Retirement Watch Weekly
Choosing Distributions from Your IRAs
Many IRA owners don’t realize that distributions don’t have to be in cash, whether they are required minimum distributions or other distributions. You can take a distribution in any form you want, as long as your IRA custodian will do the transaction. Part of the reason for the confusion is contributions to IRAs must be […]
Averting Problems in This Year’s 1099-Rs
Retirees need to pay careful attention when completing their 2009 tax returns. Some changes in the forms and in the financial services industry could cause confusion and mistakes in your return. The mistakes could cause the IRS to contact you in a few months and maybe result in penalties and interest. Financial industry upheaval. Many […]
Logging Days Saves You Tax Dollars
Counting days is important to those who reside in more than one place that imposes taxes. In general, only people who live in more than one state have to worry, but when a locality imposes an income tax you also have to pay attention. A day here or there could change your tax bill by […]
March 2010
March 25, 2010 03:00 p.m. Housing, Health, and U.S. Debt We continue to learn more about that huge health care bill. The latest nugget is that there will be a new government-sponsored long-term care plan. I’m still unearthing the details. What I’ve seen so far is that the plan will be optional, but you have […]
Choosing the Portfolios That Work for You
One of the most frequent requests from readers is for advice about which of my recommended portfolios they should follow. The short answer is that most of you should follow more than one portfolio. Here’s why. Retirement is likely to last a long time for most of you. There will be several phases to your […]
Seizing the Family Loan Opportunity to Minimize Estate Taxes
The door soon will begin closing for the best opportunity ever to exploit a classic estate planning strategy. The strategy enables many families to transfer significant sums to the next generation while incurring few or no estate or gift taxes. Even estates that won’t be subject to estate taxes can use family loans to achieve […]
Dealing With Increases in Long Term Care Insurance Premiums
Increases in premiums on many long-term care insurance (LTCI) policies are coming. Some of you already received notice of them. Others will receive notices soon. You need a plan for dealing with these increases (and likely future increases), and policyholders who don’t face the increases now should learn lessons from them. The increases generally are […]
Knowing When to Reverse an IRA Conversion
IRA owners are presented some rare opportunities with Roth IRA conversions. One opportunity is to create a stream of tax-free income by converting a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA. The other opportunity is to reverse the conversion if you decide it was not the best move. Very few tax strategies come with second chances. […]
