retirement planning

We all know we should plan for retirement, but how do you know which plan is right for you? Our friends at LearnVest break down the Roth 401(k).

You've heard of Roth IRAs and you've heard of 401(k)s.

Both are awesome in their own ways, but if you have this newfangled retirement account called a Roth 401(k) available to you, you should definitely look into it, too.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, as of 2011, 21% of companies offered a Roth option on their 401(k), according to Fidelity, which manages plans that cover 11 million people. And that number is growing. At big companies of 250,000 workers or more, the figure is 50%.

Related: Saving For Retirement 101

We'll break down the ins and outs of a Roth 401(k) retirement account, so you can be confident you’re making the right decision for your finances. Even if you don’t currently have one at your company, read on, because a Roth 401(k) can benefit many people, and you could always request that your HR department add it to the company's retirement options.

Read on for more.

Retirement is something to look forward to in life, but the financial aspect is something to be aware of. Our friends at Kiplinger share some tips on retirement for women.

For women heading toward retirement, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is they’re likely to be blessed with long life. The bad news: they may not be able to afford it.

That, in effect, is the conclusion of a recent study by the US General Accounting Office. Despite the increase in women’s workforce-participation rates over the past two decades, the poverty rate in 2010 for women 65 and older was nine percent — nearly twice the rate for men, at five percent. And while six percent of widowers lived in poverty, 12 percent of widows were poor.

According to the GAO report, women have a tougher time saving for retirement in part because they take time out from the workforce to care for family members, and when they do work, they have lower earnings than men. Other studies bear this out: women who are 50 to 69 have about 20 percent less in retirement savings than men in that age group, according to a recent report by the ING Retirement Research Institute. Another report notes that while half of baby-boomer men have retirement savings of at least $200,000, only 35 percent of female boomers have that level of savings.

Women who are five to 10 years from retirement can take some steps to improve their financial readiness. Many of these moves can apply to women of all ages.

Read on for more.

Ever wonder if moving will help your circumstances? LearnVest sheds a light on why one family is leaving the US for a better life.

What does the "American Dream" mean to you?

For most people, it means if you work hard, you can raise a beautiful family, own a comfortable home, send your children to college, and eventually retire.

But with the economy still reeling from the recent recession, that dream has been shaken for many — especially those who saw their retirement investments plummet in the stock market.

Once the American Dream fails you, what's the next step?

For one woman, the answer is a little unconventional: she's moving to Ecuador. Why would a 58-year-old woman and her husband leave their five grown children behind in the US for a small South American country? For starters . . . it's a lot cheaper.

RELATED: How to Budget When You Have a Low-Paying Job

Check out our Q&A with Denise Toepel to found out why she's packing her bags in October 2013:

You say you can't afford the American Dream anymore. What do you mean?
Denise Toepel: Two years ago, I was laid off from my position in client services and quality control at an insurance company. My job was given to the person I trained, who was willing to work for half of what I was paid.

Losing this source of income has made my life with my husband in Denver, CO, increasingly unaffordable. During the recession, we lost around 70 percent of our 401(k)s, or around half a million dollars. And now that we're nearing retirement age (I'm 58 and my husband's 55), my loss of income — I was making around $60,000 a year — has made retirement in the US seem like an impossible dream.

I've been applying for jobs in my field since getting laid off, but nothing's come of it. I've hired a career consultant, who's helped send out résumés, but no bites. I guess it makes more sense to hire younger workers who can afford to earn less money at their age. Now I do odd jobs — I work for Warner Bros. doing audience testing for upcoming movies, and I sell clothing on Etsy — but these barely make any money at all.

Read on for more.