MarketReview author profile
Personal Finance Writer
ActiveRobert Paulsen has spent more than a decade writing about the financial choices people make in everyday life. His work covers income, spending, saving, debt and long-term goals, with close attention to the circumstances that can make the same advice sensible for one household and unsuitable for another.
Personal finance is often reduced to slogans: spend less, save more, avoid debt, follow a fixed rule. Robert looks beyond those formulas. He examines the trade-offs behind a decision, the priorities it serves and the costs or constraints that may not be obvious at first glance.
At MarketReview, his articles are intended to help readers organise choices around their own needs rather than an idealised financial plan. He does not treat good personal finance writing as a list of instructions; he treats it as a way to make the reasoning behind competing options clearer.
Published work
News, analysis and evergreen financial guides credited to this author.
Your 401(k) asset allocation determines how much growth and market risk your retirement savings take on, so the right mix should reflect your time horizon, withdrawal needs and ability to tolerate losses.
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Taking money from a 401(k) can involve different tax, penalty and plan rules depending on your age, employment status, reason for accessing the money and whether the balance is traditional or Roth.
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A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored defined contribution plan whose rules for enrollment, contributions, vesting, investments, fees and withdrawals can vary materially from one workplace to another.
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401(k) plans can be powerful retirement tools, but the investment menu, fees, vesting terms, contribution limits and restrictions on accessing money can create meaningful trade-offs.
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How much you put into a 401(k) should reflect your employer’s match, tax choice, current cash needs and the retirement income you are trying to build.
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A 401(k) rollover can preserve retirement tax advantages after you leave a job, but the best destination depends on fees, investment options, withdrawal rules and tax consequences.
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A useful IRA withdrawal strategy balances current spending needs with taxes, Roth flexibility, required minimum distributions and the value of keeping retirement assets invested.
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Balancing IRA contributions with taxable savings means keeping enough money accessible for near-term needs while using retirement accounts deliberately for long-term, tax-advantaged saving.
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The better IRA depends on the deduction you can claim today, the tax rate likely to apply later, and how much you value Roth flexibility in retirement.
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