New Retirement Planning Software from Retirement-4-U.com Lets Users Take An In-Depth Look 30 Years Into Their Futures

San Francisco, CA -- Planning retirement might seem to be a simple process. Save, invest, then hope for the best. But statistics showing relatively few Americans are able to retire in
comfort quickly reveal effective retirement planning is a much more involved process.

Retirement-4-U, a firm specializing in long-term retirement planning, has released new Retirement Planning Software that lets prospective retirees plan their actions and predict results 30 years into the future.

While many people feel it's too late to plan their retirement, anyone between their late 40s and mid-60s can effectively structure an enjoyable retirement. The software shows users how to do the planning, stepping them through all the aspects needed to create a realistic plan, and puts major decisions in the hands of the user. The software is also easy to use, making it a no-stress experience for those doing their own retirement planning.

"As we all know, our economy is in constant flux, making it very difficult to know how much money you will need when you retire. Keep in mind you will need enough funds to last you 10, 20, even 30 years or more," said Steve Carkeek, founder of Retirement-4-U.

Fluctuating real estate prices, boom and bust stocks, and the volatility of other investment instruments keep many prospective retirees wondering if they will be able to make ends meet down the road.

The Retirement Planning Software delivers a highly personalized retirement forecast, projects investment income, and analyzes expenses an individual or couple can expect in retirement. The software incorporates the same algorithms and logic that professional
planners use. "You get the essence of a $500 professional analysis of your finances and future, all for the price of this inexpensive software. The software makes sure you consider every important point so you don't wind up missing key factors,"
Carkeek said.

Retirement-4-U created the software after experiencing frustration with existing services and software. "Most of the free retirement planning services you see advertised are simply
places that want to handle your investments. You end up paying all kinds of manager fees while not knowing very much about what to expect in your future," Carkeek pointed out.

The Future Is Never Certain

The Baby Boomer Generation Ponders The Financial Stability of Their Retirement Years

San Francisco, California, January 26, 2005: The expensive Iraqi war, our current fragile economy, an unpredictable stock market, plus our already trillion dollar deficit: as the 77 million people in the Baby Boomer Generation approach retirement, is forcing many Americans have to take a stand now on what they want when it comes to their Social Security and their future.

Pension and Social Security must be the foundation of any retirement portfolio. The current White House is pushing to privatize Social Security, warning that we are in a Social Security crisis and that it all may “go bust” in a few years. But this may not be the case. The Congressional Budget Office assures that our current Social Security Trust Fund will last at least another 47 years. Other economists believe it will last forever.

Originally, Social Security worked based on the idea that many people would die before they would be eligible for benefits, due to our lower life expectancy as little as 50 years ago. But now, people are living longer, and the government is panicking at the thought of having to spend money on the elderly. President Bush has proposed a solution to this potential crisis: instead of depending on Social Security, he recommends that Americans establish “Personal Retirement Accounts”, encouraging individuals to build their savings on their own. This is a component of his “Partial Privatization” plan.

What does this mean to you? The Government proposes that you invest a portion of your payroll taxes in order to supplement the aid of Government retirement programs. Supporters of this plan stress the benefits, calculating that the return on a Personal Retirement Account would actually exceed the return on any Social Security trust fund. They also point out that it would keep the Social Security trust fund solvent well beyond 2037, when some economists fear the fund could run dry.

However, US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan believes that not only is the privatization to Social Security not the answer to the Government’s money problems, it will actually increase our national deficit. On February 16, 2005 he spoke to members of the Senate Banking Committee. In regards to the idea of privatizing Social Security in order to protect national savings, he explained, “ this is one of the very rare cases in which you can increase the deficit but not increase the national savings.” He does not advise that the U.S. require retirees to invest part of their Social Security benefits in stocks.

Investing is always risky, and, statistically, more people lose money on investments each year than profit from them. Investing is not a sure-fire substitution for Social Security funds. Retirement-4-U, a professional retirement consultation and planning firm out of San Francisco, CA, is concerned about this proposed plan and its effect on the average American. As the government encourages investing, Retirement-4-U wants to stress that every retirement portfolio needs a strong foundation, and that foundation should always be Social Security and Pension finding.

If the Government backs out on its responsibility towards its taxpayers, average Americans such as yourself will have to start planning their retirement decades before they plan to actually retire. Though it has always been recommended that people start thinking about their retirements early, soon it may become absolutely essential.

Investing is a risky business. Risk is the very basis of the stock market- if you take a big risk and win, you win big. But if you take a big risk and fail, you lose everything. If your plan is going to involve investments, you must be very careful, or your financial future is at stake.

“What do I do if there is no Social Security aid left available by the time I retire? I have to be prudent, regardless of whether or not there really is a Social Security crisis. I am trying to build my personal savings as much as I can, but at great risk. I feel like a paranoid squirrel storing nuts for winter,” says Michelle Fehlman, a 41-year-old energy trader in Dallas.

Retirement-4-U will help you wisely store up those nuts, whether the coming winter be freezing or mild. Based out of San Francisco, CA, the retirement planning firm Retirement-4-U was founded in 2001, inspired by frustrations over the current status of retirement planning services. Retirement-4-U has combined personal attention with specially developed computer software, so you can have sound, wise advice along with a reliable number-crunching program.

Reducing Social Security benefits and asking Americans to take dangerous financial risks is not the solution to any crisis. The current plan for privatizing Social Security is a gamble with one’s Social Security benefits that could very possibly make the investment brokers rich and the Social Security recipient poor. The survival of Social Security depends on the government meeting its obligations to the American people and properly funding the programs designed to support taxpayers.

