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Despite the rally in stocks and other risky assets since March 9, many portfolios are still damaged from the events of the last few years. For those who are retired or near retirement, one step you have to take after such an event is to re-evaluate your retirement plan, especially your spending. Specifically...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
09-03-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Carlson, Bob Carlson, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stock, stocks, stock market, investments, portfolios, portfolio theory
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Paying off the mortgage used to be part of the American dream and a prerequisite to retirement. Then, times changed. Debt management and the use of leverage spread from businesses to personal finance. It was not unusual for people to enter retirement with mortgages and other debt with no plans to become...
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Hedge funds used to occupy a small, obscure part of the investment world. They were out of the public eye; few investors even knew about them. Regulators ignored them, as a matter of law. Gradually hedge funds became more prominent. A few of the pioneers of the business became billionaires, drawing attention...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
07-23-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Carlson, Bob Carlson, financial crisis, stock, stock market, investments, market timing, modern portfolio theory, portfolio theory, market indicators, hedge funds
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Pilots have a saying, "Any landing you walk away from is a good landing." Even so, some landings are better than others, and pilots always strive for a smooth touchdown. A type of rough landing is call "porpoising." Instead of gently settling onto the runway, the wheels hit the runway...
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The swift declines in most asset classes in late 2008 and into 2009 damaged many portfolios. For those who are retired or near retirement, one necessary step after such an event is to re-evaluate retirement spending. Specifically you have to check the rate at which you are withdrawing money from the...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
03-27-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, IRA Benefits, estates, Carlson, Bob Carlson, iras, ira distributions, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, insurance, annuities, stocks, stock market, investments, portfolios, income investing
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The net worth of Americans is declining. That is no secret, though the extent of the decline will surprise many. The decline has affected and will continue to affect the economy, stock market, and your portfolio. The Federal Reserve gives a picture of the net worth of Americans every quarter, in a report...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
02-27-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Carlson, Bob Carlson, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stock, stocks, stock market, investments, portfolios, indicators, market timing, modern portfolio theory, portfolio theory, market indicators
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Last week we discussed how today’s economic distress creates estate planning opportunities. Because of today’s reduced asset values, estate owners can shift assets out of their estates tax at much lower tax cost than they could have a year or two ago. We went over basic strategies for taking...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
02-20-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, estates, Estate tax, tax-free gifts, taxable gifts, gifts, Carlson, Bob Carlson, wills, income taxes, trusts, homes, estate taxes, grandkids, annual exclusion, grandchildren, financial crisis, investments, portfolios
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There is at least one silver lining in today's dark clouds—estate planning opportunities are being created. Falling market prices and low interest rates are a great combination for estate planners. If the price depression of the assets is temporary, there is the potential to transfer significant...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
02-13-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Estate Planning, estates, Estate tax, tax-free gifts, taxable gifts, gifts, Carlson, Bob Carlson, estate taxes, grandkids, real estate, annual exclusion, grandchildren, financial crisis, stock, stocks, investments, portfolios
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Major structural changes have occurred in the economy and markets, and more changes are on the way. The failure of Lehman Brothers was a watershed event. Investors stopped making even routine transactions, bailing out of even money market funds. The effects froze the economy and greatly worsened the...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
02-10-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Carlson, Bob Carlson, iras, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stock, stocks, stock market, investments, portfolios, market timing, modern portfolio theory, portfolio theory, market indicators, income investing
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Converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA has been a valuable tool to consider since the Roth was created in 1997. There are two reasons why a conversion is worth far more consideration now than in the past . First, a brief review of the basics. A Roth IRA has "back-ended tax benefits." There...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
01-09-2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, IRA Benefits, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, estates, Carlson, Bob Carlson, income taxes, iras, ira distributions, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stocks, portfolios
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Update Dec. 19: On Dec. 11 Congress passed legislation that suspended the required minimum distribution requirement for 2009. But it did not change the requirement for 2008. the IRS was asked by members of Congress to suspend the requirement for 2008. But on Dec. 17 it sent a letter to key members of...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
12-05-2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, IRA Benefits, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Carlson, Bob Carlson, income taxes, iras, ira distributions, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stock, stocks, stock market, investments, portfolios, market timing
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Come January, Democrats will be in charge all over Washington. They campaigned on a theme of change, and we should expect major changes. The questions are which changes and how will they affect your retirement finances? I will focus on the changes I think are most likely to occur. When evaluating the...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
11-07-2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, IRA Benefits, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, estates, Estate tax, taxable gifts, gifts, Carlson, Bob Carlson, wills, income taxes, iras, ira distributions, estate taxes, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stock, stocks, stock market, investments, portfolios, market timing, market indicators
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The current financial crisis and market panic demonstrate why most of the investment plans for those in or near retirement are wrong. There are better ways to manage retirement money, but you will not learn about them from conventional advisors and sources. Most retirement investment plans generally...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
10-24-2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Carlson, Bob Carlson, retirement plan, retirement, financial crisis, retirement plans, stock, stocks, investments, portfolios, indicators, market timing, modern portfolio theory, portfolio theory, market indicators, income investing
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Market volatility and uncertainty spur the search for investment alternatives. Index fund investors broke even or lost money the last 10 years, depending on what the markets did in the latest volatile week. The index fund investors did worse than simply owning treasury bills or a money market fund. Investors...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
10-07-2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Bob Carson, Carlson, Bob Carlson, income taxes, financial crisis, insurance, annuities, stock, stocks, equity indexed annuities, stock market
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Even if you do not own a share of their stock or even have a mortgage, the recent events involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will affect your retirement—no matter what your age is. I won’t review all the events regarding the two mortgage insurance giants. The key event occurred over the...
Posted to
Retirement Watch
by
Bob Carlson
on
07-16-2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Carlson, Bob Carlson, mortgages, retirement plan, retirement, medical expenses, fannie mae, financial crisis, freddie mac, retiree health care, health care