The Column Archives

 

Retirement Planning: Income

• Disability Compensation
• Required Minimum Distributions for the Thrift Savings Plan
• Social Security and a Younger Spouse
• Questions on Social Security
• More Money Needed in Retirement?
• Six Good Reasons to Take Social Security Early
• A 2-Minute Annuity Primer
• How Well Do You Know Your Variable Annuity?
• Do I Really Have to Take RMDs?
• Work and Draw SS: A Game of Give and Take?
• Just Look Around ... 60 Could Be the New 40
• Could This Line of Credit Be the Answer?
• Four Ways to Use a Reverse Mortgage
• Are You Taking Your RMDs?
• The Evolution of Social Security Planning
• Reasons to Take Social Security Early
• Mom Suggests Clarification on Annuities
• News Flash: Annuities Don’t Guarantee 7%!
• How Much Money Do You Need to Retire?
• Your Turn: What's on Your Mind? I am the beneficiary of a fixed annuity...
• Social Security Planning for May-December Couples
• Deferred Instead of Immediate Annuities
• Out-of-Touch Annuity Advice?
• Strategies To Maximize Your Social Security Benefits
• The 1980s called. They want their “Attack on Annuities” back.
• Wrong Way Retirement Income
• Retirement and Social Security
• Social Security Complexities
• Avoiding Penalties on IRA Withdrawals
• Bulls, Bears and Retirement Income

 

Retirement Planning: Long Term Care

• Long-term Care Options for Uniformed Service Personnel
• Medicare Is Not Medicaid
• Reader Question on Continuing Care Retirement Communities
• Inside Scoop on Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Part II
• Inside Scoop on Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Part I
• Even in a Nursing Home, Caregiving for a Loved One Continues, Part III of III
• Even in a Nursing Home, Caregiving for a Loved One Continues, Part II of III
• Even in a Nursing Home, Caregiving for a Loved One Continues, Part I of III
• National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
• Please . . . At Least Talk About It
• All Your Care in One Place – for Life!
• The Trickle-Down Effect of Long-Term Care Costs
• A Case for Guardianships
• This Is Important to Think about ....
• Just One More Thing ... It’s about Love Not Money
• Alternatives to Long-Term Care Insurance Part II
• Long-Term Care Funding Strategies Part I
• The Need for Long-term Care
• Strategies for Long-term Care

 

Retirement Planning: How To's

• What to Do with Excess Money?
• Name Your Beneficiaries!
• Be an Aware Shopper!
• Car Buying Countdown, Part III
• Car Buying Countdown, Part II
• Car Buying Countdown, Part I
• Withdrawing and Repositioning 401(k) Monies
• Make Your Vacation Dollars Stretch Farther This Summer
• Should I, or Shouldn’t I, Liquidate My ROTH?
• What Should I Do about My 401(k)s?
• Consider These 5 Things When Meeting with a Financial Adviser
• Buying a Home with a Reverse Mortgage Loan
• Q and A on Bonds . . . Savings Bonds
• Bridging the Gap When Retiring Early
• Trusts and Kids: Protecting Yours, Mine and Ours
• Leaving Money to Charity
• What We Can Learn from Irma
• IRA and Annuity Tax Questions
• Do You Dream About Retiring Early?
• A Line of Credit Alternative
• How Is Your Self-Control?
• Robos Aren’t Social Security (SS) Superheroes
• Three Documents You Can’t Live Without!
• Some A-B-Cs of ROTH I-R-As
• You, Your Heirs and Your IRAs, Part II of II
• You, Your Heirs and Your IRAs, Part I of II
• Curb Excessive Medical Bills or Funeral Expenses
• Social Security Can Be Taxing!
• Spending Before and During Retirement
• Two Important “Check-ups”
• Go In Reverse To Move Your Finances Forward!
• Don’t Be Overwhelmed! Solve for One Variable at a Time
• Reverse Mortgages Revisited: The Cat’s Out of the Bag!
• Don’t Gamble with Your Retirement
• Longtime Reader Has Questions about Retirement
• Financial Moves When You Are about to Retire
• Five Reasons a Roth IRA Can Be a Powerful Tool
• Luke’s Story: Life Insurance for Retirement Income
  Part III of III
• Luke’s Story: Help for 401(k) Investing , That is the Question
  Part II of III
• Luke’s Story: To 401(k), or Not to 401(k), That is the Question
  Part I of III
• Minimize Retirement Threats; Wear Your Helmet
• Demystifying Inherited IRAs
• Playing by the Rollover Rules
• Two Ways to Ruin Your Retirement
• Avoiding Penalties on IRA Withdrawals
• Sailing and Investing on Your Own
• Sailing and Financial Planning - Part 2

