Retirement Watch Weekly
How to Slash Auto Insurance Costs
The airwaves are full of ads for lower auto insurance costs. But the commercials don’t tell you even half the story. Unfortunately, few people do their auto insurance correctly. There are many ways to cut your auto premiums without putting yourself at risk. This is especially good news for older Americans. Those premium reductions you […]
Stocks For The Next Bull Market
A new bull market for stocks is on the way. It’s not here yet, and probably won’t be for several months. You should use this pause as an opportunity to get your portfolio ready for the turnaround. In last September’s quarterly special report I identified 26 individual stocks of high quality companies that seemed ideal […]
Fresh Start For Your IRAs
The IRS recently created a tremendous opportunity to improve your financial and estate planning. In a surprise to everyone, the IRS in early January issued new rules for taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from IRAs and other qualified retirement plans after age 70 1/2. The previous rules, described in detail in my Retirement Tax Guide, […]
How to Avoid the Key Retirement Housing Mistakes
Retirement patterns in the U.S. are changing. That’s because many are finding that the traditional move to warmer climes isn’t for them. The “boomerang” or the “bounce-back” is becoming common for those who move to Florida or Arizona. Retirees have many more location options than they used to. Retiree-oriented developments are being built all over, […]
How to Preserve the Family Business
When owners think about preserving the family business for the next generation, they think about estate taxes. You can do a lot to continue the family firm through tax strategies such as annual gifts, family limited partnerships, dynasty trusts, and the like. But tax planning is at most only half the job. Half of all […]
The Truth About Life Insurance Trusts
One estate tax shelter untouched by the government over the years is the irrevocable life insurance trust. At various times the IRS has tried to shut down this valuable tool, but the courts and Congress kept the structure intact. The purpose of an irrevocable life insurance trust is to exclude insurance benefits from the taxable […]
Hot New Retirement Locations
Older Americans might be becoming “half backs” instead of “snowbirds.” A snowbird, as you probably know, is someone who lives most of the year in a cold weather area but spends a few winter months in a warm weather state. Usually the retiree treks from a midwest or northeastern state to Florida. But many older […]
Taxable vs. Tax-Deferred Accounts
Most of you invest through both tax-deferred accounts (such as IRAs) and taxable accounts. You also own both stock and bond investments. To maximize after-tax returns, you want to know which investments should be primarily in the taxable accounts and which in the tax-deferred accounts. First, don’t let the taxes drive your portfolio allocation. Decide […]
