America is enduring a data breach epidemic. As 2013 ended, the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics released its 2012 Victims of Identity Theft report. Its statistics were sobering. About one in 14 Americans aged 16 or older had been defrauded or preyed upon in the past 12 months, more than 16.6 million people. Just 8% of…
Read MoreIn 1994, a financial advisor named Bill Bengen published research articulating the “4% rule”, which became a landmark of retirement planning. The 4% rule postulates that a retirement nest egg can last 30 years if a retiree withdraws 4% of it per year (incrementally adjusted for inflation), given a portfolio of 50% stocks and 50%…
Read MoreJust what is an RMD? After you turn 70½, the IRS requires you to withdraw some of the money in most retirement savings accounts each year. These withdrawals are officially called Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). You must take an RMD from a traditional IRAs after you turn 70½, even if you are still working. If…
Read MoreYou buy a corporate bond at par or at a discount, right? It just seems like common sense. What would lead you to purchase a corporate bond at a premium? Actually, investors do sometimes buy fixed-income securities with coupon rates above current market rates. If interest rates are on the way up, buying a premium…
Read MoreOur parents & grandparents saved much more than we do. Most people who have read up on the economy for any length of time have heard of the personal saving rate (PSAVERT), which the Commerce Department calculates as the ratio of personal saving to disposable personal income. The January personal spending report released by the…
Read MoreIn planning for your retirement, you may face several financial issues. Maybe you’d like to generate retirement income, but want to minimize the taxes on investments you’ve held for several years. Perhaps you’d like to minimize your income taxes during retirement. You also might like to reduce the size of your taxable estate so more…
Read MoreStocks rise, fall … and rise again. Volatility certainly came back to Wall Street during the first several weeks of 2014 in the form of a 7.2% descent for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and a 5.9% retreat for the NASDAQ. The declines gave investors pause: was a correction underway? Would bulls be held back…
Read MoreNow or later? When it comes to the question of Social Security income, the choice looms large. Should you apply now to get earlier payments? Or wait for a few years to get larger checks? Consider what you know (and don’t know). You know how much retirement money you have; you may have a clear…
Read MoreA Gavron Warning is language that is seen in California divorces involving spousal support. Contrary to popular thought, permanent spousal support is not guaranteed regardless of how long the marriage lasted. In California, many people mistakenly misinterpret the “10 Year Rule” and believe that if they are married for 10 years or more they will…
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I recently appeared in an article on Investor’s Business Daily about the urgency of estate planning for inheritance transfer. While most people understand the importance of estate planning, few grasp its urgency. Learn more and read a few brief excerpts from the article below: Use the Fear Factor “To make estate planning urgent, I use…
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