Retirement Watch Weekly
Handling The Toughest Estate Problem: The Family Home
The most difficult part of an estate plan can be the family home or a second home. Often the property is a large part of the estate’s value. It also cannot be divided among the heirs. They either sell the property or share it. But the emotions surrounding a family property probably are the biggest […]
How to Pay for a Grandchild’s Education
Perhaps the best use of any excess wealth you have is to pay for a grandchild’s education. There are many ways to do that, and I have covered them extensively in the past. In this visit I’d like to explore three of the better tax-advantaged strategies. You might be able to deduct at least a […]
Low-Cost Ways to Pay for Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-term care insurance isn’t very popular. Insurers estimate that only about 2% of those who should consider long-term care insurance have purchased it. Some of the reasons for this are quite good. There are other, affordable ways to pay for long-term care without leaving your heirs high and dry. One reason people avoid long-term care […]
How to Increase Dividend Yields
Scared of the stock market but unhappy with the yields from safe bonds? Many investors feel that way about at least a portion of their portfolios. There is an alternative, and it actually is quite exciting for those who venture into it. It carries much lower risk than the stock market, but substantially higher yields […]
Should you buy or rent your winter home?
Winter is coming, and the thoughts of many retirees turn to warmer climates. The next thought for those who plan to spend part of the year at a second home is whether it makes sense to buy or rent that refuge. Not many years ago that was an easy decision. Real estate almost always appreciated […]
How To Multiply Gifts And Write Offs
You can get major tax benefits by making a charitable contribution now instead of through your will. And you can do that without crimping your standard of living. Even better, with a little creativity, you can leverage that tax deduction into a charitable contribution that far exceeds your cost. Here’s how it works. You have […]
Best Ways to Help Grandchildren
One of the best tools you can use to help a child or grandchild is a Roth IRA. Created as retirement accounts, you can’t do better for estate planning and transferring wealth. You’ve probably heard the advantages of Roth IRAs. Earnings of the Roth IRA are not taxed, and neither you nor your beneficiary pays […]
How to Profit from Your Old Life Insurance Policy
What should you do with that cash value life insurance policy you no longer need? Many of you have old cash value policies that aren’t doing you any good. Perhaps you bought them years ago when your insurance needs were much higher. Your insurance needs changed, because of increased wealth, divorce, or a spouse’s death. […]
