Retirement Watch Weekly
Watching the Market-Moving Forces
To have a handle on the markets these days, watch the two big C’s: central banks and China. Since the financial crisis, these have been the main drivers of investment markets and economies. Everything else is secondary. Most markets had a rocky start to 2016 because the Federal Reserve tightened monetary policy in December 2015 […]
Maximizing Medical Expense Deductions
Retirees and those near retirement often shortchange themselves on deductions for medical expenses. To be sure, there are obstacles to deducting medical expenses, and most taxpayers can’t clear those hurdles. Yet, many retirees are likely to qualify, and knowing all of the rules ensures you receive the maximum benefits of the law. It is more […]
Understanding the New Fiduciary Rules for Retirement Accounts
You might have noticed a lot of reports in the media in early April regarding the application of the “fiduciary standard” to IRAs and similar accounts. You likely will see additional reports, because some in Congress want to override these new regulations by the Department of Labor, and some private entities might sue to overturn […]
What Every Spouse Needs to Know About Inheriting an IRA
Many mistakes are made with inherited individual retirement accounts (IRAs). The rules aren’t straightforward or intuitive, so people often make the wrong decisions, resulting in thousands of dollars of taxes unnecessarily paid to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Your loved ones need to know what to do when they inherit an IRA. Knowing the rules […]
How to Weed Outdated Assumptions from your Estate Planning Strategy
Is your estate plan based on some incorrect assumptions? Unfortunately, it probably is. A lot of changes occurred over the years, and they affect the underlying assumptions of many plans. Plus, some traditional estate planning assumptions weren’t valid in the first place. We know that, because we have better information now. Be sure that neither […]
Why Growth Might be Ready to Increase
We could be set for another growth spurt in the economy. The surge in the investment markets starting on Feb. 11 anticipated that growth. The Federal Reserve, as usual, has been behind the curve and events. But the Fed members do learn and adapt. They made changes that boosted the markets and will help the […]
Where to Invest Cash Now
Interest rates are going to remain low for a while yet. The Federal Reserve recently made that clear. You’ll continue to earn historically low yields from traditional safe cash investments such as money market funds, treasury bills and the like. While cash can be a good place to protect money during a crisis, many people […]
Making Sure this Year’s Tax Strategies Work
Tax planning is harder than ever, especially for many in their 50s and older. That’s because Congress continues to tinker with the tax code. Over the years, many provisions that I call Stealth Taxes were created. The Stealth Taxes include the 3.8% Medicare surtax on net investment income, the Medicare premium surtax, the inclusion of […]