The future of Social Security seems to be hazy at best, and there may indeed come a time when Personal Retirement Accounts and investments are necessary facets of your retirement planning. If you are not confident in your investing abilities, early retirement planning becomes even more vital for the financial security of your golden years.

No matter what the future may bring, there is always a way to be prepared. Retirement-4-U can assist you in establishing a reliable, accurate plan that can help you weather whatever Social Security storms may come our way.

Your Retirement Finances Are “Golden” With Retirement-4-U’s New 20-Year Plan

San Francisco, California, November 12, 2004: Retirement-4-U, a retirement planning and consulting firm, is happy to announce its new 20-Year Retirement Plan for those planning an early retirement, those on the verge of retiring, or those lucky folks who have just recently retired.

Retirement-4-U already offers plans such as the Retirement Validation Plan, Retirement Modification Plan, a 10-Year Retirement Plan, and a 30-Year Retirement Plan. This new 20-Year Plan fills in the gap between the 10 and 30 year plans. It is designed to predict your financial circumstances over the next 20 years, so that you may enjoy your golden years with peace of mind.

This 20-Year Retirement Plan includes a 20 Year Income Forecast accounting for inflation, withdrawals from interest, Social Security income, 401k, pension, income taxes and variable expenses. The plan also includes suggestions for adjusting or maintaining expenses to best realize your retirement goals and unlimited phone and email support throughout the retirement planning process. Retirement-4-u can map out your financial future so you can get a good idea of how to spend your retirement years.

Retirement-4-U combines personal attention with modern technology, getting to know you through a series of question worksheets sent to you for a period of a few weeks. These worksheets will ask you about your income and assets, your investments, your expenses, and your personal retirement goals.

You can fill out the information worksheets at your own rate, each usually taking about 3 hours. After Retirement-4-U has learned about who you are, what your financial situation is, and what you want for your retirement future, then comes the benefit of their own personally developed system for retirement analysis.

This analysis combines a personalized approach with modern technology, including Retirement-4-U’s own specialized computer software designed to crunch the big numbers, taking into account inflation, multiple employment benefits, pensions, social security and more. Only a combination of a powerful computer program and personal attention given to your own situation and goals can give you a strong, detailed financial plan for the next 20 years of your life.

Retirement-4-U was founded in 2001, born out of the founder’s frustration with the state of existing retirement analysis for early retirement planning. With over 80 years of combined financial planning experience, along with over 50 years combined experience in software development, the people at Retirement-4-U are experts at helping you plan your financial future.

Retirement-4-U provides complete personalized retirement planning

One-size-fits-all rarely works when planning retirement. Experts take individual finances, needs, and expectations into careful consideration."Why do I need to have a retirement plan?" is the most common question people ask at Retirement-4-U. "Many think you save for retirement, then cash out and enjoy your golden years without having to worry about money," says Stephen Carkeek. "But there are so many factors that complicate the picture. You really need an expert to help you sort through it all and get a realistic plan for what to expect in retirement. Then, you need smart strategies to ensure you achieve it."

Indeed, most North Americans don't retire with the money required for the lifestyle they expect. According to US Dept. of Labor statistics, a full one in four find the cost of retirement out of reach. "You can't take retirement for granted. Unless you carefully plan for it, the odds are against enjoying the retirement you have worked so hard for," Carkeek warns.

Retirement-4-U works with each customer to develop an individual portfolio. The plan is based on the client's income, expenses, savings and investments. Specific retirement goals and requirements are also factored in. Being specific is what Retirement-4-U does better than the rest. For example, they ask customers the age of their car, roof, and major appliances so those costs can be factored into their retirement plan. Carkeek feels the one-size-fits-all approach some in the industry take leaves clients without an accurate, reliable plan for retirement. "Our goal, our vision, is to develop a relationship with our customers based on accurate, useful information. We build trust with the end result that our customers enjoy their retirement years, knowing their financial questions are addressed," he said.

The long-term, personalized approach central to Retirement-4-U's philosophy resulted from a long period of researching other planning programs. Many were able to give a view of the short term, but were vague about what to expect 10, 20, or 30 years into the individual's future.

Retire With Money AND a Life

We all think about what life will be like someday when we retire. If you're young, that thought may be way in the back of your mind. If you are over 50, worrying about how you are going to retire may be becoming a full-time task.

One hundred years ago there was no such thing as retirement. You
worked until you died, end of story. One of the great advancements in America and other leading countries is we developed the expectation that all of us would live out our golden years without having to work for a pay check.

The cold hard figures show a different story. Most people never achieve the retirement they dream of. One out of four Americans has to work until they die just to put food on the table.

Rather than worry about how things will be in retirement, start planning now. Like anything else in life, a little planning can go a long way in helping you get where you want to be.

Don't leave retirement up to chance. Qualified retirement counselors can sit down and help you find out just how much you need to save, how to invest, how much money the retirement you want will require, and what changes you need to make in your
preparation and expectations. In many cases, people learn they really can have a well-funded retirement by using smart financial management techniques.

But money isn't the whole story. There are plenty of people who amass a nice nest egg only to wind up sick and disabled in their senior years. They have the money, but they don't have their health or mobility.

If you don't have an exercise program, start one now. It can be as simple as parking further from work and walking briskly to get there in time. They key is to get your heart rate up and breathe deeply. Recent studies show people who have good lungs live the longest.

Just as important, exercise your mind. Learn something new. Take up an entirely new hobby. Studies reveal teachers who learn all their lives suddenly stop learning when they retire. On average, a teacher lives just 18 months past retirement. Learning is essential to life.

Finally, build a network of friends outside work. When you retire, few things will be as important to your enjoyment of life as solid friends you can count on for companionship and help when assistance is needed.

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