Retirement Watch Weekly
Funds Outside the Recommended Portfolios
I’m one who remembers August 1982 when the bear market became a bull market. I also remember the turns from the market bottoms in 1987 and 1991 and from the stagnant market in 1994. Many of you were with me during the recoveries of 1997 and 1998. Each time, there were doubts about the future […]
How To Take Withdrawals At Retirement
Retirees don’t receive much advice on the best ways to take distributions from their investment accounts after retirement. Financial firms have a wealth of easy-to-find information on saving through taxable and various tax-advantaged accounts. Yet they don’t seem interested in helping you decide how to plan withdrawals from the accounts. Most Americans have their retirement […]
Nine Questions to Ask Before Buying Life Insurance
Many investment insurance policies aren’t having the results that were expected. Their buyers didn’t realize that insurance policies also could be hurt by a bear market just like stocks and mutual funds. Here is what you need to know to avoid this situation, and to make a good decision regarding the future of any policy […]
Where To Shop For Mutual Funds
There’s been a shake up in the world of mutual fund supermarkets. I’ve long believed that investors can maximize their investment returns by simplifying their financial lives. One way to simplify is to consolidate your investments at one mutual fund family or one broker that allows you to purchase mutual funds from different families – […]
Three New Rules Of Estate Planning
Many things changed in the last two years. Those changes should lead to revised estate plans and new approaches to Estate Planning. The biggest change of course is the loss of $7 trillion to $8 trillion in stock market wealth. There also is uncertainty about the strength of the economy and the outlook for future […]
Annuities that provide Stock Returns Without Risk?
There’s a new top-seller among annuities. Buyers are flocking to the relatively new equity-indexed annuities. The last time these annuities were hot was in 1996-1997. At the time many investors had a lot of doubts about the stock market and were looking for a way to capture possible future stock gains without much risk. Insurers […]
Uncovering The No Fee Variable Annuity
Insurers always are coming out with gimmicks that aren’t all they initially appear to be. A good example is the new “no-fee” variable annuities. I’ve been among those who for years have said that the high expenses of variable annuities make them unattractive to those who won’t let the investment returns accumulate for at least […]
Estate Planning : Naming The Right IRA Beneficiaries
The IRS turned IRA planning upside down with new regulations in January 2001 and again in 2002. The new rules might change whom you name as IRA beneficiaries. Much IRA planning used to involve minimizing required distributions by navigating the complicated tax rules. Now, we can plan differently. You can name the beneficiary that makes […]
