Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal for 3/11/21
The Big Rotation in Stocks The winners and losers in U.S. stocks were stable, until recently. For years, U.S. growth stocks, especially technology stocks, regularly outperformed other categories of stocks. Investing in the large U.S. indexes, such as the S&P 500, was an easy, inexpensive way to earn high returns. Those trends started to shift […]
Retirement Stealth Tax: How To Avoid the ‘Widow’s Penalty’ Part II
It’s one of the Stealth Taxes no one talks about, and it comes at an emotionally vulnerable time. I’m referring to the “widow’s penalty tax.” Last week we discussed the first three potential hits to the surviving spouse: Income is likely to decline. Second, the surviving spouse is pushed into a higher tax bracket. A […]
Electronic Wills Are Coming
Very slowly but surely, estate planning law is catching up to modern technology. The latest development paves the way for electronic wills in most states. An electronic will, or e-will, is one that recognizes the traditional formalities of a will when they’re in an electronic format. An e-will can be written in an electronic medium, […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/4/21
Tips Retirees Need for 2020 Tax Returns Many retirees and people who took COVID-related retirement plan distributions might need some extra time to work through their 2020 tax returns. Those who took distributions from traditional IRAs at any point during 2020 will receive a Form 1099-R reporting the distributions to them and the Internal Revenue […]
Evaluating a Codicil vs. a New Will for your Estate Planning Strategy
When an estate planning strategy needs updating, there’s always one key question. Should an entire will be written and executed, or is a simple amendment sufficient? An amendment to a will, in lawyer talk, is a codicil. It’s an important question, and not one to be taken lightly. There are no guidelines or restrictions in […]
Bob’s Journal for 2/25/21
Some Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week I’ll answer a few more questions this week that were raised by a number of listeners during the subscriber teleconference we had two weeks ago. (A replay is available here.) Question 1: I was planning to delay Social Security benefits until at least full retirement age. […]
How Market and Economic Trends are Changing in 2021
Some key investment and economic trends of the last few years started to change in the last few months. I believe those changes will continue, and probably accelerate, in 2021. One change, which I’ve been highlighting, is that returns from U.S. stocks are unlikely to continue to significantly outpace returns from many global stocks. U.S. […]
How to Make Better Social Security Decisions
Most Americans make the wrong decisions about claiming Social Security benefits. That costs them $100,000 or more of lifetime benefits and increases financial struggles in their later years. It doesn’t have to be that way for you. Making Social Security claiming decisions the right way ensures you make the best choices for you and your […]
