Retirement Watch Weekly
The Bond Bear Market And Your Portfolio
The 21-year party in treasury bonds is over for at least a couple of years. The first phase of the bond bear market probably ended in mid-August. But there is more to come. Investors must adjust to the new bond market. Capital gains from income investments will be few and far between. Safety and income […]
How to Make Sure Home Sale Gains Are Tax Free
Those of you with two or more homes might owe more taxes on the sale of a home than you thought. Tax-free home sale gains also might be in danger for anyone owning an RV, camper, or boat. Those are the consequences of a recent court case. Under the ruling, the IRS and the courts […]
How To Withdraw Retirement Assets
The order in which you withdraw money from various retirement accounts affects how long your wealth lasts. Most of you have retirement assets in both tax deferred and taxable accounts. There is a lot of guidance available on how to choose the different accounts and even how to invest them. Despite its importance, you won’t […]
How to Beat Inflation
A few economists continue to worry about deflation. Yet, the cost of the key goods and services most people buy keeps rising. Beating rising costs remains an important goal for those saving for retirement or striving to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Fortunately, you can reduce the cost of some important living expenses. […]
7 Estate Planning Tax Strategies & The 2003 Law
The 2003 tax law requires a re-assessment of family investing and saving strategies. New strategies might result in bigger family tax savings under the new law. Under the 2003 law, the top tax rate on ordinary income is reduced immediately from 39.6% to 35% as of Jan. 1, 2003. In addition, the rate on long-term […]
Are Multibenefit Policies Worth the Cost?
Insurers have had trouble selling long-term health care insurance policies. To boost sales, they created multiple benefit policies. Let’s take a look at them. Insurers face a dilemma. During most of the average person’s life, he is more likely to become disabled or in need of long-term care than to die prematurely. Yet, fewer people […]
What’s Left For Variable Annuities?
Some of the strongest opponents of the 2003 tax cuts were insurance companies. It’s no wonder. The new law significantly tarnishes the appeal of variable annuities and cash value life insurance. Market forces, meanwhile, are making fixed annuities less appealing to some investors. A Variable Annuity allows the owner to select how the account is […]
7 Ways to Overcome Estate Planning Obstacles
Few people actually have estate plans in place. Even lawyers and financial professionals who know better don’t get around to planning their estates. Many people who do have “estate plans” really just get simple wills written so they don’t have to wrestle with many of the real issues of their estates. Others have plans drafted […]
