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Take back your old 401(k)s

Question: I lost my job, so I have my retirement savings in three separate 401(k) accounts with three different employers. Should I just leave them there, roll them over into an IRA account or do something else? --Annie, Texas

Living it up in retirement

There's retirement living, and then there's living it up in retirement. The latter is part of the draw of one of the fastest-growing retirement options - the continuing-care retirement community. These CCRCs, as they're called, often look a lot more like four-star resorts than old folks' homes.

Retire without taxes

How to invest your 401(k)

Question: I've got many investing options in my 401(k) -- small caps, large stocks, emerging markets, fixed-income, etc. What would be the ideal portfolio for me considering that I'm 51 and plan to retire at 65? --D.D., Anaheim, Calif.

Stretch your retirement dollar

Question: I worked for the same company for more than 27 years and then was laid off eight months ago. Although at age 57 I have lots of experience, my employment prospects look bleak. My 401(k) has gone down the drain the past two years and is currently worth about $320,000. As I approach retirement, I wonder: Will this be enough to live on? --David, Los Angeles, Calif.

Never too old for stocks

Question: I'm nearing retirement, but would like to continue investing in stocks and bonds. My question: Should retirees continue to put money into the markets even after they have retired? --Lee Benge, Charlotte, North Carolina

3 steps to a better retirement

Question: My husband and I are in our late '50s and haven't put anything away for retirement, although we do own our home. We figure we'll work another 10 years or so before retiring. Do you have any helpful suggestions for us so we won't have to live solely on Social Security? --Peggy, Rockvale, Colorado

How much do I need to save?

Question: I'm 36 and have saved only about $20,000 for retirement. How much per year should I try to save for the next 30 years to assure I'll have a reasonable retirement? --Beth, Grove City, Ohio

The best time to invest in a 401(k)? Now

Question: I'm 47 years old and would like to begin participating in my company's 401(k) plan. But I don't know if this is the right time to do so. Do you think I should start now or wait until the economy gets better? --Frank, Brighton, Mass.

Getting back in the game

Jason and Patty Simkins, both 40, have saved next to nothing for retirement in the past year. They were rattled by the rocky market, which caused the value of their portfolio to tumble 40% at its low point.

Spending a lifetime of savings

Question: The 4% rule seems to have become the conventional wisdom for drawing money from your savings in retirement. But I believe the rule is flawed. I think it might make more sense to choose a percentage of your savings that you will withdraw annually and then just apply that percentage to your savings balance at the beginning of each year so you would have more money to spend in years when investment returns are good and less to spend in years when returns are bad. What do you think? --E. W., East Lansing, Michigan

Retired early ... and scared

Question: I had the good fortune to be able to retire early at age 52, but last year's market meltdown has made me rethink the decision. I may still be okay, but I don't have the same level of certainty I once had. My question is this: How will Social Security be calculated for me and how does the fact that I haven't worked the last few years fit into the calculation? --Jack Ford, West Newbury, Mass.

No 2010 increase in Social Security

There will be no cost-of-living increase for 57 million Social Security beneficiaries next year because consumer prices have fallen, the Social Security Administration announced on Thursday.

How much you'll need

Question: I always heard that you will need 80% or so of your working salary to live on in retirement. But is that a percentage of your gross income or your take-home pay? --Mary Taylor, Chalfont, Pennsylvania

8 great companies to retire from

At a time when some firms have cut back on benefits, these employers offer notably generous plans. Fortune picks some of the best.

401(k) investors hit hard, but doing better

Among the swell of bad news that occurred courtesy of the financial crisis last fall is that 401(k) investors got slammed. And a new report released Tuesday quantifies just how hard.

A strain on social security

Read full story for latest details.

The right way to unretire

Tom Wogan loves working with his hands, especially building fishing rods and restoring World War II Army knives. So when he retired in June 2006 at age 60 from his $110,000-a-year job as a shift manager at the Florida City nuclear power plant near his home in Palmetto Bay, Fla., he looked forward to spending carefree days puttering around his garage working on his hobbies. With a retirement portfolio worth $1.1 million, Wogan thought he was all set.

How to make your money last

Once you have your Social Security strategy down, there's just one little retirement question left to consider: How can you make the money that you've so diligently saved provide the life you want for as long as you live? Oh. That.

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