Retirement

The battle goes on with aging parents who are living alone or without family nearby and their adult children. From the kids’ point of view, their parent is just not safe in that big house anymore, with the declines that often come with aging. Perhaps the elder has lost a spouse or partner and there

Recently, one of my readers at Live And Invest Overseas wrote to me to ask whether she should buy property in Greece to qualify for residency under its golden visa program. She was considering the golden visa because she wanted more time in the Schengen Area than her U.S. passport allows (90 days in any

It is often said that the interest on home mortgages is “front end-loaded”, implying that the way lenders charge interest is both unfair and self-serving – possibly even sinister. The following statement is typical. “Did you know that on your typical 30-year mortgage, it takes approximately 21 years just to pay down less than half

Introduction So, Aunt Jane just asked you to be the trustee of her trust. You were flattered and, of course, accepted. But what did you get yourself into? Too many consumers readily accept fiduciary appointments with little thought of the headaches and liability they may face. While it can be admirable to help family and

There’s no such thing as “divorce benefits” in Social Security, but divorced spouses often are eligible to receive benefits based on an ex-spouse’s earnings record. Ex-spouses often quality to receive Social Security spousal benefits, and on fairly liberal terms. Divorced spouses sometimes have better options and more flexibility than current spouses. But small differences in

If you’re in your mid-50s or younger and are interested in retiring but you aren’t on track to save enough for a full retirement, you might want to consider “Coast FIRE.” It’s a variation on the “Financial Independence, Retire Early” (FIRE) strategy, where you make life choices that save a large amount of money so

Earlier this week, I wrote of the news that IBM IBM was reopening its defined benefit (DB) plan. Their announcement was noteworthy for two reasons— IBM is known for being a leader and changemaker in retirement funding, and Is IBM’s action a sign of a reversal of the decades-long trend of corporates moving from traditional

Married couples in or near retirement should know that the solo years, the period after one spouse passed away, usually are the most difficult period in retirement both financially and emotionally. The solo years are when most retirement plans are likely to fail or falter. The financial difficulties of the period could be reduced with

The tax-free quality of money in a 529 tuition savings plan can be continued, even after the education spending need has passed, thanks to a provision in the SECURE Act 2.0. But the rules aren’t simple or straight forward. The hurdles in the law mean the rollover isn’t available to many who would like to

Washington voters will decide the fate of the state’s path-breaking public long-term care insurance program in a referendum this Fall. If adopted, Initiative 2124 would make participation in the Washington Cares program voluntary, effectively killing it. The effort, largely bankrolled by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood and backed by prominent state Republicans, is the latest

After years of the decline of defined benefit (DB) plans for employee retirement, it was surprising to see IBM announce the reopening of its DB plan. Meanwhile, we continue to see headlines on the paucity of retirement savings workers have in their largely self-funded defined contribution (DC) plans. IBM’s traditional DB pension plan had $25.1

Introduction Ethical questions arise during many estate plans. Sometimes, these are ethical issues that you and/or your family may have to grapple with. Sometimes, the ethical issues that arise are ones that you create for your professional advisers. While the adviser has to determine how they will address those issues, their decision may affect what

Those properly licensed people who help us manage wealth may not be fully informed about financial elder abuse. In exploring what their organizations do in this area, we have observed little training or inadequate training. ThinkAdvisor reports on a case involving a “court fight over a recently deceased grandmother’s $5 million IRA”, which, it states,

With the dawn of another election year, even a cursory glance at the headlines serves as a reminder of how volatile and divisive U.S. politics have become. Add to that a string of global crises and conflicts, and the desire to somehow escape from the chaos becomes easily understandable. As the founder of Live And

In Christianity alone, it is estimated that there are thousands—yes, thousands—of different denominations around the world. Each denomination has its own interpretation of Scripture and its optimal application. If you’ve ever been part of this world, you likely know many denominational devotees would, indeed, “die on that hill” for various individual tenets of the faith.

If you expect fabulous returns to continue, you’re likely to be disappointed. Look closely at the data and you’ll see why. By William Baldwin, Senior Contributor Emerging market stocks will beat U.S. stocks. Junk bonds will beat high-grade bonds. Inflation will be 2.5%. Prognostications from the market seers. Big financial institutions put out what they

Gift tax returns could be the most misunderstood, neglected, and overlooked part of estate planning. There are many people who know estate planning quite well but draw blanks when issues about gift tax returns are raised. The gift tax return is IRS Form 709. You can download it free from www.irs.gov. The first mistake people

Valentines Day brings up the subject of romance and finding a partner for those who are alone. Many turn to social media, dating apps, and any online resource they can find. Clever scammers know that there are endless opportunities for them to find and fleece naive older adults. Those who are most trusting of others

What’s the most you can receive from Social Security? The answer is…it depends on your age, your work history, your marital status, and your retirement decisions. Let’s start with answering the immediate questions about the maximum Social Security benefits payable in 2024, then we’ll explore how you can maximize your Social Security benefits. What Is

I know; you’re probably ready to come at me with a million reasons why my assertion in the title is emphatically untrue. But retirement planning is not the complicated problem that you imagine. No, no, retirement planning is complex. What does that even mean? And why does it matter? We have to be careful about