What Is The Upcoming Retirement Security Rule, and Will it Help You?

My Comments: If you’ve read my recent posts, you’ll know I’ve spoken about fiduciary standards and encouraged you to specifically ask whether the money person you’re talking with is willing to declare themselves a fiduciary. That declaration holds them responsible for acting in your best interest. Yes, there will always be the occasional con man, …

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The Pros and Cons of Buying an Annuity For Retirement

My Comments:  You may have seen recent articles suggesting that annuities are the worst thing since sliced bread for your retirement money. What is typically ignored is that for fiduciaries and professional financial advisors like myself, there are lousy annuities and there are excellent annuities to choose from. The challenge for you is to know …

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Billionaires Pay Lower Tax Rate Than Working Class for First Time

My Comments: In my many years on this planet, there have always been financial issues that affect virtually all of us. Today, there’s fear we’re heading toward a recession, there’s an election approaching which has many people concerned, inflation is an issue with too many of us on the lower end of the spectrum dealing …

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8 Proven Investment Options to Safeguard and Grow Your Retirement Money

My Comments: For many, getting serious about retirement doesn’t happen until someone reaches their 50’s. There’s too much other stuff going on. But sooner rather than later, you have to make sure you’ll have enough money to sustain yourself for the next 30+ years. This is critical if you don’t want to find yourself climbing …

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6 Key Signs You Will Be Able To Enjoy a Middle-Class Retirement

My Comments: Some of this seems counter intuitive but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked with people who have retired and seem unable to enjoy their lives. The six signs described below need to be focal points for most people when reaching age 60. By that time you probably know that at …

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Retirement account withdrawal rules are ‘so complicated’ for inherited IRAs, expert says. What to know

My Comments: I’ve dealt with inherited IRA accounts many times over the years. However, every time I encounter another example, the rules have changed for the worse. Yes, the IRS is under pressure to generate more revenue for the country, and this is one way to make it happen. Right now, I have a family …

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Millions of People Still Haven’t Claimed Their 2021 Stimulus Checks

My Comments: From time to time I wonder if I have any unclaimed funds that have been forgotten. This article caused me to pay more attention as I have no memory of ever getting a stimulus check. Yesterday, I had a conversation with a client who asked since she had no recollection of ever getting …

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Reasons to Convert Traditional Retirement Accounts to a Roth IRA

My Comments: By the time they arrived on the scene, I felt there wasn’t enough time left for me to grow a meaningful amount in the few years I had left to work. So, I never opened a Roth IRA. I wish I had but it didn’t happen. I now have many clients with Roth …

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An Overview of Roth IRAs for 2020

My Comments: The recently enacted SECURE Act did not fundamentally change the set of rules about accumulating money for retirement. But it did change the landscape for many people. For years, the Roth IRA has seemed like an exotic step-child in the financial planning world. I think this happened because contributions to Roth IRAs generally …

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Problems Created by The SECURE Act

The SECURE Act, signed into law last December, brings important benefits for Americans, both retired and not yet retired. The Act will influence how you save money for retirement and how you withdraw money from retirement accounts in the future. It also includes rule changes that will cause distress for some. Given that none of …

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