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Taxes in Retirement

Bob Carlson of Retirement Watch on how to manage your taxes and planning strategies to pay less

Found 452 Articles.
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“Stealth Taxes” – How to Avoid Getting Taxed on Social Security Benefits

August 18, 2017

Have you heard of “stealth taxes?” I call them that because people often don’t know about the taxes before getting bitten by them. One of the worst stealth taxes for retirees is the income tax on Social Security retirement benefits. Some aren’t aware of the tax when they retire. Others are exempt from the tax […]

Leveraging the Tax Code to Make Your Nest Egg Last Years Longer

July 27, 2017

Would you like to make your nest egg last years longer during retirement? Would you like to do that without worrying about the markets or searching for the hottest investments? You can. Over the years my research, confirmed by others, found a nest egg will last years longer if you pay attention to a few tax […]

Managing Your Taxable Accounts for Maximum After-Tax Returns

May 23, 2017

Too many investors wait until late in the year to maximize after-tax investment returns. That costs them a lot of money. Later this year, most financial publications and websites will run articles on “year end tax planning for investors.” The problem is you should be mulling these strategies all year. Every time you consider a […]

Deducting Medical Expenses and Claiming Tax Benefits for Supporting Others

April 26, 2017

Households are a lot different than they used to be. You might be supporting adult children and your parents (or in-laws) or both. There also might be people who aren’t related to you by blood or marriage living in your home. You could be supporting or helping to support someone who doesn’t live with you, […]

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Trusts as IRA Beneficiaries: Reaping the Benefits, Avoiding the Pitfalls

April 26, 2017

There are many good reasons to name a trust as an IRA beneficiary. But there also are some hazards to avoid. Trusts can make an Inherited IRA last longer. Through the trust terms and appointment of the trustee, you control how much money is distributed to the trust beneficiaries. For example, the trust can retain […]

Avoiding The Estimated Tax Trap

February 27, 2017

Estimated tax payments are a traditional trap for retirees. Most retirees were employees during their careers and had income taxes withheld from their paychecks. They never had to deal with the estimated tax rules and are surprised by the process in retirement. If you expect to owe more than $1,000 in federal taxes that will […]

Minimizing the Most Important Number on Your Tax Return

February 27, 2017

The most important number on your federal income tax return is on line 37, the last line on the first page of Form 1040. It’s your adjusted gross income (AGI). For retirees, AGI is even more important than for most other taxpayers. Your taxable income used to be the most important line on your return, […]

Planning for Probable Tax Changes

January 18, 2017

Since the election last Nov. 8, Republican leaders in Congress and new President Donald Trump made clear that changing the tax code is a priority. There are many unknowns about what any final law will be and when it will be effective. I caution you against following the advice of anyone who’s already telling you […]

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