Retirement Watch

Independent, objective research on all the financial issues affecting retirement and retirement planning—including investments, estate planning, taxes, IRAs, annuities, insurance, medical expenses, and more.

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Four Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid

Estate planning and tax reduction will be returning to the front burner for many people. Congress was unable to pass a permanent estate tax reduction in recent years, but a permanent law is likely in 2009 or 2010.Changes in Washington made permanent repeal...

Published 12-19-2008 2:03 PM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, estates, Estate tax, tax-free gifts, taxable gifts, gifts, Carlson, Bob Carlson, wills, trusts, estate taxes, grandkids, grandchildren
A Tricky Year-End for IRA Owners

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...

Published 12-05-2008 8:15 AM by Bob Carlson

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
Building the Family Venture Capital Fund

Most people want to help their children and grandchildren, but they want to provide more than money. One goal is to ensure the future generations are hard-working and productive citizens who have initiative. Another goal is to perpetuate the family's...

Published 11-21-2008 10:12 AM by Bob Carlson
Why Most Estate Plans Fail

A large percentage of estate plans fail to achieve one or more of their goals, and many of them fail for a surprising reason. In past issues of Retirement Watch I have discussed the ways trustees, heirs, changed circumstances, and new laws upend estate...

Published 11-18-2008 12:37 PM by Bob Carlson
Your Retirement Plan and the New Washington

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...

Published 11-07-2008 11:44 AM by Bob Carlson

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
Why Most Retirement Investment Plans Are Wrong—Part II

Traditional investment strategies do not work for most retirement investment plans. Those who are in or saving for retirement often fail to meet their goals by following these strategies. There are better ways to manage a portfolio for retirement that...

Published 10-31-2008 11:38 AM by Bob Carlson
Why Most Retirement Investment Plans Are Wrong—Part I

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...

Published 10-24-2008 12:58 PM by Bob Carlson

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
Maximizing the New Roth IRA Opportunity

The markets created an opportunity for investors to convert traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs. The opportunity will last only as long as the financial crisis lasts and markets are bearish. Investors who converted their IRAs into Roths earlier this year probably...

Published 10-17-2008 5:05 PM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Bob Carson, IRA Benefits, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Carlson, Bob Carlson, income taxes, iras, ira distributions, grandkids, grandchildren, retirement plan, retirement, retirement plans
Finding Higher Returns with Low Risks

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...

Published 10-07-2008 6:22 PM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Bob Carson, Carlson, Bob Carlson, income taxes, financial crisis, insurance, annuities, stock, stocks, equity indexed annuities, stock market
A Fresh Look at Family Limited Partnerships

Family limited partnerships have been a key element in many estate plans for decades. The FLP provides an array of benefits to the estate owner, not the least of which are tax reduction plus continuing control of the assets. Those benefits and the popularity...

Published 09-26-2008 1:29 PM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, estates, Estate tax, tax-free gifts, taxable gifts, gifts, Carlson, Bob Carlson, wills, trusts, homes, estate taxes, grandkids, real estate, grandchildren, retirement, retirement plans, creditor protection, asset protection, business sales, selling a business, family limited partnerships, partnerships
Avoiding IRA Inheritance Disasters

IRAs are supposed to be simple, but when it comes to inheritance IRAs are more complicated than most people realize. It is not unusual for IRA heirs to misunderstand some key rules. A wrong move or two triggers high taxes, often causing most of the IRA...

Published 09-19-2008 12:31 PM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Bob Carson, Estate Planning, IRA Benefits, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, estates, Estate tax, Carlson, Bob Carlson, wills, iras, trusts, ira distributions, estate taxes, grandkids, grandchildren, retirement plan, retirement, retirement plans, stock
Your Home as a Retirement Fund?

Is home equity a foundation of your retirement fund? Apparently it is for a number of people. Both anecdotal evidence and some consumer surveys indicate that a number of Baby Boomers plan to "retire on the house." The plan is especially prevalent...

Published 09-12-2008 4:36 PM by Bob Carlson
Avoiding Amazing Estate Battles

Few things amaze estate planners more than the property heirs choose to fight over. The worst disputes often seem to occur over items that most outsiders consider trivial. Items of little financial value seem to trigger emotional reactions in heirs. Sometimes...

Published 09-04-2008 11:12 AM by Bob Carlson
Planning Tips for Family Businesses

Business owners have unique concerns in addition to the usual estate and retirement planning issues. Business owners fear their heirs might sell or dismantle the business or the wrong people might run it. Those results can be avoided, but the owner must...

Published 08-28-2008 1:44 PM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Estate Planning, estates, Estate tax, Carlson, Bob Carlson, income taxes, estate taxes, real estate, retirement plan, retirement, retirement plans, business sales, selling a business, small business
Five Myths of Business Succession

Few small firms survive past the first generation of owners. That is well-known. Most people assume the business failures are due to the inadequacies and mistakes of the owners and managers after the first generation. Yet, at least an equal share of blame...

Published 08-21-2008 8:48 AM by Bob Carlson

Filed under: Estate Planning, estates, Estate tax, tax-free gifts, gifts, Carlson, Bob Carlson, wills, income taxes, estate taxes, retirement plan, retirement, retirement plans, business sales, selling a business, small business

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Four Estate Planning Mistakes to Avoid

A Tricky Year-End for IRA Owners

Building the Family Venture Capital Fund

Why Most Estate Plans Fail

Your Retirement Plan and the New Washington

Why Most Retirement Investment Plans Are Wrong—Part II

Why Most Retirement Investment Plans Are Wrong—Part I

Maximizing the New Roth IRA Opportunity

Finding Higher Returns with Low Risks

A Fresh Look at Family Limited Partnerships

Avoiding IRA Inheritance Disasters

Your Home as a Retirement Fund?

Avoiding Amazing Estate Battles

Planning Tips for Family Businesses

Five Myths of Business Succession