Retirement Watch Weekly
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 […]
Reviewing the IRA Conversion Decision
We’re in the last months of the year of the IRA conversion opportunity. Many tax-payers are converting their traditional IRAs and 401(k) accounts into Roth IRAs. Others still are considering the move. In our visits over the last couple of years we covered all the key issues and details. In this visit we review the […]
Planning Year-End 2010 Tax Moves
This will be the most difficult year-end tax planning session most of us ever will face. Since 1994 tax rates declined and tax breaks increased for the most part. Now, a raft full of tax increases is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2011. But Congress could act to at least delay some of the […]
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 […]
Estate Planning to Ensure Wealth, Heirs Are Secure
You worked hard to build your estate, and you’re working harder than ever to keep it. One of your Estate Planning goals is for your estate eventually to make life easier for younger loved ones. Yet, you want to ensure the wealth isn’t wasted and also that it doesn’t make your heirs too comfortable. You […]
