Retirement Watch Weekly
Living Longer But Not Better
Life expectancy continues to increase, and you need to factor that into your retirement planning. A retirement of 30 years or longer isn’t unusual now and will be more common going forward. But something else you need to consider is the news that while Americans are living longer, they aren’t necessarily living healthier, according to […]
All Bond Funds Aren’t Equal
Bond investors had a rough time in May and June. Interest rates rose, and bond prices sank. But not all bonds and bond funds fared the same. As this article shows, some bonds fell more than others and some funds owed more of the “bad” bonds than others. PIMCO loaded up on TIPS before the […]
The Crisis in Long-Term Care Insurance
We’ve been covering it in detail in Retirement Watch for a while. The issue finally hit the big time with a major piece in The Wall Street Journal. (Subscription might be required.) The article reviews all the issues known to my readers: premiums on older policies are rising; insurers are dropping out of the market […]
The Intelligent Investor – Jason Zweig
Jason Zweig’s been writing a column for The Wall Street Journal for a long time. In this edition he summarizes what he’s been trying to teach over the years. (Subscription might be required.) He summarizes it as saving investors from themselves. It’s a good piece, and includes much of what I try to teach in […]
How to Cover Long Term Care Costs with Annuities
It’s time to reconsider how your cash and “safe funds” are invested. Those of you with significant sum in safe investments or cash have at least one new option that pays more than a competitive yield. In addition, to earning a decent, safe return, the vehicle delivers up to three times your money for any […]
July 2013
July 26, 2013 05:45 p.m. Your Retirement Finance Week in Review This was a quiet week in the markets and the economy. All markets traded in fairly narrow ranges but trended towards negative territory. Next week will be a big week for data, with the employment situations reports coming on Friday along with personal income […]
Taking Early Retirement with Obamacare
The medical coverage gap is the bane of most early retirees. They leave their jobs and lose their employer-provided medical coverage. They aren’t eligible for Medicare, because they haven’t reached age 65. Unlike Social Security, Medicare doesn’t give you the option of beginning early. You could pay for a continuation of the employer coverage under […]
Evaluating the Estate Planning Probate Decision
Probate rises to the forefront of Estate Planning. With only a small minority of estates at risk of owing federal estate taxes, the greater threat to separating your wealth from the objects of your affection and delaying the transfer is probate. Regardless of the value of your estate, you need to spend time considering probate. […]
