Personal Finance Daily: Don't ignore retirement in your daily budget

Personal Finance Daily FEBRUARY 13, 2012 Monday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Give yourself a raise this year Congress eyes retirement-plan tax benefits Car Review: 2012 Kia Soul Facebook IPO's impact on your fund manager Read more: White House embraces austerity. Workers spend an average of $3,000 each year on coffee and lunches bought out, according to a recent survey — and younger workers appear inclined to spend more than older ones. Among workers aged 18 to 34, the average weekly outlay for coffee is $26, while workers 45 and older spend $14 a week on coffee. As Ruth Mantell writes in her On the Job column today, there are better ways to spend that money. Read her story, plus check out my column on the prospects of lawmakers tapping into retirement-plan rules to find some tax revenue. And see Chuck Jaffe's column for more on your mutual funds investing in Facebook Inc. Sure, there are bigger-ticket items (e.g. refinancing to a cheaper home mortgage) that are more important to your bottom line than a lunch out now and again. But a 20-year-old might consider stashing that $3,000 in a nice diversified portfolio, for the future. Whatever your age, if you're not retired, retirement savings should be a part of your monthly budget. — Andrea Coombes , Personal Finance editor Give yourself a raise this year U.S. workers spend a lot on coffee and lunch during the work week and it really adds up. Ask yourself whether you want to spend that money, or whether it would be better to save a chunk and invest it or use it for some other expense. Read more: Give yourself a raise this year. Congress eyes retirement-plan tax benefits You'd think a legislative bill to fund the nation's highways would have no connection to your retirement savings. But that didn't stop lawmakers from proposing an amendment to the bill that would have trimmed a valuable retirement-plan benefit. Read more: Congress eyes retirement-plan tax benefits. Car Review: 2012 Kia Soul The Kia Soul is one example of the new breed of cars that not only are gas sippers, but also fun to drive. Read more: 2012 Kia Soul. ECONOMY & POLITICS White House embraces austerity In his 2013 budget proposal released on Monday, President Barack Obama has now fully embraced austerity as the recipe for economic success. Read more: White House embraces austerity. Obama sends $3.8 trillion budget to Congress The White House unveils a $3.8 trillion budget blueprint. It's likely to serve to frame the president's re-election campaign, as Republicans quickly pounce. Read more: Obama sends $3.8 trillion budget to Congress. Volcker, others clash on speculative trading rule Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker is expected Monday to submit a comment letter on a controversial proposal to rein in proprietary trading that bears his name. Read more: Volcker, others clash on speculative trading rule. Greek-vote enthusiasm clouded by Athens unrest Investors cheer the Greek parliament's approval of tough new austerity measures, but civil unrest and political tensions mean the debt-strapped country is still far from out of the woods. Read more: Greek-vote enthusiasm clouded by Athens unrest. INVESTING Facebook IPO's impact on your fund manager Facebook's upcoming IPO provides a unique opportunity for individuals to see if they can live comfortably with the investment strategy they're following. Read more: Facebook IPO's impact on your fund manager. This is your brain on a hot streak Past returns are no guarantee of future success. Just like smokers ignoring the Surgeon General's warning on the side of cigarette packs, investors overlook the most obvious caution about the stock market at their peril. Read more: This is your brain on a hot streak. Apple files patent suit over Samsung Galaxy Nexus Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit, charging that Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Nexus phone violates four of the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant's patents, weekend media reports say. Read more: Apple files patent suit over Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Economy isn't shock-resistant yet, forecaster says The U.S. economy is regaining its vigor but probably isn't strong enough yet to withstand a major external shock to the system, says Lou Crandall, winner of the January Forecaster of the Month contest along with his colleague Bill Jordan. Read more: Economy isn't shock-resistant yet. 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. 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