Can you retire when you want?

Investing

For Laura Evans

Updated: Jun 23, 2013, 3:31 PM

Published: Jun 19, 2013, 3:33 PM

Despite the soaring stock market of the past few years, some Americans are nervous about their ability to retire comfortably — or even retire at all.
Consider these somewhat sobering statistics:
• Almost half of American workers report being “not too confident” or “not at all confident” about being able to afford a comfortable retirement, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey. The 28 percent who say they are “not at all” confident is the highest level recorded in the 23 years of this survey.
• Between 2010 and 2012, the percentage of people 45 to 60 who planned to delay retirement rose to 62 percent from 42 percent, according to the Conference Board, a nonprofit business membership and research organization.
If you’re concerned about having enough resources to enjoy your retirement years or you’re afraid that you’ll have to work longer than you anticipated — what can you do to possibly alleviate your worries?
Your first step is to get specific about your retirement goals. Have you set a target date for your retirement yet? If so, how many years until you reach this date?
Once you know when you want to retire, you’ll need to come up with some sort of “price tag” for your retirement years. By taking into account your hoped-for lifestyle and your projected longevity, you should be able to develop a reasonably good estimate of how much money you’ll need as a retiree. You may find it helpful to work with a financial professional — someone with the tools and experience to plug in all the variables needed to calculate your retirement expenses.
Next, review your retirement savings vehicles, such as your 401(k) and IRA. Are you contributing as much as you can afford to these accounts? Are you increasing your contributions when your salary rises? Within these vehicles, are you choosing an investment mix that can offer the growth you’ll need to accumulate a sufficient level of retirement savings?
In any case, do what you can to retire when you want — but be flexible enough in your thinking so that you won’t be shocked or dismayed if you need to slightly extend your working years. By “covering your bases” in this way, you can be ready for whatever comes your way.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by Evans, the company's financial adviser in Richmond Hill.

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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