By moving various goods to new locations periodically, stores force consumers to hunt for the products they need. That keeps them in the store longer and leads to more purchases.

Restaurants also have tactics to increase food sales. Menu placement draws attention to the most expensive items. A study released in 2010 found that background music can put diners in a good mood that leads them to become repeat customers.

Saving money when you buy food takes effort, but not as much as you might imagine. What follows are 27 tips for reducing your food costs in grocery stores and restaurants.

The 8 Quickest Ways to Catch Up on Retirement Savings
C’mon, fess up: Are you among the millions of workers who have fallen behind on retirement savings?

If the latest statistics are accurate, well more than half of America should be sheepishly raising its hand right now.

To be blunt, most workers have never made a serious plan to save for their golden years. Fortunately, it’s never too late to begin turning that sad situation around.

Money Talks News talked to some financial experts to get tips for how to catch up when you are far behind. Here are their eight ways to catch up on your retirement savings.