Revamping retirement stories

Given the stock market dive of the past year, it would be fitting if retirement plan statements came embedded with those tiny greeting-card sound chips, only instead of “Happy Birthday” they could emit the ominous themes from “Jaws” or “Halloween.”

Then again, many savers have been pitching the statements unopened into a drawer rather than torment themselves with the 40-percent gouge in their nest egg.

But on Friday, the major U.S. stock indices closed at peaks not reached since last fall, and oil futures touched a 2009 high.

In even better news, the Friday spike was driven by good news on the housing front. Here’s a previous Daily Tipsheet with links to resources for covering stock swings.

The midsummer market rally has once again piqued interest in investing, however. So, even if you don’t manage a full-time personal finance beat, you should consider localizing market moves with a little expert advice.


The key to a good personal finance story is making it digestible. Long blocks of prose are a turn-off, so use an alternative format like a Q&A or a case study. One of the most useful is a life-stage approach – find five advisers and ask them each to address an age range – 25, 35, 45, 55 or 65 years old – listing dos and don’ts for investors in each decade.

Be picky about your experts. There are honorable people in all occupations, but human nature being what it is, I’m more comfortable relaying tips from fee-only advisors who don’t work on commission from brokerage or insurance firms. Perhaps the most respected credential belongs to Certified Financial Planners; you can do a zip code search for those in your area at the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards site.

Meanwhile, if finance isn’t your forte, brush up on investing terminology at Morningstar Inc.’s free investing classroom. You must register, providing some personal information, but the 172 self-paced modules will give you the grounding every business writer should have in stocks, bond, mutual funds and other investing basics.

Best of all, the units feature quizzes, so you can tell immediately whether or not you’ve grasped the concepts. Morningstar analysts also are a great source of insight when markets fluctuate.

Remember, there’s nothing people like reading about more than their own money, so burnish your byline by brushing up on personal finance.

Come back to Your Daily Tipsheet each morning for advice on where to find sources, background and creative ways to make financial news and trends relevant to your audience.