.Bonds are supposed to be the "plain vanilla", easy to understand, rock solid part of a person’s portfolio. As a person enters retirement, bonds have tended to play a bigger role.John Bogle, founder of Vanguard, always gave the advice to put “your age in bonds.” If you're 60, sixty percent in bonds, forty percent in stocks.

What Mr. Bogle had in mind was a solid, high quality collection of bonds, and bonds only.

These volatile markets are still near all time highs and companies are increasing earnings at a strong clip-- So, that means its a great time to retire, right? Not so fast! Polls show that retirees are not feeling confident about this market and not sure how to replace all the income they had from work. Rather than taking on more risk to try to double their money, smart retirees are seeking ways to double their income--while LOWERING their risk.

Today, claiming your social security benefits is complicated and confusing.

There are seemingly an infinite number of options as to how and when to claim your benefits.

And if you don’t claim your benefits at the exact right time …

Or if you don’t consider how this decision could impact your investments, taxes, or even your Medicare premiums … It could needlessly cost you a small fortune!! And by the time you figure it out, it could be too late to do anything about it.

Why have over two hundred billion dollars a year of annuities been bought for the past ten years and which annuity makes for the best IRA rollover from a 401k. We’ll reveal that and more in today’s market intel segment

MASTERING MONEY is on the air!

Today on Mastering Money, after an in-depth review of today's breaking news and market trends in segment one, we'll turn it over to former Ronald Reagan economist and syndicated talk show host LARRY KUDLOW in segments two and three! Hear Larry and his high powered guests with timely insights on the the markets, politics, Donald Trump, Congress, the FBI and more!—MASTERING MONEY is on ON THE AIR!!

There are over 451,000 people living today who are at least 100 years old. And that number is projected to grow to 2.2 MILLION in just 30 years!

...Living a long and prosperous life is something we all wish for! But if the markets don't go well, or your investments perform poorly, would it cause you to run through your entire life savings … far too soon? The last thing you want to be is 85 years old, full of life,

You did some research, you studied hard, and you picked several five star rated mutual funds for your IRA, or 401K …You even picked two of last year’s number one funds in their category! And you felt pretty good about your picks! But in reality … you just made two of the biggest investing mistakes on Wall Street according to Dow Jones researchers. Today, we’ll reveal those mistakes, how to avoid them, and how to consistently make smart investment choices!! MASTERING MONEY is on the air!

There are two ways to grow money in the stock market: TIME and Timing! Many fortunes have been built reinvesting dividends of high quality companies over the years. Today, we’ll review the IQ Wealth Black Diamond Dividend Strategy and the IQ Wealth Blue Diamond Income and Growth Portfolios. Both of these portfolios are designed to capitalize on companies that increase their dividends annually—without fail--meaning they increased their dividends in 2008.

More and more retirees these days do not have a pension. They have 401ks and 403bs and TSP's. In polls and surveys, however, baby boomers have overwhelmingly said that the one thing they envy most about their parent’s retirements were exactly that-- pensions! Smart retirees who know the value of a pension, but who don’t have one, have found a “workaround.”

Long-term-care insurance was supposed to help pay for nursing homes, assisted living and personal aides for tens of millions of Americans when they became unable to take care of themselves.

Now, however, the industry is in financial turmoil, causing misery for many of the 7.3 million people who own a long-term-care policy, equal to about a fifth of the U.S. population at least 65 years old. Rates are rising, and benefits are being cut. What can you do and...more important-- what SHOULD you do?