Retirement Watch Weekly
Bob’s Journal for 3/9/23
Some Notable Events That Grabbed My Attention This Week I participated in a number of podcasts recently to discuss my latest book, “Retirement Watch: The Essential Guide to Retiring in the 2020s.” There were a couple of great discussions you might want to listen to. One is my appearance on “Retire with Purpose” with Casey […]
The Tax Traps in Delaying IRA Distributions
Congress expanded a tax trap for many owners of traditional IRA and 401(k) accounts when the SECURE Act 2.0 was enacted in December 2022. The law delayed the starting age for required minimum distributions (RMDs) to age 73, effective January 1, 2023. The starting age will jump to 75 effective January 1, 2033. If you […]
Bob’s Journal for 3/2/23
Why Interest Rates Haven’t Peaked Investment markets indicated investors thought interest rates peaked in late 2022. The yield on the 10-year treasury bond reached 3.96% in October 2022 and began falling. By late January 2023, the yield was below 3.50%. Throughout that period, futures markets prices indicated investors believed interest rates would decline steadily for […]
Bob’s Journal for 2/23/22
Higher Valuations Prop Up Stocks We’re well past the midpoint of the earnings season for the fourth quarter of 2022, so we can draw some conclusions. There is some good news, but it’s not especially good news. About 68% of the companies that reported so far had earnings higher than analysts’ pre-report estimates. Also, 65% […]
Investors Are Anticipating Goldilocks’ Arrival
The markets are ignoring one of the prime investment rules: Don’t fight the Fed. Federal Reserve officials say they will have to maintain tight monetary policy considerably longer to bring inflation to the 2% target, even after the historically aggressive rate increases of 2022. Markets seem to disagree, while anticipating what some call a soft […]
7 Reasons Not to Buy an Annuity
Annuity purchases soared the last couple of years, yet only a small percentage of retirees and near-retirees own or consider annuities. That goes against the advice of many economists and actuaries, who say that most people should include annuities in their retirement portfolios. Some financial advisors and media personalities say annuities never should be purchased. […]
Know the Tricks and Traps of the ‘Wash Sale’ Rules
Few taxpayers were interested in or needed to know the “wash sale” rules, until recently. When stock prices rose steadily, the wash sale rules didn’t come into play. The rules matter only when investors sell stocks at losses. That’s why the wash sale rules have been more important since 2021. The wash sale rules were […]
The Tax Traps in Delaying IRA Distributions
Congress expanded a tax trap for many owners of traditional IRA and 401(k) accounts when the SECURE Act 2.0 was enacted in December 2022. The law delayed the starting age for required minimum distributions (RMDs) to age 73, effective January 1, 2023. The starting age will jump to 75 effective January 1, 2033. If you […]
