Retirement & Financial Planning Report

Whether you’re buying or selling a home or refinancing a mortgage, appraisals are crucial. Lenders have gotten serious about basing …More

For death occurring in 2010, the traditional step-up in basis rule has been partially repealed. However, the full basis step-up …More

If you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you should try to pay the resulting income tax with …More

If you include a trust in your estate plan, the trust document should spell out how the trustee will distribute …More

Parents and graduate students can take out PLUS federal education loans. With PLUS loans, borrowers can receive the difference between …More

Many consumer advocates say that buying a car is better than owning it. When you buy a car, you own …More

The Federal Reserve has kept short-term interest rates low to combat the financial crisis. Now that things seem to have …More

The new health insurance laws contain a major change for student loans. Starting July 1, all federally guaranteed loans will …More

Home buyers and investors probably can get a good price on REO property: a home owned by the lender after …More

After the 2008-2009 bear market, education funding for children and grandchildren should be part of your retirement planning. Should you …More

The home buyer’s tax credit is about to expire. To qualify, you must have signed a contract for a home …More

When you convert a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, you pay income tax now but expect tax-free withdrawals in …More

Some techniques can help you maximize Social Security benefits. * Payback. You can start to receive checks as early as …More

If you have an IRA, it’s probably fairly safe from creditors under federal and state law. But what happens if …More

In real estate, a short sale takes place when the purchase price  won’t cover the mortgage debt. If Al Jones …More

For landlords, cash flow is a prime concern. What’s more, some or all of any income might be tax-free. Non-cash …More

There might be a credit crunch but not everyone is feeling the pinch. Consumer lending fell by 3.8 percent in …More

If you’re buying or leasing a car, your expenses aren’t limited to the purchase price. You’ll have to buy insurance, …More

If you are the agent named on someone’s power of attorney, you might run into problems. Even if state law …More

When you inherit an IRA, you may be able to extend tax deferral. Suppose Al Smith dies with a traditional …More

Medicare supplement (“Medigap”) policies E, H, I, and J will be discontinued in June. Existing policyholders will be able to …More

When you borrow money to invest, the stocks you buy may lose value. You’ll have greater losses, because you’ve purchased …More

When you rent a car, you usually don’t need the insurance that you’re offered. Your own auto insurance policy probably …More

Married couples have two options for filing their tax returns. Usually, "married filing jointly" will result in a lower tax …More

You may not have heard much about it, but we’ve just experienced one of the greatest bull markets in history. …More

A recent report found that monthly premiums for private Medicare Advantage plans rose by an average of 14.2 percent from …More

Some assisted living communities are willing and perhaps eager to accept residents who might need more than a little assistance …More

Efforts to restrain Medicare spending recently have focused on Medicare Advantage, a program that provides federal funds to private health …More

If you inherit an IRA from anyone other than your own spouse, you can’t roll over the account to your …More

Many parents hold bank or investment accounts for their children in custodial accounts established under the Uniform Gifts to Minors …More