Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal for 1/24/19
Is all the bad news reflected in the markets, or are the markets still too optimistic? It is early in earnings season, and we’ve received a mixed message so far. Last Tuesday, the stock indexes had nice rebounds following positive earnings reports from IBM, Procter & Gamble and United Technologies. The gains, however, were mostly […]
You Can Beat The Tax on Social Security Benefits
The federal tax rules for Social Security benefits haven’t changed in many years. They remain complicated and snare more retirees each year. A number of my readers are old enough to remember when Social Security retirement benefits were tax free on their federal income tax returns. That ended in the 1980s, and taxes on the […]
How to Invest Your Cash Today
For the first time in years, investors have some reasonable choices for investing their cash. The Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary policies following the financial crisis kept interest rates on traditional cash investments near zero. Investors either had to accept these low rates or take more risk to earn higher yields on their cash. The situation […]
Why This Could Be A Good Time To Convert Your IRA
You should regularly revisit the decision of whether or not to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, and recent events have made this an ideal time to re-evaluate the decision. A major reason people don’t convert their IRAs is the cost. The converted amount has to be included in gross income as though […]
6 Ways You Can End the Confusion, Inconvenience of RMDs
IRA required minimum distributions (RMDs) mess up the financial plans of many IRA owners and create a new set of problems for them. But you can overcome these problems. While the tax code requires IRA owners to begin minimum annual distributions after age 70½, most IRA owners don’t need the money to pay their living […]
How to Choose Between Wills and Trusts
There are two tools available for passing the bulk of your legacy to others, and the best choice for one person might not be a good choice for another. The foundation of your estate plan can be either a will or a trust, usually a revocable Living Trust. They’re not exclusive. Most estates have both […]
Bob’s Journal Update for 1/17
We’ll soon know if the recent rally in the markets will continue, because fourth-quarter earnings reports are being rolled out. Most markets had a dismal fourth quarter of 2018. But markets turned a corner after Christmas and the subsequent rallies are impressive. While the S&P 500 still is down 4.28% for the last three months, […]
How the Social Security Lump Sum Benefit Works: Pros & Cons
Do you know there’s an option to receive up to six months of benefits in a lump sum when initiating Social Security retirement benefits? Not many people do, until they apply for benefits. While this is a nice option, too many people are surprised by it, and don’t receive the benefit package that’s best for […]
