Retirement Watch Weekly
Stockpile Gold for a Collapse
One theme that runs through Retirement Watch is that the right financial moves often are counterintuitive. Actions that seem logical and that many people think they should do often aren’t best for them. Consider the notion of buy and accumulating gold as insurance against an economic apocalypse. This often is one of the top recommendations […]
How to Make Your Estate Planning Personal: Your Legacy and Ethical Will
Your estate plan doesn’t have to be only a bunch of documents drafted by lawyers. While the legal documents are essential, they don’t have to be the complete pack-age. You can wrap it up by adding some personal touches to the plan. This touch often enhances both the plan and your legacy. You also might […]
Dealing With the Latest Turmoil in Long-Term Care Insurance
The turmoil in long-term care insurance continues. In recent years a number of insurers raised premiums substantially on existing policies or exited the market. A year ago it appeared things would stabilize after the shakeout, but a new round of premium hikes and policy changes is taking place. Two of the largest and most stable […]
January 2014
January 31, 2014 06:00 p.m. Your Retirement Finance Week in Review I’m heading home from the large gathering at the Orlando World MoneyShow, which wrapped up today. If you missed the show, parts of it still are available free at the internet eShow version. For details, click here. A number of investors were shocked the […]
Winning IRA Strategies for 2014
IRAs are among the most valuable assets most of us own, especially after we leave an employer and roll over the 401(k) account to an IRA. For people who spent most of their careers as employees, the principal home and the IRA vie for the most valuable asset. Even small business and rental real estate […]
Using Charitable Gifts to Increase Your Income
Charitable gifts can help many people. Of course, they help the beneficiaries of charities. Well-planned gifts also can help the donor by reducing in-come taxes and by providing a stream of income from an asset that previously generated no income. There are several charitable giving strategies that help donors generate income from their gifts. Each […]
Combining Charity with IRA Conversions to Increase Wealth
Charitable contribution strategies can help generate lifetime income and also pay for an IRA conversion. Suppose you have a large traditional IRA you’d like to convert into a Roth IRA. You want to avoid those large required minimum distributions after age 70½ and help you or your heirs receive tax-free income in the future. If […]
Avoiding a Top Investment Mistake
Don’t expect 2014 to be a repeat of 2013. A key mistake people make with their finances is to expect the future to be like the best and especially for the future to be like the most recent past. It rarely works out that way. Take a look at these examples from Reuters. One of […]
