Retirement Watch Weekly
More Ways to Prevent ID Theft
Identity theft continues to increase, and older Americans are prime targets of this crime. That’s why we constantly are looking for ways to prevent the crime and to protect your identity and wealth. Here are some new strategies to consider along with the strategies mentioned in past visits. When paying a credit card bill by […]
How Much to Save and Invest for Retirement
Americans are confident they will have comfortable retirements. Seventy percent of Americans age 25 and older told the Retirement Confidence Survey for 2004 they are confident of achieving a comfortable retirement. Yet only 58% were actively saving for retirement, and only 42% ever tried to calculate the amount of money they will need in retirement. […]
HIPAA-compliant Estate Planning
The law of unintended consequences has struck again. Because of it, some standard Estate Planning tools need to be reworked, and existing plans might need some revisions in the next few years. Congress decided Americans’ medical privacy needed more protection, so in 1996 it passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA. […]
Overdue Annuity Abuse Crackdowns
Regulators finally are focusing their efforts on some negative aspects of the variable annuity market that we’ve been discussing for years. Recently, several actions were taken by the National Association of Securities Dealers and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The NASD, which regulates its broker members, in April proposed new rules governing variable annuity marketing. […]
Cash Flow from Your Home – Reverse Mortgages
The use of reverse mortgages is climbing as more seniors learn how to use them to raise cash from their home equity. The loans are not for every senior American, but they can be a valuable source of cash for strapped homeowners. Fewer than 20,000 reverse mortgages were originated in 2003. That’s a tiny part […]
Estate Planning: New Family Limited Partnership Rulings
Last year a number of estate planners worried that the IRS and the Tax Court nailed shut the door on family limited partnerships. A recent federal appeals court decision recently made clear the door still is open, and it set some guidelines for the successful use of FLPs. Family limited partnerships have been premier estate […]
Estate Planning for Community Property
Estate Planning can be different for married couples who live in the eight community property states. The one-third of Americans who live in those states need to take their state laws into account and make a few adjustments from traditional estate plans. Community property laws say that property acquired before the marriage and inheritances are […]
High Level Asset Protection with a Super IRA
This month we wrap up our sessions on the Super IRA. In the May issue I explained how an IRA can be invested in real estate, private companies, mortgages, and a wide range of other investments. You learned where to find custodians who will allow such investments in IRAs. You also learned how to increase […]
