Retirement Watch Weekly
How to Prevent Identity Theft
Technology makes it easier to steal someone’s identity and money. But the focus on threats from technology is opening people up to serious losses by misdirecting attention. Despite its fast growth rate, high tech identity theft is not the most serious scam you face. The data are clear. Your greatest risk of either identity theft […]
Making the Medicare Prescription Drug Decision
The promotions for the Medicare prescription drug program are starting and will become intense for many of you over the next few months. Take your time to analyze the choices. If you are eligible for Medicare now, you are eligible for the prescription drug program. Sign ups for the plans can start Nov. 15. The […]
Pockets of Opportunity in the Stock Market
The trends that boosted our portfolios ahead of the indexes this year are likely to last another quarter or more. As more and more investors notice our returns and invest with us, it will become time to move into other investments. We aren’t at that point yet, but I’m already drawing up a short list […]
Stocks to Hold for the Long Run
We are coming up on the one year anniversary of our portfolio of 15 stocks for the next decade. For those who want to own individual stocks in addition to mutual funds, I created a portfolio of 15 companies that you should be comfortable owning for the next decade. This is not a trading portfolio, […]
Japanese Stocks Catching Fire
The doormat of international financial markets, Japan, appears to be turning around as we anticipated a couple of years ago. At Retirement Watch we have a history of following the Japanese market. Investors with long memories will recall that Japan had the world’s hottest stock market in the 1970s and 1980s. There even were fears […]
Elements of Retiree Tax Reduction Plan
Most retirees were misinformed about taxes. They were told that their income tax rates would decline in retirement. The unfortunate truth is that for many people, income tax rates stay the same or rise after retirement. In fact, retirees often face the highest marginal tax rates (the rate on the last dollar of income earned) […]
How to Maximize the Benefits of a Roth IRA Conversion
Converting a regular IRA to a Roth IRA can be a shrewd financial move. See September’s visit for details. This month we’re going to discuss how to establish a plan that will multiply the benefits of a conversion. There are two key rules that can be used to develop the most effective Roth conversion plan. […]
Inflation-Protected Never-Ending Lifetime Income with Annuities
Retirement planning boils down to solving two problems: providing an income for life, and ensuring that income retains its purchasing power. Running out of money and watching the purchasing power of one’s income erode are two of the greatest retirement fears. Financial services companies constantly are developing products and strategies to alleviate these fears. As […]
