Retirement savings

My wife and I recently refinanced our home. We paid off the home equity line and the existing mortgage, and now our monthly payments are $500 less than they were previously. What should we do with these savings? Thank you. Jeff, Amherst, MA

I just graduated from law school and found the perfect job for me. Unfortunately, it does not offer a 401(k). I have a number of old 401(k)s from previous jobs, including a few that have been rolled over into Roth IRAs. Because I was in school for 3 years, I haven't been adding to my retirement saving for that period, thinking I could "make it up." To top it all off, my husband and I now make in excess of the maximum for IRA contributions. How should I be saving for retirement at this point? Jane, Los Angeles, CA

My husband and I just refinanced our house at a great rate (15-year fixed mortgage at 2.875 percent). Our house payment is low and we can afford to pay more each month. Would the best use of our money be to pay down the principal on this low-interest loan or put extra away for retirement or for our children's college fund? We have two young children and are in our late 20s/early 30s. Thanks for your help! Katie, Helena, MT

Fees matter. Financial companies love to talk about compounding returns. But fees compound too.

The mutual fund giant Fidelity calculates that a 65-year-old couple retiring in 2012 will need around $240,000 to cover medical expenses through their retirement. Ouch!

Why can I put more money each year into a 401(k) than I can an IRA? This is stupid. I'm currently a contract employee and can only put $6,000 a year into an IRA, since I'm 50 and can use the catch-up provision. Last year, as an employee of a company that offered a 401(k), I saved more than $12,000. Plus, my company matched very generously. Thanks, Ernie, Sunnyvale, CA

Fidelity said this week that our 401(k) account balances were up 8 percent on average in the first quarter of this year. But the major stock market indexes were up even more than that. So are 401(k)s really the right ticket to a happy retirement?

How do you plan your investments when you're planning for people of different ages? If a family has one person who is of retirement age and another who's much younger, how should common investments be allocated? Conservatively (keeping in mind the older person) or aggressively (in the interests of the less old person)? Thanks!!! Rina, Bronx, NY

Hi. I'm 53 years old and have had to go through the little bit of my retirement savings. Now, I have $5,000 to start something, as far as retirement goes. What should I do? I do not have anything through work. Actually, my workplace is on brink of closing right now. Lisa, Louisville, KY