 

Managing Finances: Investing

• Celebrities, Nightclubs and Accredited Investors
• Ten Things Smart Investors Never Say
• Too Much Rain Is Not Good for a Pool or a Portfolio
• Afraid of a Stock Market Correction?
• Preparing to Invest? Consider This First . . .
• A Quick Q and A on Bonds
• “David, Should I Buy Gold?” Part II of II
• “David, Should I Buy Gold?” Part I of II
• Hibernation Will End (No Crystal Ball Required)
• A Little Help on Investment Property
• FOR RENT: A ‘Financial’ Sign of the Times
• This Time I (Almost) Talk About Politics!
• What to Expect When the Stock Market Gyrates - Part III
• What to Expect When the Stock Market Gyrates - Part II
• What to Expect When the Stock Market Gyrates - Part I
• Receive the Dividends, but Know Your Fees!
• Grappling with The Invisible Man!
• The Stock Market is Uncertain and Life Happens, so...Carve Your Financial Plan in JELL-O®, Not in Stone!
• A Gregorian Monk, Star Trek™ and Interest Rate Hikes
• “I Can Get Annuities Anywhere!”
• Is Your Adviser “Agnostic?”
• Pull-Backs, Corrections and Bear Markets
• Driving, Investing and the Rule of 100
• Looking for Return without Risk?
• Variable Annuities: 4 Things You Need to Know
• “My Helicopter Was Hit By a Rocket-Propelled Grenade!”
• What Does ‘Happiness at the Gas Pump’ Mean to Your Portfolio?
• Do Nothing About Terrorism?
• Financial Sleight-of-Hand or Full-Fledged Fraud?
• Your Turn: What's on Your Mind? Dollar-cost-averaging
• Your Turn: What's on Your Mind? Rule of thumb was always...
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #10 No Plan for Retirement
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #9 Unsustainable Lifestyle Spending
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #8 Poor, Unintegrated Tax Planning
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #7 Looking for Advice in All the Wrong Places
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #6 Reverse Dollar-Cost-Averaging
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #5 Failure to Understand Investment Fees
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #4 The Menace of Bad Financial Advice
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #3 Inadequate Financial Adviser Due Diligence
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #2 Inadeqate Investment Diversification
• Top 10 Mistakes When Planning for Retirement #1 Emotional Attachment to Investments
• Reader Question About Floating-Rate Funds
• Readers Have Questions about Investing and Advisers
• What Do Mutual Funds and Shopping Carts Have in Common?
• Keep Cool When Stocks Get Hot
• Fixed-Income Securities Basics
• Fixed Income Securities: Risk, Interest and Return
• Demystifying Government Bonds
• QUANTITATIVE EASING: A Gorilla, Lots of Bananas and a Hangover
• Invest or Pay Down Debt?
• Steps to Take for Rising Rates
• Dealing with Investment Risks
• Stocks 101
• How Securities Brokers, Investment Advisers and Insurance Agents Get Paid

 

Managing Finances: Life Insurance

• Casinos and Insurance Companies
• Life Insurance and Why People Buy It
• Term Versus Permanent Life Insurance

 

