shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

USA Today: IRS Runs Into Rebate Delivery Problems

To date, the IRS has issued nearly 30 million stimulus checks, totaling more than $27 billion." And it is the "first time the IRS has used direct deposit to deliver rebates - a step intended to quickly pump money into the struggling economy," but there have been delays. Those "who applied for refund-anticipation loans or who had their e-filing fees deducted from their refunds won't receive their rebates by direct deposit, even if their regular tax refunds were delivered that way." And "taxpayers who filed jointly with a spouse who doesn't have a Social Security number won't receive a rebate at all."

US News And World Report: Proper Diversification Seen As The Most Important Investing Principle

Reshma Kapadia writes that the "the way money is divvied up is responsible for more than 90 percent of a portfolio's performance - not stock picking or even selecting the right fund manager, according to a landmark 1986 study that has been confirmed by several subsequent ones. In other words, getting that allocation right - and sticking to it - plays a bigger role than most investors realize."

BusinessWeek: AARP Survey Highlights Major Retirement Uncertainties Among Boomers

"It looks like fewer of those 78 million [baby boomers] will be either rich enough or young enough at retirement to meet the expectations of businesses catering to boomers released from the workforce." Baby boomers "face falling stock and housing values plus skyrocketing health-care and energy costs. These are all reasons to stay on the payroll. Meanwhile, stock losses have led 14% of retirees to consider returning to work, according to the AARP." And "boomers make up the first generation to fund retirement partly from finite pools of savings instead of wholly from guaranteed-for-life pensions. Says AARP's director of financial security, Jean Setzfand, 'That makes them fundamentally more cautious.'"