Retirement Watch Weekly
To Probate Or Not To Probate for Estate Planning
Estate taxes are far from the biggest expense for most estates. If the 2001 tax law is allowed to take full effect, in 2010 estate taxes won’t be an expense for anyone. Yet, Estate Planning is critical for estates of all sizes, because other expenses can take a big bite of every estate. The largest […]
Investing for Grandchildren: New Estate Planning Rules
Some important investment lessons were learned over the last few years by grandparents and grandchildren. Not too long ago, many grandparents felt comfortable giving stocks in a few good companies to a grandchild with the advice never to sell. Other grandparents gave one or two mutual funds with the same instructions. In the post-World War […]
Best Way To Stop ID Theft
Identity theft cases doubled from 2001 to 2002. A report from the Federal Trade Commission revealed that ID theft complaints to the government rose from 86,000 to 162,000, and for the third year ID theft was the most reported type of fraud. The government believes most thefts go unreported and that about 700,000 ID thefts […]
Our Safe, Aggressive Investment Portfolio
Profitable trends are starting to develop in the markets. I can tell from the action in our Invest With The Winners Aggressive Portfolio. Our Aggressive Portfolio uses my own rankings of over 300 mutual funds, representing most available investment strategies. I recommend buying the top two funds in the rankings that are at the top […]
Warning: Viatical Settlement
Interest rates are at their lowest levels in 40 years. Yields are too low for many people to meet their goals. That sends them in search of higher yields, and that attracts the scam artists. One spreading scam involves something known as a “Viatical Settlement.” The viatical settlement is a legitimate arrangement, but many of […]
Most Overlooked Deducations
Many taxpayers don’t take all the deductions to which they are entitled. Some think all the good deductions were eliminated in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Others are afraid that the IRS will audit them for taking certain deductions. A lack of good records is the problem for a number of taxpayers. For most […]
How to Reduce Tax on Social Security
Each year more seniors pay taxes on Social Security benefits than did the year before, and those who already were taxed pay more. That is an inevitable result of the way the tax is structured, unless you take action to reverse things. The benefits are taxable when adjusted gross income exceeds certain levels. One big […]
How to do Annual Estate Planning Financial Check-Up?
The early part of the year is a good time for a quick financial checkup and to evaluate the progress we’re making toward financial security for ourselves and loved ones. You probably are working on your tax return anyway, so it takes only a bit more time to answer the simple question, “How am I […]
