Retirement Watch Weekly
The Best Charitable Strategy
The greatest charitable giving innovation of the last decade might be the donor-advised fund. These funds actually have been around for some time, but they were concentrated on the local level. Few national funds existed, promotion of the funds was almost non-existent, and no effort was expended to make the funds accessible to most people. […]
The Estate Planning Time Bomb In Many IRAs
Financial services firms are lagging behind the IRS in making it easier to pass IRA wealth to succeeding generations. Because of this, the key document used in wealth transfer plans frequently is a time bomb. It is neglected or isn’t properly completed. The beneficiary designation form is the key document for passing on wealth held […]
How to Find the Best Health Care Plan
A recent headline in The Wall Street Journal said it all: “Health Benefits for Retirees Continue to Shrink, Study Says.” “Outlook Is Even Bleaker For Workers Leaving Jobs Over the Next 20 Years,” said the subheadline. Take a look at a few developments in just the last few months: Another 200,000 Medicare members will lose […]
How to Navigate the Shifting Bond Market
The stock market gets most of the headlines, but bonds have had more fireworks the last few months. Bond and other income investors have been sitting pretty – beating the stock market for an extended period. Unfortunately, they now might be in a bubble similar to that of technology stocks in 1999 and early 2000. […]
Where To Shop For Mutual Funds
There’s been a shake up in the world of mutual fund supermarkets. I’ve long believed that investors can maximize their investment returns by simplifying their financial lives. One way to simplify is to consolidate your investments at one mutual fund family or one broker that allows you to purchase mutual funds from different families – […]
Three New Rules Of Estate Planning
Many things changed in the last two years. Those changes should lead to revised estate plans and new approaches to Estate Planning. The biggest change of course is the loss of $7 trillion to $8 trillion in stock market wealth. There also is uncertainty about the strength of the economy and the outlook for future […]
Is Real Estate The Latest Bubble?
Is housing next? One of the few bright spots through the bear market, recession, and war on terrorism is the housing market. New home construction and sale prices of existing homes continue to surge. As home prices rise, people can refinance their mortgages, take some equity in cash, and spend that cash. Many people now […]
The Key Question Most Investors Overlook
Most investors focus on the wrong question, and that costs them money. Too many investors try to answer the big question of the day. Today, the big question drawing attention is whether the bear market is ending or the stock market is getting ready for another sharp drop. A few years ago, investors searched for […]