Managing Finances: General Topics

• 10 Tips to Avoid Financial Exploitation
• A Legacy Is More Than Money
• IRA Trusts and Your Heirs
• Refinance Overload?
• Wait a Year When a Spouse Dies?
• Do You Have a Plan for a Balanced Life?
• Have You Ever Told a Computer How You Really Feel?
• $21,203,252,989,829 and Counting
• What You’re Not Hearing Could Hurt You, Financially
• What the Heck Is Bitcoin?
• Will the “Real” Financial Planner Please Stand Up?
• This Tax Question on Stocks Gave Me a Workout!
• Do You Need an Umbrella?
• Who’s the Captain of Your Financial Boat?
• Political Bombardment and Financial Decision-making
• Just One More Reason Women Are Amazing
• Protecting the Elderly: Everybody’s Responsibility
• If You’re in This Battle, Tell Your Adviser
• Family: The Ties That (Don’t Always) Bind
• Need a Lawyer? Here Are Some Tips!
• Where’s the Postcard?!
• Technology and the Process of Spending Money
• The Joy of Frugality!
• Teach Your Kids to Fish
• A Woman’s Biggest Financial Mistake
• When Did We Stop Touching Money?
• All It Takes Is One Weak Link
• You Can Be a Success at Succession!
• The Big “D,” Part 2 of 2
• The Big “D,” Part 1 of 2
• New Cars and Hedonic Treadmills
• You Hit the Jackpot! (Now What?)
• 20 Years and Counting!
• You Might Consider a Trust When . . .
• Number 8 on God’s Top 10 List: “Thou Shalt Not Steal”
• 80% of Women Die Unmarried While 80% of Men Are Married When They Die
• The Honeymoon Is Over for Some HELOC Borrowers
• The Benefits of Rescuing Your New “Best Friend”
• The Government Won’t Cut Up Its Credit Card
• Financial Infidelity: Fifty Shades of Green
• Be Skeptical of the Overly Complicated
• Two Tips for Engaging Your Employees
• Your Accounts Can Do Double Duty
• 2017 Taxes: Change Is Here (and Coming)
• Charity, Your Money and Personal Safety
• Got Goals?
• Do You Have “Bargains on the Brain”?
• A Few Words from Our President
• Matthew: As Clean-Up Continues, Beware the Greedy
• Who’s Controlling the Purse Strings? Part II
• Who’s Controlling the Purse Strings? Part I
• Don’t Let A Disaster Take You by Surprise!
• No . . . What Do YOU Think?
• Are You a Spender? Is Your Spouse?
• Wow, Talk about Being “In the Zone”!
• Help Make a Difference
• Have You Made Reading This Column a Habit?
• Tips for the Better Half
• The Political Side of Giving
• Health Care: Who Should Be Steering?
• Kids, Chores, Allowances and the Tooth Fairy
• You said, “I Do.” (But Now “You Don’t.”)
• Don’t Put Off Your Happiness. Life Is Too Short!
• Moving Forward After Loss
• Finance 101: Keeping It Simple
• Saving for College . . . I’m Right There with You!
• Spring Forward . . . with Your New Year’s Resolution
• Time to Sell?
• Billy and Buddy Think You Need an Estate Plan
• Two Reasons I Listen to My Travel Agent
  (and How That Relates to Getting Sound Financial Advice)
• Whether It’s a Doctor, Attorney, CPA . . . or Adviser
  You Should Expect Respect
• Checking on Your Financial Adviser
  It’s Not Just about the Money
• The Holland Family Holiday Scam Alert
  It’s Okay to Say “No!”
• 20 Tips from 20 Years - Tip #20 . . . Implement the Tips!
• 20 Tips from 20 Years (Silly Rabbit, Trusts are Not Just for Kids!!)
• 20 Tips from 20 Years (I’m not finished with the series . . . !)
• 20 Tips from 20 Years (This Series is Like the Energizer® Bunny . . .)
• 20 Tips from 20 Years (Yes, The Series Continues . . .)
• 20 Tips from 20 Years (The Series Continues . . .)
• 20 Tips from 20 Years (The Next Five in the Series)
• 20 Tips from 20 Years
• Is Owning an Annuity Inside an IRA a Waste of a Tax Shelter?
• Interview about Estate Taxes
• Navigating the Road to Retirement
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 10 – No Need to Plan or Pack an Umbrella
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 9 – Steak, Apples and Beating the Stock Market
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 8 – Low Risk, Liquidity and High Returns
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 7 - The Utility of Financial Advisers
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 6 - Following the “Rules of Thumb”
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 5 – Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 4 – Relying On Advisers
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 3 – Bonds Protect Against Market Losses
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 2 – The Stock Market is Rigged for the Wealthy
• Debunking Financial Myths Part 1 – Politics and Your Money
• Don’t Answer the Door … It Might Be an Adviser!
• Stay on the Trail to Avoid Snakes and Swindlers
• Who Has Played Monopoly® One Million Times?
• Likability + Trust + Knowledge = Healthy Relationship
• Last Two Clues: Changes Could Warrant a Second Opinion Part III
• Unusual Investment Performance: Clues You Might Need a Second Opinion Part II
• Clues You Might Need a Second Opinion Part I
• Why Get a Trust? … Two Compelling Stories
• “How Homophobic Are You?”
• The Opportunity for Charity
• When Your Adviser Retires or Changes Jobs
• Should You Consider Personal Bankruptcy?
• The Power (and Danger) of Business Debt
• Saving for College or Retirement
• Soothing Sounds of HARP
• Don’t Trust the Trust Myths
• Before, During and after Divorce
• Helpful Advice or Just a Sales Pitch?
• Stay Alert to Help Elders Avoid Financial Abuse
• MLPs, Out-of-State Wills, and Retroactive Tax Law Changes
• Interesting Tax Questions from Readers
• $14,000 Not Really a Gift Limit
• Reader Questions and Answers
• Greed, Bad Advice and Scams
• Communication, Relationships and Money
• Friends, Family and Money
• Surgery, Fiduciaries and Business Cards
• The Trouble with Financial Seminars
• The Five W’s on Reverse Mortgages
• Back to School: Six College Funding Options

 

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