Your estate plan needs an up-to-date power of attorney (POA), but it also needs more. The power of attorney (POA) is essential for every estate plan, but it often is oversold by estate planners. The shortcomings of POAs aren’t well-known and could bite you or your heirs without proper preparation. You and your heirs need
Retirement
A lot of people think about relocating in retirement, and I’ve written articles in the past about relocating in retirement to save on taxes. A recent study compared the states based on 32 different rating factors and the results were not what I had espoused based on taxes and cost-of-living alone. If you are planning
Does a recent survey conducted by MassMutual raises genuine concerns about Americans’ understanding of Social Security, and suggest a need for concerted efforts for more education? Maybe. The survey polled 1,500 Americans nearing retirement, that is, between the ages of 55 – 65, who haven’t yet retired, by asking them 12 true-false questions. They assign
The pandemic has impacted every aspect of life, including tax filing deadlines. Rather than the usual April 15, the filing deadline for your 2020 return has been extended to May 17. Of course, Americans living outside the United States have until June 15 to file their return each year, with or without the pandemic. Here’s
Today’s column addresses questions about whether there are potential advantages to delaying spousal benefits past full retirement age (FRA), when divorced spousal benefits can be available and how spousal benefits are calculated. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, which markets Maximize
The Biden administration and Congress plan to spend a lot more money in 2021 and beyond. They’re also planning to raise taxes to pay for a lot of that spending and also to refashion the economy and reduce inequality. The tax increases proposed so far have been on large corporations, and bills have been proposed
The focus of this proposal is retirees who own their homes but have little or no financial assets. They are said to be “house-rich but cash poor.” As a rough estimate, they number perhaps 15 million. A small change in the Federal tax code would help them at no reduction in Federal tax revenues and
Does it irk you to no end seeing your kid stare at the screen for hours on end playing a pretend game? Do you think your child will live a healthier life playing a real game outdoors instead? Are you driven up the wall watching your youngster get irrationally angry at a mindless set of
For most financial advisors, no one ever sat down and told us, “Here’s how you should go about your day.” Too many of us started our careers being judged by one single metric—new revenue generation—and the only tools we were given were a booklet in which to write down the names of as many friends
What is infrastructure? The website Investopedia provides a basic but perfectly serviceable definition: “Infrastructure is the general term for the basic physical systems of a business, region, or nation. Examples of infrastructure include transportation systems, communication networks, sewage, water, and electric systems.” A significant portion of the spending in the Biden proposal is, indeed, infrastructure
Today’s column addresses questions about what month to file to make sure you get the maximum age 70 retirement benefit rate, what happens when a protective filing date expires and whether survivor’s benefits include delayed retirement credits (DRCs) earned by the deceased. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder
The economy is recovering from the depths of the pandemic in large part due to the massive relief packages that Congress passed in 2020 and 2021. Just in time for this recovery, Senate Republicans are pushing for cuts to vital programs. According to news reports, Five GOP senators are proposing a commission that would come
Bank accounts are often a source of dispute after someone dies. How you fill out the account opening forms and whose name you put on the account will determine who owns the account after you die. It is quite common for someone to think they have opened an account in their name alone – which
By Leslie Hunter-Gadsden, Next Avenue Amid the backdrop of dual pandemics (Covid-19 and structural racism), America’s racial, economic and age disparities have raised the urgency of organizations to address diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The Derek Chauvin trial and ongoing police violence make attention to DEI particularly critical. So, Next Avenue spoke to the four largest
By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue The pandemic’s layoffs, furloughs and volatile incomes make it easy to understand why one in five boomers are delaying retirement due to the financial insecurity of Covid-19, according to a MetLife MET survey. But how do you explain this? Another survey, by the Hearts and Wallets financial services research firm,
At the end of March, the White House announced the “American Jobs Plan,” a $2 trillion spending plan which includes a combination of one-time infrastructure spending such as mass transit expansion and water system lead-pipe replacement, and ongoing spending such as electric vehicle purchase rebates and job training programs. As characterized at CNBC, it would
We welcome back required minimum distributions (RMDs) in 2021 after a brief break in 2020 initiated by the CARES Act. Between the suspension of RMDs in 2020 and the rule changes in the SECURE Act, which passed in 2019, many of us need to revisit and adjust our retirement income plans. Before the SECURE Act,
Today’s column addresses questions about how taking early retirement benefits would affect survivor’s benefits taken later, when spousal benefits can be available and how divorced spousal benefits are calculated. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc, which markets Maximize My Social Security
If you’re near retirement, there’s a good chance you are in active information-gathering mode, combing the Wild West of the internet for the best advice on how to prepare yourself for such a huge life transition. And there is great information available. You can find endless commentary on things like Roth conversion strategies, investment allocation,
A guide to understanding the relationship between trustee and beneficiary A trust is an arrangement whereby one person (the grantor) places property in the care of another (the trustee) for the benefit of a third (the beneficiary) for the purposes and under the terms described by the grantor. Trusts are often created for the long