Retirement Watch Weekly
Investing’s Free Lunch – Investment Portfolio Rebalancing
Rebalancing an investment portfolio increases long-term returns while reducing risk. It’s sometimes called Investing’s Free Lunch. You get something positive in return for doing almost nothing. Recently a study was published disagreeing with that. Or it seemed to. But on complete examination, it really doesn’t. You see, rebalancing doesn’t produce an automatic positive result each […]
May 2014
May 30, 2014 05:10 p.m. Your Retirement Finance Week in Review Before diving into this week’s review, I want to remind active members of Retirement Watch that they can set the privacy preferences for the email addresses. From time to time I send out emails on behalf of third parties, such as other newsletter publishers. […]
Using Home Equity to Fund Retirement
Key changes recently were made in reverse mortgages. You should be aware of the changes and how they affect the way reverse mortgages can help in-crease your financial independence. Properly used, they are tools for employing home equity to enhance your retirement. The first change is that the Federal Housing Administration restructured the program again […]
Social Security Shortchanges Some Spouses
Spouses are losing thousands of dollars annually because Social Security is not paying the maximum payouts for which they are eligible. The Office of Inspector General of the Social Security Administration said in a recent report that about one-third of spouses ages 70 and older who had their own earnings records weren’t receiving their maximum […]
Knowing When to Update Your Estate Planning
Having an estate plan is important, but having one means only part of your job is done. A plan has to be complete and current. Not enough people have an estate plan, but of those that do a high percentage let their plans become outdated. Sometimes having a plan that isn’t current is worse than […]
Preserving Your IRA to Last for Heirs
IRAs and other qualified retirement plans are high on the list of today’s greatest planning concerns. They are among the most valuable assets in many households, and people often are worried about what will happen to their IRAs and 401(k)s. They want the IRAs to last their lifetimes and beyond. The IRAs are supposed to […]
Reducing Taxes on Mutual Funds
Mutual funds seem easy, and most investors believe they understand funds. But the income tax rules for funds are more involved than many people realize. Knowing the nuances of the rules is important. Taking different actions or changing their timing could improve your after-tax returns by a significant amount and preserve more of your nest […]
You Won’t Retire When You Expect
Most people expect either to retire early or not at all, it seems. Since the crisis of 2008, more people have said they’ll delay retirement or not retire. But the fact is most people don’t retire when they planned. Illness, injury, family situations, and lay offs cause many people to leave work never to return. […]
