Social Security
Found 257 Articles.
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Understanding 2013’s New Taxes
It’s time to clear away the confusion about some new taxes for 2013: the 3.8% tax on investment income and changes that affect the alternative mini-mum tax. Act now, or you’ll have an unpleasant surprise when completing your 2013 tax returns in 2014. The 3.8% investment income tax is separate from all other taxes and […]
Protecting Yourself from ID Theft
Identity theft isn’t making the headlines it did a few years ago. Yet, it’s still a problem. The FTC estimates that annually about 9 million Americans have their identities stolen, and this costs consumers about $5 billion. The FTC says fixing your credit after a theft takes about 175 hours and costs $1,173. In addition, […]
Another Stock Market Myth Exposed
Part of my book Invest Like a Fox…Not Like a Hedgehog is devoted to teaching that there are a lot of market myths that are widely-held despite the lack of data to support them. Here’s evidence of one. Some people are worried about the stock market, because the sectors considered to be defensive have been […]
Managing Portfolios for Higher After-Tax Returns
Taxes on investments in-creased for 2013, and there’s a good probability they’ll increase again at least for some of you. Some tax increases are direct, such as the increase in the rate on long-term capital gains and qualified dividends to 20% from 15%. Others are indirect, such as the Medicare premium surtax on higher incomes. […]
Handling Changes in Variable Annuities
Tax planning is less of a guessing game these days with the tax law settled, at least until Congress decides to push some kind of tax reform. In the wake of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, we need to revise and rethink some strategies about Roth IRAs, especially about converting traditional IRAs to […]
Roth IRAs and the New Tax Law
Tax planning is less of a guessing game these days with the tax law settled, at least until Congress decides to push some kind of tax reform. In the wake of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, we need to revise and rethink some strategies about Roth IRAs, especially about converting traditional IRAs to […]
Answering More Social Security Questions
My recent articles on maximizing Social Security benefits generated a lot of interest among readers and triggered some good questions. In this visit we review some key questions readers asked. My wife died recently. I’m 62 and haven’t begun receiving any Social Security benefits. Since I’m older than 60, I’m eligible to receive survivor’s benefits. […]
Avoiding the Retiree Tax Attack
Income taxes are rising on those in or planning for retirement. Remember, the true value of your nest egg is its after-tax value. Politicians at all levels know that in-come and wealth are concentrated among those 55 and older, so those people are the focus of tax increases. The retiree tax attack tends to be […]
