QUESTION: I’m getting up there in years, and I’m worried that I might make a bad financial decision in the future and squander my children’s inheritance, or impair my ability to take care of my own needs. Should I establish an elder trust that safeguards my assets while giving me a fixed monthly allowance? ANSWER:…
QUESTION: I want to set up an irrevocable trust to take care of my needs as I age, and I need to pick a trustee. What should I consider? ANSWER: A trustee has many responsibilities, one of which is making distributions from the trust to you, the beneficiary. Many people want their children or a…
QUESTION: I have a big retirement fund, so why don’t I feel secure now that I’m in retirement? ANSWER: Retirement can be difficult for productive people who have been saving and investing most of their lives. Taking money out of savings, instead of putting it in, feels irresponsible. It can take several years to get…
Now that the federal deduction for state and local taxes is gone, should I consider changing residency from my high income-tax state to one with lower or no state taxes?
Sustainable investing allows investors to align their values with their investing.
QUESTION: Can you beat the S&P 500 and other top index funds? ANSWER: It depends on the time frame. While it’s possible to outperform the S&P, research shows that the outperformance will be lumpy with some significant periods of underperformance. To understand why, here is a brief history lesson. Decades ago Wall Street spread the…
QUESTION: I’m getting married again, but my kids are worried it will adversely affect their inheritances. What should I do? ANSWER: Before you do anything, take a moment and remember that it is your wealth before it becomes their inheritance, and while it is important to communicate your decisions and priorities to your family, it…
A new refund scam has emerged that threatens to ensnare thousands of unwary taxpayers who use direct deposit.
QUESTION: I just lost my state and local tax deductions in the recent tax reform, and I have no mortgage interest to deduct. Is there anything I can do to lower my taxes? ANSWER: The new tax law eliminates miscellaneous deductions, and limits state and local tax deductions to $10,000. This means married taxpayers without…
Thanks to recent federal tax reform, you can now use your kids’ college funds, or 529 plans, to pay for up to $10,000 a year for primary and high school expenses.
