Personal Finance Daily: Many retirees don't know what retirement will cost

	Personal Finance Daily JULY 31, 2012 Tuesday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Retirement costs confuse soon-to-be retirees Watch the Olympics to be better investors Why being bad is better on Wall Street Four retirement strategies for muni bonds Even though they're getting close to retiring, a full one-third of people surveyed in a recent study didn't know how much they'd need to cover their expenses in retirement. And while a top worry for this group was related to health-care expenses, many underestimated just how much of an impact inflation and taxes would have on the funding of their golden years. Read Anna Andrianova's report on how retirement costs are confusing soon-to-be retirees. —Amy Hoak , Personal Finance writer Retirement costs confuse soon-to-be retirees One third of people close to retirement don't know how much money they will need to retire, according to a new survey. Retirement costs confuse soon-to-be retirees Five of the biggest power outages The second massive power outage in as many days has struck Northern India, leaving hundreds of millions of people sweltering in tropical heat. Here's a look at some of the world's more notable outages over the past 50 years. Five of the biggest power outages Four retirement strategies for muni bonds Your federal taxes are likely to go up, possibly as early as January. If that's the case, you should begin taking a closer look at one of the most important investments for many retirees: municipal bonds. Four retirement strategies for muni bonds ECONOMY AND POLITICS U.S. home prices jump in May: Case-Shiller U.S. home prices jumped in May, marking the second month of gains, according to a closely followed index released Tuesday. U.S. home prices jump in May: Case-Shiller. Expectations lead consumer confidence higher After declining for four months, U.S. consumer confidence increased in July on improved expectations, but remained at relatively low levels, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. Expectations lead consumer confidence higher. Congress strikes stopgap spending deal House and Senate leaders strike a deal to fund the government for six months, a move that averts the threat of a shutdown in September. Congress strikes stopgap spending deal Consumer spending falls again in June U.S. consumers reduced spending for the second straight month despite a sharp increase in wages, boosting their savings rate to the highest level in a year. The decline in spending suggests the economy will continue to grow slowly. Consumer spending falls again in June. SEC calls for more muni-bond disclosure The Securities and Exchange Commission urges Congress to give the agency the power to improve disclosure standards and require audited financial statements for the $3.7 trillion municipal securities market as part of an effort to help retail investors in the market. SEC calls for more muni-bond disclosure. Germany returns to Realpolitik in euro crisis Right or wrong, Europe seems trapped at this point into doing things the way Germany wants, writes Darrell Delamaide. Germany returns to Realpolitik in euro crisis. Living in a Catch-22 economy The standoff between consumer spending and unemployment is just one of many paradoxes preventing a robust recovery, writes Irwin Kellner. Living in a Catch-22 economy INVESTING The Real Crash is dead ahead as 2008 is forgotten Yes, another crash is coming soon because we're back playing the same speculative games as we did for years before the 2008 crash. Nothing's changed. And when we collapse, it will be because America's leaders never do learn the lessons of history. The Real Crash is dead ahead as 2008 is forgotten. Facebook? UBS needs to change its status UBS, like its American counterparts, remains dangerously exposed to risks in the securities markets. Facebook? UBS needs to change its status. Watch the Olympics to be better investors What does the Olympics have to do with Wall Street? Plenty, writes Mark Hulbert, who says that in a roundabout way the Olympics can actually teach us to be better investors. Watch the Olympics to be better investors. LinkedIn: Boring can be beautiful A bright light in the social-media selloff, LinkedIn's shares have stayed above the company's IPO price as the more boring social network relies less on ads. But will its high multiple lead to an eventual fall? LinkedIn: Boring can be beautiful. 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