Retirement Watch Weekly
Some Professional Investors Beat The Stock Market Indexes
You’re exposed to a lot of discussion about how the average mutual fund or money manager underperforms selected stock indexes. But not many people are aware that over the years, studies demonstrated that the averaged defined benefit pension plan earns higher returns than the average 401(k) account. Here’s one discussion of that. One way to […]
June 2013
June 27, 2013 04:45 p.m. Your Retirement Finance Week in Review I hope each of you has a good July 4th. Because of the light schedule in the market and economic data next week, I probably won’t issue a report unless there is a significant surprise. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be back […]
Reviewing the Estate Planning Basics
Now, only the very wealthy have to worry about Estate Planning. That’s what many people believe after the latest estate tax law, and that belief could cause a lot of problems for them and their heirs. Estate planning is more than tax reduction. Estate planning ensures that your wealth is transferred to those you want […]
Exploding Myths About Long-Term Care
Americans are remarkably uninformed and misinformed about long-term health care and insurance to cover the expense. Only one question was answered correctly by a majority of respondents in a recent survey: 53% said they were not too familiar with long-term care insurance (LTCI) and another 26% said they were not at all familiar with it. […]
Holding Employer Stocks in 401(k)s
Employees who own company stock or other securities in their retirement plans should review their options. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 might have changed which is the best strategy for distributing the stock from the account. Many workers own shares of employer stock or other securities through 401(k) or other retirement plans. Few […]
Protecting Yourself from ID Theft
Identity theft isn’t making the headlines it did a few years ago. Yet, it’s still a problem. The FTC estimates that annually about 9 million Americans have their identities stolen, and this costs consumers about $5 billion. The FTC says fixing your credit after a theft takes about 175 hours and costs $1,173. In addition, […]
Understanding 2013’s New Taxes
It’s time to clear away the confusion about some new taxes for 2013: the 3.8% tax on investment income and changes that affect the alternative mini-mum tax. Act now, or you’ll have an unpleasant surprise when completing your 2013 tax returns in 2014. The 3.8% investment income tax is separate from all other taxes and […]
Your Home and the 3.8% Investment Income Tax
When the 3.8% net investment income tax was enacted, there was a lot of talk about whether it applies to taxes on home sales. Here’s how that really works. When you sell a home that isn’t your principal residence, such as a vacation home, second home, or rental property, all of the gain potentially is […]
