Taxes on Retirement Savings

Many Americans will be shocked once they reach retirement, to find that their IRA or 401(k) is not worth nearly as much as they think. Alicia Munnell, PhD, economist, Director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, Peter F. Drucker Professor of Management Sciences at Boston College\'s Carroll School of Management said many upper income retirees will be hit with 25-32% federal tax bills on the funds they saved for retirement, and possibly even more from state taxes. She noted that those who save in tax-deferred retirement plans still come out ahead, even after paying taxes on the withdrawals.

Lifestyle Changes

Dean Ornish M.D, founder and President of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, author of “Undo It!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases”

Dr. Ornish is a well-known advocate for using diet and lifestyle changes to treat and prevent heart disease. He outlined four changes in lifestyle that he believes can stop the progression and even reverse many chronic diseases. He said it’s surprising how rapidly our bodies can begin to heal after making simple lifestyle changes.

Preventing Burglaries

Alan Young, home security expert, CEO of Armor Concepts, a New Jersey-based security firm talked about the basic steps that the average homeowner can take to prevent home intrusions or burglaries. He said the most common way that criminals enter a house is by simply breaking through a door, rather than picking locks or breaking windows. He also discussed the misunderstood role that alarm systems play in home security.

Dr. Dean Ornish

For over 35 years, Dr. Dean Ornish’s series of scientific research studies have been empowering the way millions of people think about the simple lifestyle choices they make each day in dynamic relation to their health & wellbeing. From being a revolutionary thought leader, a powerful professor, a beloved author and respected advisor to some of the worlds most powerful leaders, Dr. Dean Ornish is resoundingly recognized as a leader in health, healthcare and medicine.

Dr. Ornish\'s Website

Alicia H. Munnell

Alicia H. Munnell is the Peter F. Drucker Professor of Management Sciences at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. She also serves as the director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.



Before joining Boston College in 1997, Alicia Munnell was a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (1995-1997) and assistant secretary of the Treasury for economic policy (1993-1995). Previously, she spent 20 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (1973-1993), where she became senior vice president and director of research in 1984. She has published many articles, authored numerous books, and edited several volumes on tax policy, Social Security, public and private pensions, and productivity.

Learn more about Ms. Munnell