Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal For 9/21
FDIC Identifies Continuing Risks in the Banking System The banking system isn’t making headlines, but it still “continues to face significant downside risks,” according to the chairman of the FDIC, the primary insurer of bank deposits, Martin Gruenberg. There was a banking crisis last spring, when a series of mid-size banks, led by Silicon Valley […]
The Foundations of a Great Estate Plan [Part 2]
Today we’ll pick up where we left off last week, with more tips to help you make the most of your estate plan. The first is a tricky topic, and sometimes highly charged. Should Heirs Get Equal Shares of the Estate? Parents have several different reasons for considering leaving unequal shares of their estates to […]
Bob’s Journal for 9/14
With Tech Stock Investing, Timing is Crucial Sometimes a technology company is a great long-term business, but its stock is a bad investment. Investors need to be careful about when they buy stocks of the great tech companies, according to a recent report from Research Affiliates. Last week, I discussed how Nvidia (NVDA) has been […]
How To Build a Great Estate Plan
Everyone needs an estate plan, no matter how much or how little money is involved. For example, you need an estate plan even if you don’t expect to owe taxes on the estate. It is more important to decide who should receive the wealth, how much each should receive and when and how the wealth […]
Six Financial Surprises So Far in 2023
As often happens, 2023 has been filled with economic and financial surprises. Commodity prices have been unexpectedly weak for a couple of primary reasons. Economic growth in China lagged, which I’ll discuss shortly, reducing demand for commodities. Also, the war in Ukraine didn’t disrupt supplies as much as expected. Governments around the world and major […]
Reverse Mortgages Can Reduce Key Retirement Risks
Strategic use of a reverse mortgage can reduce the risks of running out of money due to longevity and market volatility. A reverse mortgage also can free up what was an illiquid asset, and it’s tax free. Reverse mortgages once were the domain of hucksters and shady financial salespeople. There’s still some of that element […]
Cutting Taxes Is the Easiest Way to Boost Investment Returns
Most investors overlook the best ways to increase net investment returns. These methods don’t depend on market performance and are more reliable than new investment techniques. The easiest way to raise investment returns is to reduce income taxes on your income and capital gains. In other words, increase your after-tax rate of return by reducing […]
IRS Issues New Guidance on RMDs
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued some short-term guidance on required minimum distributions (RMDs) for IRAs, especially inherited IRAs. The IRS isn’t ready to issue final regulations on the changes the SECURE Act made to RMDs. It issued proposed regulations on inherited IRAs in the spring of 2022 and still is considering the comments […]
