Personal Finance Daily: Americans' retirement is in danger

Personal Finance Daily JANUARY 26, 2012 Thursday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Retirement in America is 'endangered' Tax deductions: Enjoy them while you can Hollywood's move to digital will end an era Robert Powell writes about the state of retirement in America. He's interviewed many experts in the field of retirement -- researchers, financial advisers and plan managers. They say, in short: Things are bad, and in the absence of action or in the presence of ill-advised action, could get much worse. What can be done to improve the situation? Read their ideas on revamping Social Security and what retirement savers need to do regarding contributions and coverage. Also in the day's Personal Finance news on MarketWatch, Andrea Coombes says you should take advantage of all the tax deductions and credits you can while you still can. Given the general tenor in Washington these days, there's no telling which tax breaks will survive and which will disappear. She highlights which tax perks are gone and which have an uncertain future. — Anne Stanley , managing editor, Personal Finance Retirement in America is 'endangered' What's the state of retirement in the United States? It's plagued with problems involving Social Security, contribution rates and more that need fixing now. Read more: Retirement in America is 'endangered.' Tax deductions: Enjoy them while you can Most taxpayers claim the standard deduction, but if ever there was a time to make the most of valuable tax deductions and credits, it might be now, before they disappear. Read more: Tax deductions: Enjoy them while you can. REAL ESTATE Fixed-mortgage rates jump: Freddie Mac Rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped this week after data showed improvement in the housing market, according to Freddie Mac's latest survey of conforming mortgage rates. Read more: Fixed-mortgage rates jump. December new-home sales dip to end worst-ever year Sales of new homes slumped 2.2% in December, disappointing analysts who had expected another big gain in the month after a strong report in November. Sales for the year hit a record low. Read more: December new-home sales dip to end worst-ever year. INVESTING Gold extends post-Fed rally to six-week high Gold prices rise to their highest level since early December, extending gains that followed the Federal Reserve's announcement that it plans to hold rates near zero until the end of 2014. Read more: Gold extends rally to 6-week high. Nokia: It can only get better Nokia Corp. (NOK) looks to be off to a decent start with its Windows Phone smartphones, selling more than 1 million Lumia devices in the recent quarter, but is it enough to catch Apple Inc. (AAPL)? Read more: Nokia: It can only get better. Guard changes at nano-cap letter A veteran investment-letter editor dies just as his high-risk sector is getting fashionable again, reports Peter Brimelow. Read more: Guard changes at nano-cap letter. Hollywood's move to digital will end an era With the clock ticking on Hollywood's move to digital, the sad end of celluloid could also spell trouble for small theaters that can't afford the transition, writes Therese Poletti. Read more: Hollywood's move to digital will end an era. ECONOMY AND POLITICS Why expansionary austerity doesn't add up Austerity will only make the economy worse, leading to a lost decade of deleveraging and depression, writes Rex Nutting. Read more: Why expansionary austerity doesn't add up. Economy improving, leading indicators say The U.S. economy is expected to improve early this year, though global conditions present risk, the Conference Board says. Read more: Economy improving, leading indicators say Jobless claims in U.S. rise sharply New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose sharply last week, but initials claims remained at a level that usually suggests a modest improvement in the U.S. labor market. Read more: Jobless claims in U.S. rise sharply. Durable-goods orders up strong 3.0% in December Orders for big-ticket durable-goods rose 3% in December, ending the year on a strong note. Core durable goods orders rose 2.9%, reversing two months of declines. Read more: Durable-goods orders up 3% in December. Cameron urges bold action to solve euro crisis British Prime Minister David Cameron calls for bold action to resolve the euro-zone debt crisis, saying that the issues of "Greece, banks and firewall" needed to be addressed urgently. Read more: Cameron urges bold action to solve euro crisis. Taxpayers still on hook for $133 bln in TARP funds Taxpayers still bear the risk of $133 billion in outstanding Troubled Asset Relief Program funds, a watchdog for the government crisis-response program says in a quarterly report to Congress. Read more: Taxpayers still on hook for $133 bln in TARP funds. 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 2012 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (updated 6/26/07). MarketWatch - Attn: Customer Service, 201 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111