Retirement Watch Weekly
Estate Planning: Are Family Limited Partnerships in Danger?
Has the IRS nailed the coffin shut on family limited partnerships? The IRS has been challenging FLPs in courts for years, until recently with little success. Two recent court decisions, however, disallowed some FLPs and caused at least a few advisors to caution taxpayers against setting up new FLPs at least until the rules are […]
Decisions to Make Under Your New Medicare
Prescription drug benefits and other changes are coming to Medicare. Let’s take a look some details, the timetable, and the actions you should consider over the next few years. Keep in mind that the prescription drug provisions are voluntary. You don’t have to leave your current benefit structure unless you want to or the provider […]
How Safety-First Investing Builds More Wealth
Value and caution pay richer rewards than do growth and excitement. Market action of the last few years contains some great examples of this lesson. The bear market began in March 2000 and bottomed in October 2002. The market indexes have had a strong run since the bottom, with the Nasdaq returning over 50% and […]
Managed vs. Core Portfolios
Periodically it is fun and instructive to compare our Core Portfolios and Managed Portfolios. Longtime readers know I recommend dividing a portfolio into two portions. The Core Portfolio is long-term, buy-and-hold, diversified, and balanced. It keeps us disciplined. The Core Portfolio won’t let our emotions take us in and out of the markets at the […]
How to Find the Right Annuity for You
Annuity companies had their own scandals long before the mutual fund sleaze grabbed the headlines. Yet even now, annuities aren’t in the clear. There are reports that variable annuity issuers also allowed select investors to make guaranteed-profit trades just as some mutual funds did. Annuities can be valuable financial tools for the right investors. To […]
Estate Planning Nuts and Bolts
Every estate is different. Even your next door neighbor or colleague at work is going to have some issues that are different from yours. Yet, there are key principles and strategies that apply to almost every estate plan. There also are common Estate Planning mistakes you should avoid. Since this is the time of year […]
Family Gift Giving Essentials
Family gift giving is an important part of many estate plans. Make it an even better tool by maximizing the power of your gifts. Make New Year gifts. Most people wait until year end to make gifts. It is better to give at the start of the year. Gift taxes are based on a property’s […]
Grandchildren Friendly Investment Firms
There are two steps that almost guarantee a young person will become financially secure. Step one is to save early and regularly. Step two is to invest those savings to achieve growth that beats inflation and taxes. Unfortunately, financial services firms are making it more difficult for your grandchildren to take these first steps on […]
