Personal Finance Daily: Retirees recover some confidence

Personal Finance Daily NOVEMBER 16, 2011 Retirees recover some confidence By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Retirees are confident, but workers can't retire Men's dressing up may be holiday bright spot 2011 secrets to finding the best holiday deals 10 cool holiday tech gifts for under $100 The financial crisis of 2008-09 hit retirees hard, Andrea Coombes writes today in her Ways and Means column. But a majority of retirees now say they are more confident about their finances and have adopted more prudent spending habits, according to a survey that followed the same group of higher-income retirees from 2008 through 2011. However, many people who are still working expect to work until they're 80, or at least work for a portion of the traditional retirement years. Coombes writes that one of the bright spots in these survey results is that 46% of the retirees said they have no debt, up from 34% in 2008. At the other end of the debt spectrum, 11% said they have $100,000 or more in debt — but that too is down, from 15% who said they carried that much debt in 2008. Also in today's Personal Finance news on MarketWatch, read about the upcoming holiday-gift season, from great tech gadgets under $100 to the trend for dressier menswear and even some strategies for shoppers to beat holiday retailers at their own game. — Anne Stanley , managing editor, Personal Finance Retirees are confident, but workers can't retire A majority of upper-income retirees have bounced back from the financial crisis, saying they feel confident about their finances, according to one survey. But a separate survey of middle-class workers finds a quarter of them plan to work until they're 80, and retirement fears are running high. Read more: Retirees are confident, but workers can't retire. SPECIAL REPORT: HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2011 secrets to finding the best holiday deals Consumers are catching on to store strategies to boost holiday sales, so using smart shopping strategies can boost the buyer's bargain potential. Read more: 10 cool holiday tech gifts for under $100 Electronic gadgets are huge holiday sellers, but it's hard to find really cool stuff for $100 or less. Here are some gifts to consider that won't break the budget. Read more: 10 cool holiday tech gifts for under $100. Men's dressing up may be holiday bright spot This holiday season, retailers from Saks Inc. (SKS) to Coach Inc. (COH) are responding to men's growing appetite for fashion and a dressier look, which may translate into a bright spot for sales. Read more: Men's dressing up may be holiday bright spot. Gift Guide: Virtual keyboard for iPad Video highlights values in tech gadgets, including a 3D digital camera and a virtual keyboard, that could make great gifts for the holidays.  Watch video: Gift Guide: Virtual keyboard for iPad. REAL ESTATE Ex-Canada leader: U.S. made no sense on housing The former prime minister of Canada on Wednesday said the U.S. approach on housing "made absolutely no sense" as he explained why higher down payments and the lack of tax incentives contributed to housing market stability north of the border. Read more: Ex-Canada leader: U.S. made no sense on housing. Home-builder index hits best level in 17 months Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes rose in November to the highest level in 17 months — albeit to a still-weak level — as hope builds in the industry with mortgage rates around record lows. Read more: Home-builder index hits best level in 17 months. INVESTING Look to the Asia-Pacific region for investment opportunities Robert Powell writes in his Your Portfolio column that the increased focus on the Asia-Pacific region highlights investment opportunities, including some interesting new bond funds and ETFs. Read more: Look to the Asia-Pacific region for investment opportunities. What the market's light volume tells us If a new bull market did indeed begin at the early October lows, then we should be seeing markedly higher trading volume right now, writes Mark Hulbert. Read more: What the market's light volume tells us. Bulls and bears battle within trading range The technical and seasonal indicators are bullish, but the reality of the dire situation in Europe has given fuel to the bears. Read more: Bulls and bears battle within trading range. ECONOMY & POLITICS Congressional insider trading: The story sticks Politicians, who wrote laws prohibiting insider trading, routinely used inside information to enrich their own portfolios. Read more: Congressional insider trading: The story sticks. Target is now a target for Black Friday blowback A Target Corp. (TGT) employee in Omaha, Neb., is taking a stand against the retail chain opening its stores on Thanksgiving. Read more: Target is now a target for Black Friday blowback. Prices for U.S. consumers drop in October Americans got some relief in October as the cost of living fell, mainly because of lower prices for gasoline, fruits and vegetables. Read more: Prices for U.S. consumers drop in October. Get the latest news on our mobile site: http://www.marketwatch.com/m MarketWatch has sent you this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. To ensure you receive this newsletter in the future, please add marketwatchmail.com to your list of approved senders. Sent to: kumaresan.selva.blogger@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Subscribe Copyright 2011 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. 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