Retirement Watch Weekly
Estate Planning to Increase the Benefits of Charitable Giving
Most charitable gifts are contributions of money or property directly to the charity. But there are other ways to give that provide additional benefits. Some of the charitable giving strategies allow the donor to retain more control than a straight gift. Others provide income for a period of years or can provide payment of a […]
The New Roth 401(k): Who Benefits?
Should you start deferring money into a Roth 401(k) account instead of a traditional 401(k) plan? Many of you still do not have access to the Roth 401(k) plans that first became available this year. But a number of you do, and many more will next year as employers add them to their plans. The […]
Key Tax Breaks That Have Expired
Congress could not agree on a deal by the end of 2005, so valuable tax breaks expired at the end of the year, as I warned you in the December issue. Both the House and Senate passed bills to extend the provisions, but their versions were different and could not be reconciled in time. Sources […]
Estate Planning Strategies to Give and Protect Wealth
Many people know why making gifts is part of most estate plans. Yet, they hesitate to make the gifts, because they see potential pitfalls. They fear that the gifts might be spent unwisely or wasted. The donee could squander the assets on gambling, substance abuse, or other activities. Or the wealth could be well-managed for […]
How to Help the Post Boomer Generations
Inflation, the rising cost of education, reduced investment returns, soaring real estate prices, and terrorism all concern America’s wealthy. But nothing concerns them more than how those and other factors create great obstacles for their children and grandchildren. A recent survey of America’s wealthy done for U.S. Trust revealed that, like most other Americans, the […]
The Overlooked Retirement Time Bomb
My file of articles about retiree medical expenses is filling rapidly with unpleasant headlines. One sample sums up the group: “How Safe Are Your Retiree Health Benefits?” Numerous surveys and my own experience lead to one conclusion: Most retirees and pre-retirees greatly underestimate how much medical expenses will be during retirement and are mistaken about […]
Should Retirees Pay Off Their Mortgage?
Not long ago a key part of every retirement plan was paying off the mortgage. I’m told that a popular ritual was the mortgage-burning party, though I have never been to one. Now, it seems that fewer retirees consider paying down the mortgage to be important. To the contrary, maintaining a substantial mortgage frequently is […]
3 Key Gift-Giving Strategies to Consider [And Exceptions]
For most people, gift-giving season has come and gone. But for shrewd estate planners, the time to give is just beginning. Family gift giving is part of most estate plans. Gifts primarily are made to minimize estate and gift taxes by removing property from an estate. Estate and gift taxes are based on the value […]
