Retirement Articles
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How to Get Tax Breaks for Helping Relatives [2021 Tax Write-Off Update]
It is common for family members to help other family members, financially. It is also common for these families to leave money on the table by not taking all the tax breaks they could from these situations. Often, adult children provide financial or other support for their parents, though other situations do arise. Sometimes, the […]
When to Use an IRA To Fund Your Health Savings Account
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are the best retirement planning tool available, and there’s a little-known legal trick that can help fully fund an HSA. An HSA has three powerful tax benefits. Contributions to the account are tax deductible or excluded from gross income when an employer makes them. The account can be invested, and income […]
E-Wills Are Coming
Very slowly but surely, estate planning law is catching up to modern technology. The latest development paves the way for electronic wills in most states. An electronic will, or e-will, is one that recognizes the traditional formalities of a will when they’re in an electronic format. An e-will can be written in an electronic medium, […]
Reconsidering Living Wills
A good estate plan includes a lot more than will. Among the documents to be included are those about medical care. The traditional document is a living will but I’ve downplayed the importance of living wills for years since a better document is the medical care proxy or power of attorney. There are a number […]
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The Expert’s Guide To Maximizing Your Social Security Benefits
Most Americans, it pains me to say, make the wrong decisions about claiming Social Security benefits. That can cost them $100,000 or more of lifetime benefits and can increase financial struggles in their later years. It doesn’t have to be that way for you. Making Social Security claiming decisions the right way ensures you make […]
What You and Your Heirs Should Know About Powers of Attorney
You may already know your estate plan needs an up-to-date power of attorney (POA). But it also needs much more than that. Here are some important facts on the power of attorney for you and your heirs, in terms of both the uses and limits of the POA. For starters, here’s why you need more […]
Retirement Stealth Tax: How To Avoid the ‘Widow’s Penalty’ Part II
It’s one of the Stealth Taxes no one talks about, and it comes at an emotionally vulnerable time. I’m referring to the “widow’s penalty tax.” Last week we discussed the first three potential hits to the surviving spouse: Income is likely to decline. Second, the surviving spouse is pushed into a higher tax bracket. A […]
Retirement Stealth Tax: How To Avoid the “Widow’s Penalty”
The widow’s penalty tax is one of the least known yet most onerous of the retirement Stealth Taxes. Since few people are aware of it, few retirement plans defend against the widow’s penalty. I frequently warn people about the “solo” years. Those are the years after one spouse has passed away. The surviving spouse must […]
