Retirement Watch Weekly
Which Investment Expenses Are Tax Deductible?
As this article explains, after tax reform there aren’t too many investment expenses that are deductible on your individual income tax return. That can be a blow to people who were paying annual fees for financial planning and other investment services. But there are a few investment-related expenses you might be able to deduct. Prior […]
A Case For Paying Off Your Mortgage
This article makes the case that people spend too much money on their mortgages, especially people who live in high-cost areas. It argues that the best way to save for retirement is to first pay off the mortgage and avoid paying all that interest for 30 years. A 15-year mortgage is much better in the […]
A Technical Warning On Bonds
This article describes a technical market factor that could lead to a sharp decline in bond prices in the near future. It isn’t based on fundamental factors, and it doesn’t argue that the decline in bonds will be long-term. But it says historically recent trends mean investors should expect bonds to break out of their […]
Estate Planning Without Wills & Trusts – Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, I shared some of the avenues through which you can ensure transfer of assets without the need for wills and trusts. So this week, let’s continue the discussion with more ways to avoid probate and transfer property… starting with: Bank accounts. Though once obscure, payable on death (POD) bank accounts […]
Bob’s Journal
The biggest threat to the economy and markets right now could be a sleeper factor. For some time, I’ve said the biggest threat is that the Federal Reserve might tighten too much and trigger a recession. Because of the extraordinary monetary policy engaged in since 2008, the central bank doesn’t have a lot of tools […]
The Risk Parity Investing Strategy
This article points out that while the investment strategy known as risk parity typically is available only to institutional investors, there are a couple of offerings available to individual investors and more likely are on the way. Unlike many articles on the subject, it actually is a good explanation of risk parity and explains both […]
Some Lessons In Diversification
Morningstar recently used its database to show how a series of three-fund diversified portfolios would have performed over the last 20 years. The idea was to use the three-fund portfolio idea to simplify investing and show how investors could improve their diversification. One point to keep in mind is that the last 20 years was […]
How to Manage Your Estate Planning without Wills, Trusts, and Probate
You might be surprised to learn that many Estate Planning goals can be accomplished without wills and trusts. In fact, using other tools can spare you some of the expense and complications of wills and trusts. These strategies also cause the assets to avoid the delay and expense of probate, transferring the title of each […]
