THE BASICS OF STRETCH IRAs

You can plan to have your heirs inherit your IRA assets.

Can an IRA keep growing for a century or more? In theory, it can. Some people are planning to “stretch” their Individual Retirement Accounts over generations, so that their heirs can receive IRA assets accumulated after decades of tax-deferred or tax-free growth. [...]

A DREAM HOME FOR LESS?

Your current home may have lost value. But your next one may be a bargain.

Let’s survey the current real estate climate. Prices: down. Foreclosures: way up. Prognosticators: nervous. Sellers: desperate. What does this all add up to?

Advantage: buyer. It’s almost always a seller’s market in real estate, but right now buyers [...]

CRITICAL ILLNESS INSURANCE

What it is, why people opt for it.

Ever hear of critical illness insurance? This isn’t standard-issue disability insurance, but a cousin of sorts. With people living longer, it is a risk management option entering more people’s lives.

The notable wrinkle about this type of insurance is that the insurer issues [...]

A CD, or a CD-type annuity?

How they compare – and why annuities are so attractive.

If you’re a conservative investor, you may be wondering what fixed-rate alternatives you have to certificates of deposit. Have you ever looked at fixed annuities? Specifically, fixed “CD type” annuities? Right now, they look a lot better than CDs do.
Yes, CDs are FDIC-insured. But [...]

6 STEPS TO GET OUT OF DEBT

Why not plan to lighten your financial burden?

Positive moves to counteract negative cash flow. In July, a New York Times article mentioned that half of American families were carrying more than $25,000 in debt. Of course, some of this can be attributed to mortgages. But the borrowing doesn’t stop there.
Every day, people draw [...]

IS IT TIME TO REFINANCE?

Mortgage rates haven’t been this low since 2005.

Rates really fell this fall. Right now, interest rates on 30-year fixed rate mortgages are at their lowest level in two years: 6.10% as of November 29th, as compared to 6.73% in mid-July.1 Interest rates have fallen on other types of conventional mortgages as well. So [...]

IS IT TIME TO ANNUITIZE?

It just might be. Here’s why baby boomers are choosing immediate annuities.

Nobody wants to outlive their money. In fact, somebody recently asked me, “How do I organize my money so that I spend my last dollar on my last day of life?”
Since neither of us knew when that day would occur, we [...]

PARTNERSHIP PLANS FOR LONG TERM CARE

Many states are assisting their residents to buy LTC insurance.

A helping hand for a pressing need. With the baby boom generation maturing, numerous studies and articles have pointed out the rising need for long term care. Some state governments have directly responded to it.
Now, many states have created partnership programs to encourage their [...]

(repost) THE STATE OF FANNIE MAE, FREDDIE MAC AND INDYMAC

Where things stood in mid-July.
(article written in mid-July)

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac: stocks rise, concerns ease. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shares rose on July 17 and July 18 after falling 60% in the previous five trading days.1 Though their shares were still down more than 70% for 2008 through the end of last [...]

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED CHARITABLE GIFTING?

Could it make the world a better place? Could it make sense financially?

A gift to charity may prove to be a great financial favor to you. Some charitable gifting methods offer you notable tax advantages. Here’s a brief look at some popular options.

Charitable remainder trusts (CRTs). These trusts can be [...]