Retirement Watch Weekly
Medication-Reminder Apps
Most older Americans have one or more prescription medications they take on a regular basis. Many of those people have problem taken their medications as directed, especially when they’re taking multiple medications. For those who have smart phones or tablet computers, a source of help is an app that keeps them on schedule for their […]
Wake Up Call or a Bump in the Road?
Since last November, many investors became comfortable with what has been called the Trump Trade. Now, they’re a little uneasy. The Trump Trade was to buy assets that seem likely to benefit from the proposed policies of the new Trump administration. The primary beneficiaries were U.S. stocks, especially stocks of companies with mostly domestic revenues. […]
Americans Dying in Debt
It used to be that Americans tried to be debt free in retirement and not leave their estate or heirs with the need to pay off debt. That apparently is less the case now. A new study concluded that on average Americans die with $62,000 of debts. Since that’s an average, many people die with […]
Living Longer and Better
This article discusses the research that shows not only has life expectancy increased considerably over the years, but the extended years also are high quality years for most people. Disability now occurs much later in life than in the past, and the rates of disability are down. But the article also argues that the rate […]
Factor Investing: The Difficulties of Market Timing
Cliff Asness of AQR has some gripes about what people believe and think about investing. In this blog post, he summarizes and links to a recent paper of which he is a co-author about factor investing. Factor investing is when a data point, such as price-earnings ratio, is used to choose investments. Asness says factor […]
Beating the Downsizing Surprises
The home and home equity are the most neglected and misunderstood factors in retirement planning. Since home equity is one of the largest assets of many people, a lot of money is left on the table. Surveys indicate that about 40% of baby boomers plan to move sometime after retiring. Many people assume they’ll downsize […]
Second Homes and Vacation Homes
This time of year, many people’s thoughts turn to second homes and vacation homes. Some return from a winter vacation and think about buying a place in that location to spend a month or more in the winter. Others think about a summer place. Many times, these second homes are intended as an eventual retirement […]
Maximizing the Power of the Stretch IRA
You probably know the basics of establishing the Stretch IRA: name younger beneficiaries, be sure your beneficiary designations are up to date and discuss the Stretch IRA with your beneficiaries. If so, it’s time for you to consider the next steps to maximize the after-tax value of your IRAs for the next generation. You want […]
