Retirement Watch Weekly
Requiring Annuities for IRAs, 401(k)s?
A rumor I regularly am asked about is that the government is going to require all IRAs and 401(k)s to be invested annuities. Some versions of the rumor go further and say the proposal is to confiscate all these accounts and invest them in annuities or even Social Security. Here’s the real proposal. The Labor […]
November 2010
November 26, 2010 04:00 p.m. China and the Fed I apologize for some data errors in the December 2010 issue of Retirement Watch. The allocations in the recommended portfolios are incorrect. Also the buy above and sell below prices of Harbor High Yield are inverted. A corrected PDF of the data is posted to the […]
Adding Life Insurance Trusts to Your Estate Planning Strategy
Life insurance used to be a standard part of almost every Estate Planning Strategy. In recent years, insurance moved to the back burner or completely off the menu of many estate planning strategies. A recent article in The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the very wealthy make up the bulk of current permanent life […]
Evaluating a Codicil vs. a New Will for your Estate Planning Strategy
When an Estate Planning Strategy needs updating, there’s always one key question. Should an entire will be written and executed, or is a simple amendment sufficient? An amendment to a will in lawyer talk is a codicil. It’s an important question, and not one to be taken lightly. The advantage of a codicil is you […]
Paying for the Health Care Changes
The first major effects of last spring’s health care reform, we’ve said for some months, will be seen in Medicare Advantage plans. Other parts of Medicare also will feel early effects from the new law. The first changes are here, and it’s time to review them and consider the likely future changes. The Medicare Advantage […]
How to Build Your Own Equity-Index Annuity
Last month’s visit discussed equity-indexed annuities (EIAs). We reviewed their different elements, ad-vantages and disadvantages. This month we explain how you can generate very similar results by creating your own EIA. Remember the attraction of an EIA is you are assured in the worst case of a return of your principal after about 10 years […]
October 2010
October 29, 2010 12:00 p.m. Negative Interest Rates, QE 2, and more The most interesting news in an interesting week was the auction of Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). Investors bid so much for the bonds that they will earn a negative interest rate until they mature in five years. They paid over $105 for $100 […]
Losing a Social Security Option
Social Security is planning to dramatically limit a strategy we’ve discussed in past visits. Though only a few people use it, the use has been climbing and the government wants to put a lid on the growth. The strategy is to pay back the benefits you received and claim a higher level of benefits. Suppose […]
