Retirement

As the world begins to come out the other side of the pandemic crisis of the past year-and-a-half, some of the most appealing options for living and retiring overseas are open for business. Here are six places where you could retire overseas today… #1: Mexico Mexico is an American’s most accessible retire-overseas option. Depending where

Today’s column addresses questions about whether it’s always possible to delay spousal benefits after taking retirement benefits, whether benefits can be suspended after they convert from SSDI to retirement at full retirement age and effects of lump sum non-covered pensions payments. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and

By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor The Beverley Schottenstein $80 million elder financial fraud story is one you won’t believe. But, as my “Friends Talk Money” podcast co-hosts and I explained in our two latest episodes, it’s one you need to know about to protect your parents from becoming victims themselves. Schottenstein, 94, recently won $19

By Jim Campbell, Next Avenue Editor’s note: In his new book, “Madoff Talks,” investigative reporter Jim Campbell probes the $65 billion investment fraud perpetuated by the late Bernie Madoff, the largest Ponzi scheme in history. The book features Madoff’s handwritten letters and emails to Campbell, explaining how he pulled off the con, plus interviews with Madoff’s wife

The pandemic has caused many people to assess their priorities, and if you are considering retiring earlier than originally planned, you aren’t alone. Whether your job has changed due to COVID and is no longer as appealing or you’d simply like more time to spend with family, leaving the workplace before age 65 may suddenly

Introduction President Biden released his administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022. While spending focuses on infrastructure, clean energy, etc., it includes a host of proposed tax changes affecting individuals and corporations. Some of the significant tax changes that many taxpayers hoped wouldn’t happen, like Senator Van Hollen’s taxation on transfers and death, are included.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a scientific age of retirement? We could just announce how many years people should work before they get decent pensions. Unionized workers and their employers kind of do that. “Thirty and out” is the deal for unionized coal miners in the United Mine Workers Union. You get a

I’m not a couples therapist, but I am one of many financial advisors who’ve heard, “This has been better for us than couples counseling,” after a productive financial advisory meeting. With more than half of marriages ending in divorce, and with disagreements over money listed as the leading cause, it’s no wonder that if you

If you received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, but did not deduct payroll expenses on your 2020 tax return, this is what you need to know. First, the IRS completely changed its guidance on deductibility of 2020 expenses due to the enactment of legislation in late 2020 (see “Current Law,” below). Second, taxpayers who

As Americans get older we can count on two things: more Americans will be cognitively impaired and losses to financial fraud will increase. According to a new Federal Trade Commission report,  the average loss due to financial fraud to people over 80 is the highest of any loss due to financial fraud of any other

What you’ve done in the past isn’t enough for the future. That which has differentiated you enough to become successful thus far in your career likely isn’t sufficient to set you apart and perpetuate your success going forward. At one point, pushing product for a recognizable company gave you an edge. Then, being an asset

Have you ever thought that the IRS could use some help, that is, to improve services to taxpayers? Would you like to make a difference on behalf of your fellow taxpayers? Taxpayers may not realize it (or might not even believe it), but there is a way they can get involved at a meaningful level

Your estate plan is much more likely to be successful when you recognize and avoid the most common mistakes and take some key actions that often are overlooked. Most estate planners will tell you that the same estate planning mistakes and oversights recur with frequency, whether an estate is worth a billion dollars, a few

If you have any interest in having the IRS hear your voice, there are two mechanisms. One is the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP), which is a volunteer effort with a three-year commitment. Another means of getting through to the IRS is the yearly Priority Guidance Plan (PGP). As the new year for the IRS begins

Sometimes it makes sense to add risky assets to a conservative portfolio. Holy grail for the fixed-income investor: an asset that has a decent return of its own and runs counter to the bond market. Blend this magic stuff with your Treasury bonds and you’d have a solid core holding—something that wouldn’t be utterly destroyed

President Biden’s proposed massive expansion of Medicaid home-based long-term care is running into trouble in the Senate. And it may be done in, not by hard-core conservatives, but by a small group of self-styled Senate moderates. In his American Jobs Plan, Biden proposed increasing the federal share of Medicaid’s home and community-based services (HCBS) program

When the pandemic hit, priorities changed overnight. Healthy and working became the litmus test of whether you were on the fortunate side of the COVID-19 coin. This reduction in expectations has changed views on wealth. In its annual Modern Wealth Survey, Charles Schwab asked 1,000 people in the US to gauge their views on how

You Might Need to Plan Now Even if You’re Not Really Wealthy For wealth folks reviewing and beefing up insurance coverage and planning before income and estate tax rates may rise may be an obvious step. But, urgent planning is needed by many even moderate wealth taxpayers now! Very wealthy people are pursuing estate tax

Last Friday, the New York Times made a splash with its report, “Long Slide Looms for World Population, With Sweeping Ramifications,” laying out the consequences of persistently-low fertility rates all across the globe. “The strain of longer lives and low fertility, leading to fewer workers and more retirees, threatens to upend how societies are organized

For many contemplating retirement, one’s future living arrangements is the most thought about – yet least acted upon – aspect of retirement planning. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics even though housing is the largest average cost in retirement, older Americans move far less often than the general population. The home is the