Retirement Watch Weekly
Estate Planning Estate Tax and Trust Tricks, Traps for Married Couples
Too many married couples are making a big mistake. They believe current estate tax law exempts them from having to plan or consider estate taxes in their plans. That misunderstanding could lead to problems. While the estate tax law enacted in early 2013 has many benefits, you need to know how to maximize them. Two […]
Planning This Year with Last Year’s Tax Return
Don’t close last yera’s4 income tax return files just yet. You should use that tax return to plan for the rest of this year and even next year. Tax planning should be a year-round activity these days, and last year’s tax return is the best place to start. The federal income tax return also is […]
Investing Your IRA in Gold, Real Estate, and More
IRA Investment Guide: A Road Map for Avoiding the Traps and Penalties for IRA Investments Which assets are allowed, and which aren’t You’re supposed to diversify your investment portfolio. You want to protect it from bear markets, inflation, deflation, and more. What many IRA investors don’t know is Congress and the IRS built obstacles on […]
Alternative Share Classes and Funds
Not all readers are able or willing to invest in my recommended funds or share classes. Some funds are closed to new investors. Some funds or share classes aren’t available through the broker or other medium a reader prefers to use. Other readers don’t qualify for the recommended share class because of minimum investment requirements […]
Senior Discounts
A few years ago in the boom years I wrote that senior discounts at many businesses were becoming a thing of the past. As Baby Boomers aged they weren’t shopping around, and businesses didn’t feel a need to offer the traditional silver hair deals. They were phasing them out or significantly limiting them. The financial […]
Carlson’s Choice Mutual Funds
Carlson’s Choice Mutual Funds Subscribers who want to diversify their portfolios or who for other reasons want funds in addition to my top choice recommended funds, can choose from among those in this table. The bold-faced funds are those in my Core Portfolios. Funds are grouped by asset category. Returns are listed for different period […]
Retirement Watch Links & Tools
Welcome to the Retirement Watch links home page. Links are listed by topic areas below. Click on the topic that interests you, and you will be taken to a list and description of links with useful and interesting information to help you create the retirement you desire. The sites are personally selected by me for […]
Life Expectancy Tables For Required Minimum Distributions
Life Expectancy Tables For Required Minimum Distributions Distributions from traditional IRAs and other qualified retirement plans are required after age 70 1/2 for account owners and after inheritance by beneficiaries. Beneficiaries of Roth IRAs also are required to take RMDs. RMDs are calculated by using life expectancy tables provided by the IRS. You can use […]
