The 401k plan is probably the most important retirement account that employees have these days. Hence, the 401k contribution limits are a much-discussed topic. In this article I have discussed the 2010 401k contribution limits, as well as projections for 2011. The changes made recently to the 401k contribution limits have made investors happy, especially those who want to leverage these plans in their portfolio for retirement. The 401k contribution limit has been increasing quickly since 2004, and is projected to grow and be indexed to inflation in 2012.
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3) Peer-to-Peer Lending
This method of unusual investments bypasses financial institutions and works with individuals themselves. A website called Prosper.com lists people who want to borrow money with verified credit scores. If you are an investor, you can choose whom to lend money to and how much, making an interest in return. The returns with this method have been reported to be better than Treasury Bonds or Bank CDs.
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There is an ever-increasing number of ways to invest your money. Generally, money managers will tell you the key to financial success in the long-term is diversification. However, there are various unique investments that are beginning to dominate the financial front. Here are 5 examples of unusual investments, which may surprise you:
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6) Winner: Brazil.
By 2020, Brazil is projected to be the seventh largest economy in the world, overtaking France and the UK. Brazil’s growth is promising because it is a major exporter of natural resources and energy.
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With the new decade well underway, everyone wants a sneak peak at what will happen to the economy by the end of it. Here are some possible winners and losers in the world economy in 2020:

1) Loser: U.S.A.
The United States will cease to be the world’s largest economy. This is already happening, as its GDP has been declining steadily over the past decade, and will continue to do so over the next one. The 2008-09 financial crisis was a massive blow for the U.S. economy as well, with a 2.4 percent reduction in its real GDP. So, the U.S. will no longer be the leader in the world economy in 2020.
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Crazy trading investment nearly collapses the market

In 2007, a New York trader made a trading investment not worth millions, but billions of dollars, but he got it all wrong. As a result of his error, the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered a thousand point drop and the markets nearly collapsed. One of the biggest crashes ever seen occurred, and the trader was probably responsible for a lot of heart attacks that day! He was from Citigroup, and after that, not surprisingly, he lost his job! Fortunately for investors, once the crash was identified as being the result of human error, the market quickly recovered.
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Last month, one of my big stocks took a plunge after the company announced some bad news, and quickly it turned into one of the worst investment I’d ever made. Thousands of dollars worse off than I thought I was, I have decided to put things in perspective by collating some of the worst million dollar investments the world has ever seen!
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Financial planning is a headache for some, fun for others, but with so many options available, it can make your head spin, and it can be extremely difficult to decide on the best options. A common problem is the IRA versus 401k dilemma. Or maybe it’s best to have both? Here I will talk about each one separately, exploring their benefits, to help you make a more informed decision on IRA vs 401k.
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It is much better to look forward to retirement rather than fear it, isn’t it? To make the transition easier and more enjoyable, you should know exactly how and when to execute the rolling over 401k. Because our present economic environment is so volatile, unemployment is rampant, the future of Social Security benefits is highly questionable, and business failures are widespread, it is imperative to take an active role in planning your retirement.

When looking at your 401k rollover options, it’s more prudent to proceed with caution. After all, that money will need to last you for a long time yet. Unfortunately, 401k retirement plans have had major losses in the last few years, and, of course, you wouldn’t want to see your money just vanish. One of your options is to cash out a retirement plan, but this move is not considered the wisest, because of early withdrawal penalties. The tax liabilities here are quite substantial as well. A more wise thing you could be doing is rolling over 401k.
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More and more people are now living longer and taking an early retirement, which makes it more imperative than ever to save enough money, so you can live your retirement years to the max. The question of how to retire early is becoming of increasing importance, as the official retirement age gradually creeps up. So here bare my five important strategies:

1) Start saving lots and early. Compounding can have a dramatic effect on your savings. For example, if you are 25 years of age, and you start putting away $100 a month, which rolls up 7 percent annually, you will have over $200,000 waiting for you when you are 65! But if you wait until it is, say, 5 years until your retirement to put away those $100, you will end up with less than $145,000. So, clearly, the younger you are, the more you stand to save for when you are older.
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