Retirement Watch Weekly
The Most Efficient Estate Planning Way to Help the Grandkids
There are many ways you can help a grandchild or child. There are so many Estate Planning options that people are confused and often procrastinate about helping because they aren’t sure which route to take. Let’s look at the better options and examine the pros and cons of each. Estate Planning Strategy #1 529 […]
Avoiding the Retiree Tax Attack
Income taxes are rising on those in or planning for retirement. Remember, the true value of your nest egg is its after-tax value. Politicians at all levels know that in-come and wealth are concentrated among those 55 and older, so those people are the focus of tax increases. The retiree tax attack tends to be […]
Planning When There are Family Caregivers
Younger family members often care for their parents or grandparents. There often is some agreement that the caregivers should be compensated in some way for their efforts. The compensation often is with an increased share of the estate. Too often, these agreements are haphazard and create both tax and family problems. It’s easy to avoid […]
Why Medical Providers Hate Medicare
I hear regularly from readers that it is difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to find new doctors or make nonemergency appointments. The reason is the way Medicare treats medical providers. Doctors are part of the story. Their reimbursements have been reduced over the years, though there’s an annual budget maneuver to prevent the reimbursements from declining […]
Myths of Retirement Planning
The annual Retirement Confidence Survey generated more news and commentary this year than usual. One reason is that it reveals Americans are less confident about having a financially comfortable retirement than ever. Another reason is that it indicates many people simply have given up saving and planning for retirement. A good commentary is here. It […]
More About Medicare and Obamacare
Full implementation still awaits the beginning of 2014, but researchers are finding clear trends in medical delivery and pricing as we prepare for Obamacare. The reports are springing up now, because we hit the third anniversary of enactment of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. A key trend identified is a medical provider shortage, especially […]
Are Stocks Cheap?
One of the perpetual great debates among investors is the relative value of stocks. Are they cheap or are they expensive? This would be an easy question is everyone agreed on the correct metric. But they don’t. Some, such as Professor Robert Shiller and fund manager John Hussman, prefer 10-year average smoothed earnings. Others use […]
Can Gold Rise Higher?
Gold’s been a puzzle to many observers lately. It’s been in a trading range despite global central banks heavily engaging in money printing. Easy money should lead to higher gold prices. Instead, most recently gold has stayed near the bottom of the trading range. Is the gold bull market over? Most likely, I think it […]
