Bob's Journal
Found 442 Articles.
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Bob’s Journal for 11/24
Happy Thanksgiving 2022 Happy Thanksgiving to all my Retirement Watch members and readers! My wife, Elaine, and I are thankful for the opportunity to help each of you establish and maintain your independence during retirement. I am grateful to the many readers who let me know, through email or conversations at my speaking engagements, how […]
Bob’s Journal for 11/17/22
The Bubbles Keep Popping The Fed’s easy monetary policy since 2009, and especially during 2020 and 2021, inflated many bubbles. A few of those bubbles have burst, but there likely are more to come. Last week’s rapid demise of the global digital currency exchange FTX was the latest instance. We’ve had rolling blowups since the […]
Bob’s Journal for 11/10/2022
The 9.62% Yield on I-Bonds Is Gone. They Might Be a Better Buy Now There was a rush to buy inflation-protected savings bonds (I-bonds) before the Oct. 28 deadline to lock in the 9.62% rate. Those who waited might be better off in the long term. The new rate on I-bonds is 6.89%. The rate […]
Bob’s Journal for 11/3/22
Social Security Benefits Will Increase 8.7% for 2023; Don’t Let That Change Your Strategy Because of the high inflation over the last 12 months, the 2023 cost of living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits will be 8.7%, meaning benefits in 2023 will be 8.7% higher than in 2022. Don’t let that change your strategy […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/27/22
Interest in Medicare Advantage Plans Surges This year’s Medicare open enrollment season could be historic. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage plans steadily increased over the years while the percentage of beneficiaries in original Medicare declined. Medicare Advantage plans might enroll more than half of Medicare beneficiaries for the first time after the 2022 season. About 20% […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/20/22
Last Chance for I-Bonds at 9+% You have only a few more days to lock in a yield of 9.62% on Series I U.S. savings bonds, known generally as I-bonds. The interest rate on I-bonds is variable and changes on the first day of every May and November. The interest rate is a combination of […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/13/22
IRS Waives Some Penalties on Inherited IRAs The IRS issued proposed regulations in February 2022 that surprised a lot of tax advisors and indicated a number of heirs incurred penalties for not taking actions they didn’t know about. Late last week, the IRS said it would waive those penalties for 2021 and 2022. The proposed […]
Bob’s Journal for 10/6/22
Safe 5% Yields are Back The Federal Reserve’s been increasing interest rates and tightening the money supply at the fastest pace in decades. Because of that, market interest rates moved from historically low levels up to levels we haven’t seen since the financial crisis. That’s not good for the economy but it helps savers and […]
