Let’s update some two-thousand-year-old tax advice—Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but don’t give him more than that. Today, tax deductions and credits help determine how much Caesar gets. As an old guy told me a long time ago, “If it’s in the IRS code, it’s there to...
An old chewing gum slogan used to be, “Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun.” Many retirees are being hit with a one-two punch that is neither pleasurable nor fun. First came the highest inflation in 40 years, eating away at their retirement income and reducing purchasing power. Now, many...
My, how things have changed. When I was growing up, if you found out someone had a trust, well, that person must be rich—they must be a millionaire (that’s back when a million dollars was really worth something). Today, though, trusts of all kinds are a common planning tool...
IRA
rollovers are as common as drinking water. But if your rollover isn’t done
correctly, it can cost you taxes and penalties, sucking out money that could
have been used for your retirement. In this article from MarketWatch, you’ll
discover 4 of the most expensive IRA rollover tax traps and how to avoid
falling...
Medicare is a veritable alphabet soup of choices. There’s Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D, and when you get into Medicare Supplements, there are 10 options—A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. Make the wrong choices and you could be hit with lifetime...
You just got the final draft of your estate plan. You’ve been thinking about this for a long time—how you want your estate distributed, who you want to take care of, who you want to benefit. As you scan the document, it includes your exact wishes for disposition of...
The Coronavirus is changing the landscape, as we know it, in almost every part of life. Unquestionably, it’s also shaking up the financial universe and changing rules that have been etched in stone for decades, and retirement accounts are no exception.
With the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act...
Almost one-quarter of the 65 million people receiving Social Security rely on it for 90% of their retirement income. They’re locked in and there’s nothing they can do to get a bigger check except cross their fingers and hope for a cost-of-living raise every year.
No one wants to be...
The use of special needs
trusts has become common for the care of qualifying children with challenges.
However, the process of properly setting up a special needs trust requires
expert advice and well thought out planning so the beneficiary of the trust is
taken care of in the manner the trust grantor intended.
Here...
Do I need a will or a trust? That’s the most basic question to begin creating an estate plan. And, let’s face it, you really do want a say in who gets what after your gone. That’s just human nature. Without some kind of legal instructions, you can’t guarantee...