A survey found that Gen Xers are less concerned about retirement planning than they are about other financial challenges. Don’t forget that group that’s between the headline grabbing millennials and boomers: Generation Xers, Americans between ages 36-55. A survey from the IRA (Insured Retirement Institute) appears to have uncovered a…
Many things change when you retire, including tax strategies. Steps that you took when you were working, may now work against you. Knowing what has changed and what you need to do can help avoid unnecessary tax liabilities. Tax planning is different after retirement. You might think that a lower…
While the number of people making New Year’s financial resolutions are on the rise, we would do well to make a midyear financial check a regular part of the summer season. The good news is more than 30% of Americans did give some thought to making financial resolutions this past…
Moving a lifetime of possessions in or out of the country is one thing, but moving money from country to country without losing it takes a new kind of financial planner. Whether you are retiring to a small cottage in the Cotswolds or coming home after a career that kept…
Whether or not an aging parent should live with their adult children raises issues for the parent and the children. There is no single or easy answer. It usually starts when one spouse dies and an aging parent suddenly seems alone and vulnerable. The parent may bring it up first,…
Consider the amount of time you spend on planning a one-week vacation. You’ll want to spend more time on planning your eternal resting place. A local television station in Sarasota, Florida aired a news story about a cemetery where the grass and weeds were so overgrown they sparked complaints from…
The defined-benefit pension is a rare bird today. But if you are lucky enough to have one, don't assume that your distribution will go smoothly. Here's how to protect yourself. For millennials, the idea of a pension plan that pays benefits from the time you retire to the day you…
The entire US is up for grabs for retirees who are moving to a wide variety of location—from the mountains of Montana to the moderate temperatures of South Carolina. Is Houston a hot spot? Once upon a time, if you lived in the north, your default retirement destination was either…
The numbers are still small, but as Boomers age, the reverse mortgage may grow in popularity to maintain a certain quality of life. Reviled for years for high costs, today the reverse mortgage—sometimes referred to as a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECMs)—is a government-insurance loan that allows qualified seniors to…
People think that Medicaid will solve all financial problems if they or a spouse will need expensive medical care late in life. It's not that simple. Concerns about outliving assets or having all their wealth spent on nursing home care has led many Houstonians in different economic brackets to take…