Retirement & Financial Planning Report

A catch, with all fixed annuities, is that the tax deferral works only if you don’t need current income. But …More

Before you invest in a foreign stock fund, here are some questions to ask: Does the fund invest in emerging …More

When you’re planning for retirement, work with an adviser who’ll perform sophisticated “Monte Carlo” simulations. In these simulations, assumptions are …More

Finding a financial advisor isn’t easy. Many people who work at brokerage firms now call themselves “financial consultants”: they’ll invite …More

Tens of thousands of federal employees have signed up for a comprehensive federal job search engine that allows you to …More

In a private letter ruling, the IRS has indicated that an incomplete spousal rollover can’t be completed by the executor …More

You can combine a business meeting or seminar with vacation travel and deduct some of your costs. Say you want …More

Conventional wisdom holds that you should be shifting your investment portfolio from stocks to bonds as you near retirement. Bonds …More

Relatively low stock prices make this an ideal time to convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. The lower …More

If you own rental property away from home, you may be able to take a tax-deductible vacation. Say you live …More

Tens of thousands of federal employees have already signed up for a comprehensive federal job search engine that allows you …More

European investors are flexing their muscles. In the past, most Europeans have thought of the stock market as a gamble, …More

Nursing home costs are extremely expensive-but you haven’t seen anything yet. The national average is now about $110 per day, …More

If you’ve discovered that you incurred a great deal of nondeductible interest in the past year, it’s time to take …More

Should you choose an independent financial advisor or one who is affiliated with a large firm? Independents claim they can …More

Trying to buy an expensive house with a relatively low down payment? Call the local branch of a major bank …More

The federal tax code includes two potentially valuable tax credits for education: Hope Scholarship credit. This is a per-student credit, …More

The late 1960s and early 1970s were in many ways comparable to the 1990s, when a few large growth companies …More

Business entertainment is usually 50% deductible, provided it’s before or after a business meeting. Say you spend an hour talking …More

Tens of thousands of federal employees have signed up for a comprehensive federal job search engine that allows you to …More

Many investors have put their money into funds designed to match the performance of a stock market index such as …More

If you already have one or more IRAs, make sure you have a form on file with the provider. (That …More

Speaking of IRAs (see above), an IRA that’s relatively modest, when you retire, can generate millions of dollars for yourself …More

Newly-issued IRS regulations on IRA distributions make having a detailed beneficiary designation crucial. Under these rules, your IRA beneficiary will …More

If you have a large stock market gain (don’t laugh, some do) you may be unwilling to sell and pay …More

In the first quarter of 2001, mutual funds holding U.S. stocks lost nearly 13%. Funds holding large-company growth stocks, the …More

Most states now offer so-called Section 529 plans to promote higher education with tax breaks. Any income earned inside these …More

Recent decreases in stock prices may have left you with large paper losses. If so, this may be the time …More

When you create an IRA you’ll either use the beneficiary form that’s provided or create a customized form. That’s only …More

A federal law signed in 1996 prevents states from taxing IRA distributions taken by a former resident who is now …More