Retirement Watch Weekly
More Planning Tips for IRA Conversions
We covered a lot of ground on IRA conversions in recent visits. We’ve been thorough but there are a few more angles that you should consider before deciding whether to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Early is Best You can convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA any time during the […]
Knowing When to Convert an IRA
Should you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA? How do you decide? The answer is not the same for every IRA owner. The strategy that puts the most after-tax wealth in your pocket is determined by several variables. Is your tax rate higher or lower now than it will be in retirement? How […]
Avoiding State Tax Hike Surprises
Most of the headlines are about federal taxes, but you need to stay follow state and local taxes. This is where the big changes are being made, and they could be big enough to change where you want to live in retirement – or change your retirement spending plan. The recession put many state and […]
January 2010
January 24, 2010 02:00 p.m. Tough Week for the Markets One of the difficulties of investing is we never know what will trigger a correction or even something worse in the markets. If these things were obvious, then investors would react before they occurred. The past week is a good example. Just a week or […]
Protecting Lifetime Income from Inflation
Seniors are realizing the advantages annuities can provide for their retirement portfolios. Annuities pay steady income. Investors don’t worry about the volatility of their principal or income or whether to change the investment in volatile markets. Yet, there is a key disadvantage to annuities that keeps more people from using them. In this visit we […]
December 2009
December 31, 2009 10:45 a.m. Happy New Year, and Some Important Items You Might Have Missed I wish all my readers a Happy New Year. We have great plans for Retirement Watch, and the markets and economy promise to provide another interesting year. There also will be changes in the income tax, estate tax, and […]
Choosing the Right Estate Planning Options: The Marital Deduction, Trusts, and Estate Tax
The foundation of every family estate plan is formed from the same tools and strategies. No matter the size of your estate and how simple or complex it is, you’ll begin by choosing from this basic menu. You don’t want a cookie-cutter estate plan. There are variations of these tools, and many plans need additional […]
Scrutinizing Your IRA Custodian
Few IRA owners give much thought to their custodians. Yet, the custodian can make or break your financial plan, and all custodians are not equal. Take a few minutes to learn about your custodian and its policies. Your IRA must be held by a custodian or trustee. Most financial services companies serve as custodians: brokers, […]
