Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal for 4/11/19
Closed-end mutual funds can increase your portfolio returns, but investing in them has an extra layer of risk. There’s a key distinction between closed-end mutual funds and the better-known open-end mutual funds. An open-end fund doesn’t have a fixed number of shares issued. Instead, at the end of each day, the fund company tallies the […]
The Estimated Tax Trap “Snagging” More & More Retirees
A growing number of taxpayers, especially retirees, are being caught in the estimated tax trap. When income taxes aren’t withheld, taxpayers have to prepay their federal income taxes in four estimated tax payments. The payments are due on April 15, June 15, September 15 and January 15 (unless the due date falls on a holiday […]
Will and Estate Planning Checklist Helps to Protect Heirs
Are you taking advantage of all the tools available to get your property to the next generation or other beneficiaries at a minimum cost in expenses in taxes? You are if you have taken or considered each of these factors. Do you have an up-to-date will? If you have minor children, does the will name […]
Bob’s Journal for 4/4/2019
Housing is staging a comeback, and that’s likely to help economic growth the rest of the year. The Fed’s tighter monetary policy caused housing to stall for most of the last year or so. Sales and construction were down, and prices increased at a lower rate. After the Fed announced a pause in its tightening […]
Aging in Place: 3 More Ways to “Future-Proof” Your Home
“Aging in Place” is a phrase associated with older Americans who wish to stay in their homes for as long as they’re able to. Yet not many have developed a plan for how. Until now… Last week, we covered the first 3 steps to Aging in Place: Weighing the finances, maintaining social connections, and identifying the […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/28/19
Your retirement plan should assume inflation will be higher than the published numbers, whether you already are retired or still looking forward to it. The most widely cited measure of inflation is the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for all urban consumers. This measure generally has been declining since it peaked in the early 1980s. In […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/21/19
Markets have been rallying, but investors don’t seem to be very bullish. Stock indexes, of course, have strong returns so far in 2019. The NASDAQ 100, as represented by the QQQ exchange-traded fund (ETF), is up about 14.5% for the year to date. The S&P 500 gained more than 12.5% and the Russell 2000 index […]
Retire ‘Retirement’? The New Senior Living Lifestyle
More and more often I see someone argue that we should stop using the word “retirement” and abandon the whole concept of retirement. Retire retirement, they say. They argue that people are living longer, healthier, more active lives. “Retired” people no longer have sedentary lifestyles that occasionally are interrupted by shuffleboard and card games. Surveys […]
