Take Advantage of These COVID Estate Planning Opportunities by the End of 2020
May you live in interesting times. Although that sounds like an ancient blessing, it’s believed to be a Chinese curse casting instability and uncertainty on the person who hears it. Blessing or curse, it’s a great description of the year we’ve just come through, and in spite of all the turmoil, there are some things you can do before the [...]
How to Guarantee a SMALLER Social Security Benefit
Social Security, although originally intended to be a supplement to Americans’ retirement income, has become a major source for many. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found that half of senior citizens get 50% of their income from Social Security and that 1 in 4 seniors receive 90% of their retirement income from Social Security. A new Transamerica study [...]
Tips for Being an Estate Executor
Over the years I’ve had clients who knew they’d been named in estate planning documents as executor of an estate, and I’ve had others who found out only after a relative died that they had to settle an estate. In most cases, I’d get a call asking, “What do I do?” Here are some things I’ve learned working with clients [...]
How Much Taxes Will Retirees Owe on Their Retirement Income
Planning for retirement. We spend most of our working career preparing for it, saving for it, covering every contingency. When you finally wave goodbye to the company, you’re ready for all that planning to take over. But does your planning take into account the taxes you’ll have to pay on your retirement income? It’s one of the biggest retirement planning [...]
6 Financial Tips to Know When You Turn 65
Planning, planning, it’s all about planning when your goal is retirement. When you hang up your career, you don’t want any surprises, or at least as few as possible. In the 21st century, retirement is completely different than it’s ever been. As a kid, I saw people retire after working 40 or 50 years for the same company. On their [...]
17 States that Charge Estate or Inheritance Taxes
Death tax, inheritance tax, estate tax—call it what you will, they all mean that some government entity wants to put its hand in your pocket or your heirs’ pockets, after your demise. On the federal level, the estate tax issue is not as big a deal as it was back in the day. Today individuals can pass on more than [...]
5 Ways to Take Money from Your IRA Without Paying a Penalty
The IRA is a great retirement savings vehicle; money grows on a tax-deferred basis and that’s a good thing. Eventually, though, you have to pay the IRS piper when you choose to withdraw funds for retirement or when you’re forced to withdraw the Required Minimum Distribution at age 72. Let’s be clear. You can take money from your IRA anytime [...]
Stay In Touch