Retirement Watch Weekly
New Tax Law Affects Pensions, Charities
In late July, Congress passed the most comprehensive changes in decades to retirement plans and also made it easier to make charitable gifts with retirement accounts. Most of the law is directed at the old-style defined benefit plans that pay a guaranteed income for life. Congress became concerned that too many employers were not properly […]
Why You Must Give Charitable Gifts Early
This newsletter long has been a proponent of making estate planning and charitable gifts early, if the giver can afford to. Recently, this approach was endorsed by Warren Buffett, with his widely-publicized plan to give most of his fortune to a series of foundations in coming years. Buffett actually has been behind the curve. The […]
IRS Pursues Non-Filers of Estate and Gift Tax Returns
The IRS believes that nonfilers of estate and gift tax returns are a major cause of the “tax gap” between taxes legally owed and those actually paid. From 1995 to 2000, estate tax returns filed increased from 86,000 to over 123,000. In 2004, only 74,000 estate tax returns were filed. The IRS is undertaking a […]
Nine Important Questions to Ask IRA Custodians
IRA custodians are not all the same. Most people know that and do some comparison shopping before they select a custodian. The comparisons usually end with fees and investment choices. But other IRA issues can matter more and can dramatically affect the percentage of your IRA that benefits your heirs. A custodian needs to be […]
How to Help Grand kids Avoid Debt
The best gifts to leave heirs often are not wealth or things. Knowledge, values and good habits are more important. From my vantage point, the best thing an older person can do for a younger one today is to provide an education on debt and debt management. Today’s youth do not learn about debt management […]
3 Myths About Investment Fees
Myths about investment fees are widespread among investors. The myths include mutual fund management fees. As a result, many investors pursue the wrong investments and earn lower returns than they should. It is easy to understand how investors stray down the wrong path regarding fees and expenses. Of the main elements of investment management – […]
Types of Trusts and Reasons for Using Them
Trusts are not used primarily for reducing taxes any more. And trusts are not only for the wealthy. The non-wealthy are more financially sophisticated and have more wealth than in the past. The non-wealthy turned to trusts in recent years and for reasons other than tax reduction. In this part of the visit, we’ll review […]
Estate Tax Still in Limbo, Estate Planning Might Need Adjusting
Congress still is struggling in its attempts to make some sort of estate tax permanent. The current law will eliminate the estate tax in 2010 but restore the pre-2002 tax law in 2011. Without a change that means in a few years a large number of middle class estates will pay significant estate taxes. Attempts […]
