Retirement & Financial Planning Report

Do you have a life insurance policy you no longer need? Giving the policy to charity could provide tax savings …More

As 529 college savings plans grow more popular, grandparents may set them up for their grandchildren. However, assets in a …More

Many investors take risks in non-traditional investments, including startup businesses. They don’t realize that most startups fail, and that such …More

Chances are that your aging parent or parents prefer staying at home than moving into an institution. In such cases …More

Life insurance enjoys several major tax benefits: Tax-free investment income. Permanent life policies (whole life, universal life, variable life) include …More

Maintaining a single 529 account for multiple children offers a couple of potential benefits. You may be able to reduce …More

Taking capital gains or converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA may increase your state and local tax obligations. …More

In the first quarter of 2003, the Japanese stock market hit a 13-year low. Six months later, the Japanese market …More

New Year’s resolutions usually have to do with items such as health (lose weight and exercise more) and relationships (spend …More

The stocks of companies based in developing nations look attractive on both valuation and growth measures. On an earnings-per-share basis, …More

Variable annuities’ guaranteed death benefits have become more appealing. The original guarantee was a return of premiums paid. Thus, if …More

As fixed mortgage rates begin to climb, home buyers may consider turning to adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs), but these mortgages …More

If you think other currencies will appreciate against the dollar, one way to participate in such moves is to invest …More

When a student applies to college, his or her family is assigned an “expected family contribution” (EFC), based on income …More

The IRS (and perhaps a state tax collector) will share the income you receive in each paycheck. If you wish, …More

Banks have begun to offer inflation-protected certificates of deposit, with a variable yield that’s adjusted to keep up with inflation, …More

Don’t expect your spending to drop after you retire. It’s true that you won’t spend as much on some items, …More

Families going through the college application process often make a significant mistake. They don’t fill out the standard financial aid …More

Prepaying estimated state and local income tax has been a savvy maneuver. If such taxes are due in January 2004, …More

Every year, mutual funds buy and sell stocks or bonds. If they wind up with profits on those sales, those …More

American travelers are finding that vacations are expensive in many parts of Europe. It now takes $1.17 to buy one …More

Many experts predict that the value of the U.S. dollar will continue to drop. At the end of the third …More

When you buy a second home you might choose to raise the money by borrowing against your primary residence. Taking …More

Every time you apply for a retailer’s credit card, your credit score drops by as much as 20 points. Virtually …More

The holiday season is approaching. With it will come a slow down in job search activity by many job seekers. …More

If an aging parent needs nursing home care, he or she is better off entering as a “private-pay” resident, paying …More

Social Security taxes will be withheld from earnings up to $87,900 in 2004, up from $87,000 in 2003. As before, …More

Year-end tax planning for married couples may be affected by the 2003 tax law, which raised the standard deduction to …More

When you make charitable contributions, you can give more by donating appreciated stock instead of cash. If you sell $1,000 …More

Small-cap stock funds and high-yield (“junk”) bond funds may make large capital gains distributions this year. The same is true …More