Retirement Watch Weekly
Unveiling the Retirement Watch Family Caregiver Planning Guide
Family caregiver planning has some simple rules… And some not-so-simple rules. For starters, any caregiver agreements involving family members should be in writing. That is, unless the person providing the care is being altruistic (being a friend), and expects nothing in return now or in the future. Often when one family member provides care for […]
The Economy and the Stock Market – Our Three Likely Scenarios Updated
Is 2019 going to be like 2015? Or will it bring a serious bear market and perhaps a recession? In 2015, the U.S. labor market was strong, and the economy was growing. So, the Fed ended quantitative easing. As the year went on, the debt crisis in Greece roiled markets. China’s stock market took a […]
What You Need To Know About Taking Social Security Benefits
Confusion and misunderstandings abound in discussions about Social Security. A result is people leave tens of thousands of dollars of guaranteed lifetime income on the table. Perhaps the most misunderstood issue, based on emails I receive, is how working past age 62 affects benefit levels, especially working while receiving retirement benefits. There are several different […]
How To Stay In The 0% Tax Bracket For Capital Gains And Dividends
You can have a significant amount of income and yet pay no income taxes on your long-term capital gains and qualified dividends. Most retirees and many other individuals shouldn’t have to pay income taxes on those types of income. The key is to know about the tax brackets and when tax rates change for long-term […]
How to Have The Penalty For RMD Mistakes Waived
One of the stiffest penalties in the tax code is the one for not taking the correct required minimum distribution (RMD) from an IRA or other qualified retirement plan. You pay a whopping 50% of the amount that was supposed to be distributed but wasn’t. This penalty is in addition to paying income taxes on […]
You Should Be Planning This Year’s Qualified Charitable Distributions
Many people aren’t receiving all the benefits they could from the qualified charitable distribution (QCD), the powerful tax-saving tool for charitably inclined IRA owners older than age 70½. The QCD drifted in and out of the tax law for about a decade, but it finally was made a permanent part of the tax code a […]
Don’t Leave an Estate Planning Mess for Your Children to Fix
The best description for the legacy plans of most Americans ages 55 and over is NOGO. The acronym stands for “not in good order” or simply “not good.” It is a phrase often used by estate and financial planners to summarize the state of the financial and estate plans of new clients. Most people know […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/14/19
How much should we rely on recent economic data? I say, “Not much.” There are major anomalies in recent data, creating more noise than usual. Two major reports from last Friday are prime examples. Retail sales for December declined sharply, yet January’s sales increased briskly, especially after excluding autos and gas. But as I explain […]
