Retirement Watch Weekly
How to Boost Your Investment Income
Our “growth bonds” and Income Growth Portfolio continue to offer high and growing dividends to investors. These are great alternatives for income investors who have been burned by traditional income investments. The last decade was difficult for income investors. Yields on bonds and stocks slid all through the 1990s. The average money market fund now […]
Tax Breaks Increase For 2002
You’ll be able to give away more money tax free in 2002. Inflation indexing finally has pushed the annual tax-free gift amount to $11,000. The annual amount has been indexed for inflation since 1997, but adjustments are only to the nearest $1,000. Tax-free gifts can be made to anyone. You don’t need a relationship with […]
How to Plan Tax Savings Now for The New Year
Most people focus on income and estate tax planning at year-end. In recent visit I’ve given you advice on how to get the most from year-end planning. But I believe you can save more money and build more wealth by planning and making moves at the beginning of the year. This is the best time […]
Build Your Own Low-Cost Stock Fund
Small investors face several hurdles when they want to purchase individual stocks instead of mutual funds. Now, there are ways to overcome many of these hurdles. New research shows you need 40-50 stocks in different sectors for a diversified portfolio. (Older research said eight to 16 stocks.) Buying that many stocks for a modest portfolio […]
Simple, Low-Cost Estate Planning Strategies To Help Grandchildren
You don’t need to be the country’s remaining high technology multi-millionaire to help your grandchildren. You don’t even need to be rich. There are many simple, low-cost ways to help, and they are tax-free. With many of these strategies, you get to see the benefits now instead of imaging how the wealth will be used […]
How to avoid the Variable Life Insurance traps?
Variable life insurance can be a powerful financial tool, and this is a good time to consider using it. But it also is fraught with traps, and those traps recently were sprung on many policyholders. Here’s how to avoid those traps and know when to use variable life. In the best of circumstances, the benefits […]
Annuities As Classic Investment Vehicles
There’s at least one good effect of the 18-month bear market we’ve endured. Investors are taking a new look at some classic investment vehicles. For example, sales of fixed annuities are rising while sales of variable annuities are declining. I’ve long argued that most variable annuities are sold to the wrong people, and I’ve pointed […]
How Much Money Does One Need to Retire?
The cost of retirement is rising. That means fewer people appreciate how much wealth they need to retire or to continue their current retirement lifestyle. I’ve known this for several years, based on my careful study of retirees. But it was confirmed by a study funded by Aon Consulting and conducted by Georgia State University. […]
