Calculating Cost Basis Gets Easier This Year Brokers must track and report cost basis to both you and the IRS Anyone who has ever been baffled by calculating the net proceeds from the sale of an investment will find some relief, starting [more...]
Jan 192012
You might be surprised to hear that the Securities and Exchange Commission has published one of the most helpful articles on asset allocation. As you probably know, asset allocation is one of, or perhaps the most important determinants of long-term investing success. [more...]
Every year brings some financial change, so here are some relevant changes relating to investment, tax and estate planning for 2012. Retirement plans. 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plan annual contribution limits rise slightly to $17,000, and you can contribute an additional $5,500 [more...]
Jan 032012
U.S. STOCKS HELD UP RELATIVELY WELL IN 2011 It was a weak year for equities, but foreign markets had it worse. 2011 had a definite downside. Statistically, 2011 may end up being characterized as the year stocks stood still: the S&P 500 [more...]
2011 was a mixed bag for market returns. The S&P was flat, the Dow Blue Chips were up, and the NASDAQ was down for the year. Here are some highlights from the Wall Street Journal1: The [S&P 500] full-year decline of 0.04 [more...]
You should become familiar with the terms of your employer’s 401(k) plan to understand your particular withdrawal rights (more…)
The prospect of paying costly premiums for long-term care insurance that you might never use might discourage you. Enter the long-term care annuity. An advantage of stand-alone long-term care insurance over a long-term care annuity is the fact that the medical expense [more...]
Dec 222011
Just because a self-directed IRA allows you to choose certain investments, it doesn’t mean that you should. Some investment choices aren’t suitable for all investors. Certain risks are involved in investing in real estate. Changes in real estate values and economic downturns [more...]
The window of opportunity for many tax-saving moves closes on December 31. So set aside some time to evaluate your tax situation now, while there’s still time to affect your bottom line for the current tax year. With that in mind, here [more...]
Aug 312011
Generally, you can contribute up to $5,000 to an IRA in 2011 ($6,000 if you’ll be age 50 or older by the end of the year), as long as you have taxable compensation at least equal to the amount of your IRA [more...]
