Retirement Watch Weekly
Why Are Seniors Vulnerable?
If you are older than 50, you are a target for fraud. Scam artists know that they are more likely to be successful against an older person than against the rest of the population. Experts estimate that over $40 billion is lost to fraud each year. The traditional assumption is that the victims of fraud […]
How to Maximize Shelter and Growth in Second Homes
Stocks and second home sales both soared during the 1990s. They parted ways in the 2000s. While stocks turned south, prices of second homes continued to climb. It is no coincidence. More people are turning to second homes as investment alternatives. The National Association of Realtors reports that purchases of second homes for investment purposes […]
New Rules On Tax Free Home Sales
The IRS recently made it easier to cash out a principal residence tax free by plugging gaps and uncertainties in the 1997 rules on tax-free gains. The IRS filled the gaps in ways that are generous to taxpayers. Previously, anyone with a deductible home office had to separate the tax basis and sale proceeds of […]
How To Value Social Security
Your portfolio is more conservative than you think. Most people don’t consider Social Security and other pensions and annuities when considering their investment portfolios. Even most financial planners and other investment professionals do not include Social Security and other pensions when allocating a portfolio. A pension such as Social Security has many of the characteristics […]
Estate Planning With The Flexible Irrevocable Trust
Estate Planning is getting more difficult for many of us. An estate plan these days needs flexibility. The estate tax law might change, the value of property in the estate fluctuates, and personal circumstances can change. Flexibility is fairly easy to put into a will with the “but it” clause I’ve discussed in past visits. […]
How Low Interest Rates Can Boost Your Estate Planning
Low interest rates and depressed stock prices are making a classic Estate Planning strategy significantly more attractive. People who could benefit from the strategy should look into it before interest rates rise. This tool has the un-sexy name of grantor retained annuity trust, or GRAT. It has the sexy result of allowing you to pass […]
The Ultimate Toolbox For Reducing Market Risks
The mistake most investors make is to try to predict the future and then set their portfolios to capitalize on that prediction. Unfortunately, the financial world is not predictable, even in relatively normal times. It is even less predictable when economic calculations must be meshed with considerations of war, terrorism, and the after-effects of the […]
Understanding Yields And Alternative Investments
Low yields are crimping investment income. You don’t need me to tell you how low yields are on money market funds and treasury bonds. Yet, income investors need to be mindful that rates are likely to rise as the economy improves. Reach for higher yields now by purchasing long-term bonds, and you could suffer a […]
