Retirement

The upcoming election is only days away, and the two presidential candidates remain in a statistical dead heat. Control of the U.S. Congress seems likely to be narrow as well, with either party having a chance to win control. Clearly, the electorate is deeply divided, and it is increasingly rare to find issues that transcend

Sit down to begin working on your retirement plans, and you’ll quickly realize that there are a number of decisions to be made. While tactical steps like whether to do a Roth conversion or the proper age to begin taking Social Security tend to steal the limelight, one of the best places to start your

Medicare’s open enrollment period started on October 15 and runs through December 7 this year. That means you can now comparison-shop your Medicare coverage, which can include Part D prescription drug plans, Medicare Advantage Plans, or Medicare Supplement Plans. For retirees participating in Medicare, it’s a good idea to revisit your Part D Prescription Drug

As you approach retirement, it’s important to develop a retirement income strategy. Developing tax-efficient retirement withdrawal strategies to plan your income stream should be an annual process. Each year your taxable income will change, and potentially your living expenses. The tax code has also changed repeatedly in the last 10 years, so it’s important to

Subsidizing home care for aging adults has been discussed in decades past. Now it is part of the political discussion once again. Can it ever be achieved? Consider the obstacles and possible benefits. History In the 1970’s, less than ten years after Medicare became the law of the land in 1965, public health officials recognized

As the 2024 election approaches, candidate Vice President Harris and Former – President Trump promise to protect Social Security, but only Donald Trump has specific proposals. And Trump’s plan would cut Social Security benefits by 33 percent and drive Social Security to insolvency by 2031. The proposals would benefit high income individuals and drain $2.3

They’re not right for every family, but there are times when a silent trust is a good idea. A silent trust is one that isn’t revealed to the beneficiary by either the trustee or trust grantor (or creator). The trustee manages the assets and usually doesn’t make distributions to the beneficiary. After a period of

There aren’t many absolutes in financial planning. There are, however, many—MANY—opinions. Advisors, personal finance gurus, and online opine-ers regularly die on the hills of passive vs. active investing, ETFs vs. mutual funds vs. individual stocks, traditional vs. alternative investing, good debt vs. bad debt, term vs. permanent life insurance, traditional vs. Roth IRAs, the roles

Many pre-retirees and retirees make serious mistakes regarding their retirement income and spending for living expenses. This is very understandable, since building sources of lifetime retirement income can be complicated and beyond someone’s skill set. Preparing retirement budgets can also be time consuming and frustrating. As a result, either you might spend too much, which

Estimated tax requirements are a frequent problem for retirees, with many incurring penalties for underpaying their estimated taxes. Fortunately, there’s a little-known strategy that can help avoid penalties when a retiree realizes late in the year that estimated tax payments have been too low. Income taxes have to be prepaid during the year. If they