Retirement Watch Weekly
New 529 Plan Rules
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made some changes to 529 savings plans, which I discussed in Retirement Watch. This article says many parents still aren’t making use of the provision and explores the reasons why. They may be concerned their funds in a 529 plan could reduce their child’s chances of being awarded a […]
Investors Are Doing Better
We regularly see reports concluding that investors earn lower returns than the published returns for individual mutual funds. The reason usually given for the discrepancy is poor timing. Investors tend to buy a fund after it’s had good returns and then sell after a bad period. This article from Morningstar says investors have done better […]
Preventing Elder Abuse
Older people who suffer financial or physical abuse tend to have one thing in common. They’re usually living alone and are isolated. That gives caregivers and others their opportunities. In this article, a former prosecutor of elder abuse argues that adult children bear a responsibility to stay in touch with their parents frequently to be […]
The #1 Rule to Follow in Your Estate Planning: Executor and Trustee Designations
There’s a time bomb ticking in many estate plans, possibly even in yours. You likely won’t even know if the bomb goes off… or, for that matter, how big the explosion will be. You see, the “bomb” is the person — or people — you name to act for you. Whether they act during your […]
Sell In May And Go Away?
That’s the well-received adage of Wall Street. Many investors swear by it. But this article takes a different tack. It has charts and tables to argue that “sell in May and go away” is bunk. In the short run, the day, week or month in which you choose to buy stocks will invariably lead to […]
Tech Stocks Are the Talk of Wall Street
Either technology is taking over the economy, or the market is sending some warning signs about technology stocks. I wrote earlier this year about how technology’s share of the S&P 500 has been climbing the last few years because returns in technology stocks are much higher than the rest of the index’s sectors. Recently, the […]
AARP’s Take On The Medicare Trustees’ Report
The recent annual report of the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare made a lot of headlines, and AARP didn’t like all of them. The organization responded with a different take than some of the media coverage. AARP argues that the programs will be able to pay most promised benefits indefinitely and could pay all […]
Best Overseas Places To Retire
The newsletter International Living is out with its latest annual ranking of the best places outside the U.S. for U.S. citizens to retire. The ranking is compiled based on reports from the publication’s writers and reporters. As with all such rankings, what’s good for one person isn’t necessarily good for you. Examine carefully the reasons […]
