Mutual Funds

Is the Build Back Better Bill is fully paid for? It seems to be a never-ending dispute, doesn’t it? On November 18, the Congressional Budget Office released its cost estimate for the Build Back Better Act, according to which the bill would spend $1.7 trillion over the years 2022 to 2031 and increase the budget

With talks of major long-term changes to retirement planning as part of the potential tax reform legislation, it’s a great time to start thinking about Roth IRA conversions. As 2021 comes to a close, you might be considering Roth conversions as part of your end-of-year planning, especially in light of the historic low tax rates

Over more than three decades as a wealth advisor, business owner and coach, I’ve talked a lot about the value of saying “no.” That’s because the ability to say no to time wasters and activities that distract from your core purpose, or things that are not aligned with your values, helps to open doors to

Although this is supposed to be a “wonderful time of the year”, it’s not always so. It can turn sour for some families when they are together. Old habits trigger disputes. Simmering conflicts explode. Aging parents can get cranky and difficult. Not everyone is aware of how their own actions create disconnection rather than a

When it comes to buying property overseas, cheap isn’t necessarily best. However, here are six overseas markets offering appealing property options at bona-fide bargain prices. These markets represent the world’s best property values for 2022. 1. Granada, Nicaragua Cost per square meter: $497 Price change in 2021: Decreased 29% Property trades in: U.S. Dollars Granada

You’ve just turned 72, you are feeling good, you are still working for a living and contributing to your 401(k) at work. Should you have to take RMDs from your 401(k)? Seventy-two is the age when you have to start taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from your retirement accounts. “Age 72” replaced “age 70 1/2”

True self-directed IRAs are becoming more popular among IRA owners. But the rules can be complicated and tricky. Two recent court cases show the risks of investing through self-directed IRAs can be extra taxes and penalties when all the rules aren’t followed. Many IRA custodians say they offer self-directed IRAs. In fact, most IRA custodians

The congressional proposal to increase federal funding for Medicaid’s home and community-based (HCBS) long-term care program likely would benefit the US economy, although it could increase costs for those not receiving Medicaid.   The HCBS expansion is included in the current House version of President Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) social spending, climate, and tax

I’m getting letters from followers who are asking for guidance on the SECURE Act’s 10-year rule that applies to inherited IRAs. For example, there is confusion about whether the rule is retroactive (it is not). What’s the ‘10-year rule’? The 10-year date comes from the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act, which

It’s the topic nobody wants to think about, let alone talk about: what do I do once I can no longer live independently? Long-term care is not a cheap expense, but where you live can have a big effect on how much it’ll cost. A new study by Seniorly ranked the states in order of

Ohio is one of the few states in the country that does not have a state “false claims” law modeled after the federal “qui tam” law. A long-overdue clean-up of all the state pensions may be coming if Wall Street vendors to the public pensions can finally be prosecuted under state law for fraud.  

Recent media reports about individuals accumulating mass wealth in Roth IRAs have piqued interest in Roth IRAs, and consumers want to know how they can get in on the Roth game. This includes my friend, Howard Jackson, an Information Technology Manager who lives in Winter Garden, Florida. Howard’s Roth IRA questions range from the basic

Today’s Social Security column addresses questions about what affect stopping work at 65 before filing at 67 would have on benefit rates, how to acquire more quarters of coverage to qualify for benefits and how early you can submit your application before actually beginning to receive benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at

SLATs have been the planning acronym du jour for several years. You create a trust for your spouse and perhaps other beneficiaries, and your spouse creates a trust for you and other beneficiaries. The groovy part of the SLAT pitch is that now you have all the assets in both trusts outside the reach of

By Kerry Hannon, Next Avenue Inflation rocketed by 6.2% in the 12 months through October 2021, the fastest pace since 1990, and retirees on fixed incomes are feeling the painful pinch. They’re seeing prices soaring for everything from rent to gasoline to Medicare prescription drug premiums, and low rates on bank savings accounts aren’t helping. The

By Nancy Collamer, Next Avenue Are you ready to take control of your work/life balance in 2022? I ask because, despite the dramatic rise in working from home during the pandemic, many employees and self-employed people report feeling more stressed than ever. Workplace consultant Lindsay Pollak writes that she’s “hearing from employees and leaders at all

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor One holiday gift for your children and grandchildren that won’t require you to worry about supply-chain disruptions and delivery delays: the gift of teaching them about money. To help you with some ideas — whether your kids or grandkids are six or 26 — my “Friends Talk Money” podcast co-hosts

This is a real case brought to my attention. A retiree, we’ll call her Betty, was notified last week by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that the monthly benefit amount to be deposited in her bank account on January 26, 2022, will be $1,179.20. Here’s her problem: the monthly benefit amount she currently receives is

When I talk to my financial planning clients about their Social Security benefits, they always have a lot of questions. These range from “When is the best time to take Social Security?” “How Can I maximize my Social Security benefits?” “Are Social Security Benefits taxable?” “Can you help me choose the best time to start receiving

I’ve owned a business for about 20 years, and time and again, I’ve learned that nothing is more critical to our success than happy and engaged employees. Here are a few ideas for how to keep your employees happy, despite the uncertainty we’re all facing during this ongoing pandemic. Responsible Paid Time Off We’ve heard

Today’s Social Security column addresses questions about when annual earnings limits are applied, survivor benefits after remarriage and child benefits when a parent is receiving disability benefits. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc. See more Ask Larry answers here. Have Social

There are some fit seniors out there and I see them all around in my long-lived county. They walk, ride bikes, go to the gym, eat wisely. They are the exception. 60% of Americans do not exercise as recommended and some are very sedentary. Too many chronic health problems go along with being inactive and

So, you have an irrevocable trust (or several) and you want to take a loan from the trust. While that might sound simple it really may not be as simple and you think, and you should discuss the decision with your trust attorney, CPA, and the trustee (especially if it’s a professional or institutional trustee

We spend most of our working lives putting money into our retirement accounts (hopefully), but what happens when we retire? How do we turn that nest egg into income that will last at least as long as we do? Let’s take a look at some options: Live off interest and dividends The most conservative option

Today’s Social Security column addresses questions about how stopping working before filing might affect benefit rates, when it can be possible to begin spousal benefits on a spouse’s record and becoming independently entitled to divorced spousal benefits before an ex files. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and

As of December 7th, the 2021 Open Enrollment Period is history. This is always a challenging and hectic time. As we look back on the past seven weeks, here are five observations.  1.) There was a significant reduction in the number of stand-alone Part D drug plans.  In most areas, beneficiaries have nine to 10 fewer plans

Social Security benefits are a major part of many American retirement incomes. As people are living longer, many more are working past the age of 70. If this is you, or maybe you in the future, you are likely wondering if working past the age of 70 will increase your Social Security benefits. How To

In a previous Forbes post on inherited IRAs, I discussed the importance of making sure an RMD (required minimum distribution) was taken before the end of the year by a person inheriting an IRA (individual retirement account) if the IRA owner died and had not taken his or her required distribution for the year. The

Let’s talk about the “4% rule,” originally from Bill Bengen’s seminal retirement distribution strategy research published in the Journal of Financial Planning in 1994.  In his research, Bengen found that historically at that time, you could have taken 4%, adjusted for inflation each year from an investment portfolio of a 50/50 mix of large cap U.S. stocks and government bonds, and it would not have run out of money in a 30

Wealth depletion by retirees reduces the size of their estates. This is seldom an issue for those who retire wealthy, or for those without any heirs they care about. For the larger group of non-affluent retirees who do care, however, the conflict is inescapable. The retiree, for example, may have to choose between taking a