Short Reads

Retirement Expectations Gone Horribly Wrong

Millions, upon millions of Americans believe that they will be A-OK during their retirement years. Actually, they are banking on it, even though their success during retirement hinges more on hope than on assets. More and more retirees each year across the nation...

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Making the Right Social Security Decision

Retirement, like so many other aspects of our lives, is uncertain. The financial equation of retirement certainly lends itself to constant uncertainty because we do not know how long we are going to live, our health, future market returns, economic inflation or...

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Pros and Cons of a ROTH conversion

A ROTH conversion involves liquidating assets inside a tax-deferred (tax-advantaged) account like a traditional IRA, or conducting an in-kind transfer of held assets, paying income taxes on the intended withdrawal, and then funding a ROTH IRA account with the cash...

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To have a mortgage during retirement, or not?

It was not so many decades ago when seniors would never consider retiring until their home mortgages were paid off. Many a retiree feel a great sense of pride and/or relief from not carrying debt into retirement. No longer receiving paychecks from a job, one has to...

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Are no-income tax states the place to be?

Working remotely during the pandemic pushed along the thought and feasibility for employees and self-employed persons to decide where to live. Many people took state income taxes into consideration when making the decision on where to relocate; which lead to waves of...

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Disclaimed IRAs

Why would anyone ever refuse an inheritance? When couples set up their estate plans they don’t always know in advance whether there will be sufficient assets  available at the first death for the surviving spouse to live on, and they want to ensure that their...

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Are my assets protected from legal actions?

The panic over Covid-19 led to the close down of the largest economy in the world. The consequence was a wave of business closures, bankruptcies and lawsuits. Can individuals or small business owners facing bankruptcy lose everything? Depends. Retirement accounts...

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The SECURE Act

The SECURE Act that went into effect January 2020 contained two major provisions affecting everyone’s estate plan. It stemmed on a congressional desire to marshal in needed tax revenue under the premise that retirement accounts are for you, and not your heirs. The...

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Measuring Success

Adults were children who were subject to messages about money along with being taught certain beliefs about money. As one ages, they become subject to more messages from a host of influences insisting on a singular way to measure personal success or viewing self-worth...

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Set Spending/Saving Habits Early

A hallmark sign of smart young adults is to look ahead towards the future once they graduate from college and get their career in motion. This usually entails setting financial objectives and goals. The first big challenge they face is either embracing financial...

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