Retirement Watch Weekly
Seeking Higher Yields for Your Safe Cash
The Federal Re-serve recently said it would continue its zero interest rate policy through late 2014. The SEC also is about to propose new regulations on money market funds. This combination of actions will keep short-term yields as low as a snake’s belly and make it harder to earn a positive real yield or even […]
How Safe Is Your Brokerage Account?
The safety of brokerage accounts is front and center for the first time since 2008, thanks to the bankruptcy of MF Global. News stories indicate that about $1.6 billion of customer funds disappeared from MF Global accounts. Customers are denied access to all or part of their account balances and many won’t be made whole. […]
How to Avoid the Worst Estate Plan Mistakes
Taxes no longer are the main focus of Estate Planning, and they really never should have been. The broad goals of an estate plan should be to avoid chaos and discord among beneficiaries; to avoid or minimize probate; to protect assets from mismanagement by the children; and to protect assets from creditors and others. Many […]
Evaluating the Long Term Care Insurance Decision
Most people don’t buy long-term care insurance, and they also aren’t prepared to pay for long-term care needs. In general, Americans also aren’t well-informed about either long-term care or insurance to cover it. Let’s debunk some myths and then take a rational look at the decision of whether or not to buy LTCI. What’s the […]
Roth IRAs as Estate Planning Tools
Many people focus on the retirement and income tax aspects of Roth IRAs. Not enough people consider the Estate Planning benefits they could reap by converting a traditional IRA (or a 401(k) plan) into a Roth IRA. Your loved ones could receive more after-tax wealth from the Roth IRA, whether or not your estate is […]
New Paths to Guaranteed 401(k) Account Income
New laws and regulations make it easier to convert your 401(k) into guaranteed lifetime income. Longevity annuities don’t start paying income until you’re 80 or 85. Previous rules didn’t allow them in retirement plans, because you had to begin taking distributions after age 70½. The Treasury Department recently issued new rules that say the RMD […]
March 2012
Wrong link: coudn’t find source
10 Rules for Investing
Jeremy Grantham of GMO issued his quarterly letter for the fourth quarter of 2011, and as always I recommend investors spend some time with it. This letter is titled “The Longest Quarterly Letter Ever” (it’s 15 pages) and follows last quarter’s “The Shortest Quarterly Letter Ever.” This letter has three sections. The first is 10 […]
