Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal for 2/2/23
Take a Deep Dive Into the Latest Inflation Data It’s time for a close look at the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report. I last did this in the July 21, 2022, entry for Bob’s Journal under the headline “Inflation Is Deeper and Broader Than Many Believe.” I stated that “inflation is well-embedded in the […]
Yes, Your IRA Could Be Taxed, Even a Roth IRA
Years ago, a pension plan acquired an interest in a spaghetti factory. A consequence of that episode is your IRA might owe income taxes on some of its investment income. Other spaghetti manufacturers said it wasn’t fair they had to compete with a business owner who was tax-exempt. Eventually, Congress agreed and enacted the unrelated […]
Get To Know These 6 ‘Hidden’ Estate Planning Opportunities
Opportunities to increase family after-tax wealth arise throughout the year… Yet all too often go unnoticed. Estate planning should be viewed as more than an obligation to be undertaken as infrequently as possible. It is a continuing exercise that’s rife with the potential to protect assets, reduce income taxes, simplify personal finances and more. The […]
Bob’s Journal for 1/25/23
Happy 30th Birthday to the ETF The first exchanged-traded fund (ETF) began trading on January 22, 1993. The relatively low-profile event began a revolution in investing that continues. Before the ETF, individual investors had two choices. They could buy individual stocks (and pay brokers’ commissions or trading fees). Or they could buy shares in mutual […]
7 Strategies to Reduce Taxes & Beat Inflation in Retirement
For many people, reducing taxes is the easiest, fastest way to increase investment returns, put a retirement plan back on track, beat inflation and enhance retirement security. Retirees and pre-retirees often leave a lot of money on the table for the IRS to scoop up because they don’t execute the key tax reduction strategies that […]
How Long Will Labor Market, Corporate Earnings Hold Up?
In the next few months, we’ll learn how well household spending and corporate earnings hold up following the most aggressive monetary tightening in 50 years. The Federal Reserve had to tighten monetary policy more in 2022 than it and most investors expected. Higher household wealth and a very tight labor market fueled consumer spending and […]
7 Key Mistakes People Make When Retiring Abroad
Millions of Americans move abroad each year. If you’re considering being one of them, be sure you avoid the most frequent financial mistakes of emigrating Americans. Though the politics of moving abroad attract a lot of headlines, only a small number of the four million or so U.S. citizens living abroad left for political reasons. […]
Use the Tax Code to Overcome Inflation and Investment Losses
One of the best ways to increase the value of your nest egg is to give a higher priority to reduce taxes on investments. Most people don’t realize how great their investment tax burdens are or believe there isn’t much they can do about it. Taxes often reduce investment returns more than fees do, according […]
