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Many would-be retirees know this scenario painfully well: Their nest eggs took a huge hit during the financial crisis and recession, and investment returns since then haven't been enough to get them back on track.

Fee-only financial planner Jill Boynton of Cornerstone Financial Planning in Newington, N.H., has seen the pain. "Lots of people don't have as much as they had hoped,'' said Boynton. These days it's not uncommon to see people who are 10 percent shy of what they had hoped to spend annually in retirement, she said.

But those not quite willing to give up on the dream might consider an alternative approach. Christine Fahlund, a senior financial planner for T. Rowe Price, suggests people consider using their 60s as a "practice retirement,'' where they keep working, but stop funding retirement plans and use the money to have fun.

What does "practice retirement'' look like? Instead of retiring and sailing around the world, you might keep working and simply buy a boat; rather than spending the winter on a Florida golf course, take a deluxe golf vacation. Spend a week at cooking classes in Paris, on a bike trip, or seeing Broadway shows in New York.

"The idea is to have your employer fund the fun,'' Fahlund said.

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This live discussion with members of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) for Kiplinger's Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Days has ended. You can view the transcript of the discussion below.

Click here to read full discussion

by Maine Business Press

Portland, Maine – (January 02, 2012) – Susan Veligor, CFP®, recently completed a five-day training program, called "Inward Bound" hosted by the Sudden Money® Institute (SMI). The workshop, held in Key Largo, Florida, included an elite group of leading experts in the area of Financial Transition Planning.

During the Inward Bound training, Veligor developed new skills involving practical solutions for working more effectively with clients who are navigating through financial and life transition events.

"The conference gave me tremendous insight into the challenges people face when managing new "sudden" money— the stress it creates, the pressure people may receive from family members and the poor decisions that may be made as a result of this stress and pressure," said Veligor.

"Part of my role as a financial advisor is to help people who find themselves in the high pressure situation of a financial windfall and guide them to a place of confident and informed decision making. This conference gave me additional tools for success in that role."

Veligor was one of 25 leading financial and life-planning advisors from across the nation to attend the Sudden Money Institute's Inward Bound training. SMI has developed specialized tools and protocols that use proven planning models to help advisors coach their clients' through life-changing financial transitions.

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By John Miley, Reporter, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Saving doesn't come easily for us young adults. Entry-level salaries don't give you a lot to work with. And, well, we also tend to spend what we make -- and then some -- on the latest gadgets and flashiest fashions.

But don't worry. We're not doomed to frivolity and the wreckage it can make of our finances. Here's how you can start saving smart throughout 2012:

Periodically calculate how much you spend. What better time to review your budget than at the start of a New Year? "It's really hard to [track your spending] each month, so aim for just once or twice a year," says Jill Boynton, a certified financial planner in Newington, New Hampshire.

Just be sure when you do it that you track everything. Boynton recommends filling out a spreadsheet with a month's worth of spending. Or you can try an online budgeting tool such as Mint.com (See our slide show: Which Budgeting Site is Best for You?). But note: Mint works best for those who deal mostly in plastic as opposed to cash. When you make an ATM withdrawal, the site labels the transaction as "Cash & ATM." Unless you diligently manage your cash transactions (you can manually edit Mint's labels), you can easily lose track of where the money goes.

The drudgery of tracking spending can pay off when you find surprising expenses you could easily cut. At the end of 2011, I crunched my own numbers and found that I shelled out about $200 a month at Starbucks and other restaurants. I'm sure I could cut that by at least half. That's like finding a $100 bill every month in my back pocket.

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South Portland, Maine (NEWS CENTER) - The holidays are supposed to be a relaxing time, but for many people this particular season comes with an awful lot of pressure.

With Black Friday now behind us we are officially in the thick of the holiday shopping season. If that so called biggest shopping day of the year is any indication American shoppers are over spending this year. While incomes have not risen at all in the past year, sales in the first few days of this holiday season have jumped by double digits over last year.

Financial experts say its a sign of the pressure we're all feeling to spend more each Christmas season.

"We've all seen how many different car commercials, with the car in the driveway with the bow on it on Christmas morning. Now that's setting the bar pretty high and you might see lists now that say great gifts under 100-dollars, not 50-dollars or 20-dollars, its now under 100-dollars. There is pressure to spend more money", says Jill Boynton of Cornerstone Financial Planning.

Boynton says before heading out to the stores create a budget that is realistic. Go on line to get some ideas about what certain items will cost. Set some expectations with your kids about the amount of gifts they'll be receiving... and don't get caught up in the holiday hype.

See the video online here:

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article/180968/314/Holiday-season-can-add-extra-level-of-stress

Portsmouth, NH (October 19, 2011) – Jill Boynton, Principal at Cornerstone Financial Planning, has received a 5-Star Professional Service Award from independent research firm Five Star Professional, for her excellence in providing quality financial planning services in New Hampshire.

 Five Star Professional is an organization that conducts research to help consumers with the important decision of selecting a service professional. The Five Star Professional award is determined through a survey of 65,000 high net worth households and 3,500 registered financial services professionals and is awarded to less than 3 percent of licensed wealth managers in the area.

Jill is a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. She graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Magna Cum Laude and currently resides in Newington, NH with her husband and two sons.

(NEWS CENTER) -- Thursday's stock market plunge has left consumers jittery to say the least. But financial planners say investors should not shy away from the market.

Susan Veligor is a certified financial planners. She is telling her clients to say calm and hang on through the ups and downs of the market. She recommends hiring good financial planner who can help set up a balanced diversified portfolio, which will rebound from short term plunges. She says studies have shown the violalitility of the market won't have a negative impact in the long term.

'In a given year on average the market is down 47 percent of the time and up 53 percent of the time. You are going to have these down days but you are going to have up days.' said Veligor.

Financial planners say if you are contributing to your 401-K, make sure that your contributions go through the end of the year, in order to maximize your employer's matching contribution.

See the video online here:http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=173765