Retirement Watch Weekly
Planning for Coming Income Tax Changes
Tax changes are in the works, and you need to take action in 2010 to avoid paying more than you have to this year and in coming years. Strategies in 2010 will be different from past years because of the way the law will change. Consider these unique or overlooked strategies. Consider accelerating income. Tax […]
June 2010
June 25, 2010 11:00 a.m. Always Interesting Investments There always are interesting investments, said Rob Arnott, manager of the PIMCO All Asset fund, a component of our hedge fund mutual fund portfolio. Arnott forecasts that inflation hedges will be a very interesting investment over the next year or two as a deflationary trend takes hold […]
Checking the Alternatives to Your Bank
The cost of banking is rising. Banks lost a lot of money the last few years. They are making it back with higher fees and new fees on checking accounts. You easily could be paying a few hundred dollars a year in bank fees. That can work out to a pretty high percentage of your […]
Roth IRAs for Estate Planning
There’s a lot of focus on Roth IRAs these days. Often overlooked is that for some people, however, a Roth IRA’s greatest benefit is as an Estate Planning tool. Before making a decision, consider carefully the potential estate planning effects of the Roth IRA and add those to any income tax benefits. While no estate […]
May 2010
May 26, 2010 10:00 a.m. Updating Our Portfolios The world’s markets finally lost the momentum that was pushing them upward for many months. Stock indexes are below many key levels (such as the 200-day moving average). Market internals (such as the number of stocks hitting new lows and the ratio of the number of stocks […]
Knowing How Much of Your Estate to Give and When
The major issues in your estate plan are deciding who should receive your assets and how they should receive them (directly or through trusts, for example). Two other important issues that don’t receive as much attention are: How much wealth should you transfer sooner rather than later, and when should you give it? While these […]
Answering Key IRA Conversion Questions
The critical decision of whether to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA continues to provoke questions and cause some confusion. I thank all of you who sent me your questions, details about your unique circumstances, and responses you’ve received from the IRS and others. Today we review some key points that seem to […]
Searching the New Medical Insurance Law
The new health care laws, The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and a companion law, make sweeping changes in how your medical care is financed and provided. The changes are phased in now through 2018. The law is too broad to cover everything in this monthly visit or even several visits. I […]
