Found 156 Articles.
Get access to our full article archive by subscribing to Retirement Watch and Retirement Watch Spotlight Series.

It is not as easy to increase wealth through investing as it was a few years ago. To boost wealth, investment returns have to be supplemented with cost cutting. Many firms are making this more difficult by increasing prices and various fees. Here’s my quick review of the best ways many of you can increase […]

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 […]
Identity theft will be the crime of the millennium. It dominated the news recently when three credit card company employees were arrested for selling the data of 30,000 customers for $100 each. Fraud is perhaps the most common crime, and ID theft is another form of fraud. ID theft is growing rapidly, however, and soon […]

A key issue everyone faces is when to begin Social Security benefits. One aspect of this decision that is easy to overlook is how the choice could affect a spouse’s lifetime income. We’ve discussed when to begin Social Security benefits in past visits, most recently in the May 2002 issue (available in the Archive of […]
Bob’s exclusive new service gives members the tools and knowledge to maximize their retirement finances for the rest of their lives. The Lifetime Retirement Protection Program includes all monthly issues of Bob’s Retirement Watch newsletter, all monthly video webinars in his Retirement Watch Spotlight service, every one of Bob’s premium reports and white papers (past and future), complete access to RetirementWatch.com, and 90 days’ membership in Eagle Financial’s DividendInvestor.com. Click here now to access all of Bob Carlson’s research.

How long will your nest egg last? Everyone who considers retirement asks that question. The question is more important as the bear market stretches on and the government confirms that life expectancy continue to increase. Long lives and an extended bear market highlight a shortcoming in many retirement plans. The traditional retirement plan assumes an […]

Car buying has changed dramatically. Not long ago, the route to a good deal on a car was simple. Find the manufacturer’s invoice price of a new car and offer enough above that to give the dealer a reasonable profit. For a better deal, wait to buy during the traditional sale season from November through […]

Prescription drugs are more numerous and more important to health care. Unfortunately, buying them is getting more confusing. Unlike the early days of Medicare, today drugs are the prime treatment for many diseases and conditions. Often, diseases are treated or controlled by taking medication for life. Drugs are a big reason why, despite an older […]

Big changes are coming to Social Security. I don’t mean anything Congress or the President might do. These changes were put in place in the 1980s and are just taking effect. These changes affect the retirement of everyone who won’t begin receiving Social Security benefits by the end of 2002 and will influence when people […]
Log In
Forgot Password
Search