Retirement Watch Weekly
First Financial Steps for Young Adults
Most young people enter the work force with quite a bit of debt. Even those without debt have ambitions for cars, homes, clothes, and other things. The issue for most young adults is how to sort out their spending and saving goals. Should they pay debt first? Save for the down payment on a home? […]
Little-Known IRA Tax Saver
Many workers own shares of employer stock through 401(k) or other retirement plans. Few of these workers, or even their financial advisers, know the tax break that is available to substantially reduce the tax burden from selling those shares. With a little planning and by following a few steps, workers can substantially reduce the tax […]
More Ways to Boost Medical Deductions
A small percentage of taxpayers deduct medical expenses. That is partly because of the deduction limits. It also is because many people do not know all the costs that qualify for medical expense deductions. Medical expenses can be deducted only by those who itemize expenses on Schedule A. They deduct only the medical and dental […]
November 2007
November 27, 2007 01:25 p.m. Some Portfolio Changes The markets and headlines have been rolling like the ocean surf before a major storm. Try to adjust your portfolio based on the latest sentiment and you will be changing the portfolio every few days. We focus on longer-term trends than the latest headlines, and those trends […]
Handling Unwanted Annuities
A number of people bought annuities years ago that no longer suit their needs. Sometimes there has been a major life change relating to marriage, death, or inheritance. Other times a person’s financial needs have changed. They want money now instead of waiting for annuity payouts. Some simply are dissatisfied with the returns of the […]
October 2007
October 23, 2007 02:25 a.m. Global Boom or Global Bust? Just as investors were developing unbridled optimism about stocks, corporate executives pulled them up short. A spate of earnings reports last week dimmed investor enthusiasm and caused stock prices to tumble. The Nasdaq fell 2.6%, as did the S&P 500 and Dow. Small stocks represented […]
Estate Planning for Shifts in the Estate Tax Law
Big changes are due in the estate tax law, but no one can be sure what those changes will be. Yet, all estate owners need to have an estate plan in place, and that plan needs to meet the owner’s goals whatever the tax law is. The plan should be flexible, address the most likely […]
Starter Funds for Youngsters
Investing will a key to the financial security of today’s youth. It will be more important to them it was to previous generations. Today’s youngsters will rely primarily on their own resources for retirement. The earlier someone starts investing, the easier it will be for him or her to become financially secure. Yet, financial services […]
