Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal for 10/5
The Rising Risks in Treasury Bonds Actions by the Federal Reserve often have unintended consequences. Treasury bonds have been hit and will continue to suffer from the unintended consequences of the Fed’s actions of the past few years. In the 1980s, a number of people warned about what they called the “hockey stick” built into […]
How The Bond Market Surprised Investors
The bond market caught investors unaware over the summer, and there’s probably more of that to come. Investors believed interest rates bottomed last November. Futures markets forecast that through 2023, the Federal Reserve would ease monetary policy, and interest rates would decline rapidly. Even as inflation remained above expectations and the Fed tightened policy, investors […]
When You Need Cash: Home Equity or Margin Loan
When a large, unexpected expense crops up, you don’t want to increase the cost by using a less-than-optimum way to raise the needed cash. The most common unplanned retirement expenses are medical treatment, home repairs, taxes and help for family members. Of course, when you don’t have enough cash on hand you could sell an […]
Learn More Tax-Wise Ways to Cash in Taxable Gains of Funds, Stocks
Savvy investors who sell less than the entire position of a stock or mutual fund in a taxable account have some control over the amount of capital gains taxes they pay. The strategies are particularly im- portant to retired investors who often sell a portion of their holdings each year to pay expenses. The capital […]
The Tax-Wise Way to Cash in Taxable Investment Gains
There’s a strategy for recognizing taxable capital gains that produces multiple tax benefits for many people. The recent boom in stock prices and some real estate sectors leaves many people sitting on substantial gains. They’d like to take the gains and reposition their capital before prices decline, without losing a good portion of the appreciation […]
Year-End Strategies for IRA and 401(k) Owners
As 2023 winds down, you need to engage in end-of-the-year IRA manage- ment, plus develop a multi-year strategy for your retirement plans that acknowledges the 2017 tax law will expire after 2025. Here are critical questions about retirement plans you need to review. Should a traditional IRA be repo- sitioned? Individuals with substantial traditional IRAs […]
Introducing the Most Misunderstood Element of Estate Planning: Gift Tax Returns
Gift tax returns could be the most misunderstood, neglected and overlooked part of estate planning. There are many people who know estate planning quite well but draw blanks about gift tax returns. The gift tax return is IRS Form 709. You can download it free from irs.gov. The first mistake people make is not knowing […]
Bob’s Journal for 9/27
We Mark the 25th Anniversary of When an Investment Fund’s Failure Shook the Markets and Changed Federal Reserve Policy We recently marked the 25th anniversary of the failure of the hedge fund Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM). The failure of what was a little-known investment fund shook the world’s capital markets and initiated important policy changes. […]
