January 14, 2019 By: John Zeltmann At year-end, mutual fund companies often distribute gains to shareholders in the form of capital gains distributions. Even if the fund is down for the year, shareholders may have a tax liability in their taxable accounts. These distributions are sent to investors via check, automatically deposited as cash to their brokerage account, or reinvested...
December 31, 2018 Whether we’re driven by the season, the holidays, or a new year, this is often the time of year for reflection. As long-time readers of Stan’s World can attest, I’m a big fan of volunteerism. Numerous studies have validated the physical, spiritual, social and emotional benefits of volunteerism, and I’ve been a beneficiary. Especially valuable, at least...
December 31, 2018 While the last time there was a significant change to the rules when selling a home occurred in 1997, many people seem to mix the old and ‘new’ rules when trying to figure out whether the sale of their home is taxable or not. Here is a brief refresher, compliments of Tim Steffen writing in Investment News...
December 31, 2018 If your health insurance is through Medicare, you might be paying too much for prescription medications. Consumer Reports 1 conducted a study in six cities that involved three Part D prescription drug plans. In each of the six cities, they “looked at two pharmacies and checked prices for generic versions of five common drugs.” In Denver, “Someone...
Source: Direxion Funds December 31, 2018 LONG-TERM - The S&P 500 has gained an average of +9.8% per year (total return) over the last 50 years (i.e., 1969-2018). The index was down in 2018 but has been positive in 14 of the last 16 years. Over the long-term, the S&P 500 has been up during 39 of the last 50...
November 15, 2018 I recently read an article in an industry journal 1 titled: “You Can’t Win if You’re Afraid to Lose.” The tagline was: “To experience higher potential gains, clients need to be willing to tolerate occasional losses.” Left unsaid, of course, is how much an investor can tolerate a loss, even when occasional or temporary. We always assume...
November 15, 2018 By: John Zeltmann Since my Dad's passing earlier this year, my Mom and I have spent countless hours wrapping up his finances. I thought I'd share my impressions from the past several months, highlighting lessons we learned from bumps in the road they managed to avoid (as well as some they didn't). Items to consider in advance...
November 15, 2018 The short answer is “There isn’t one answer for everyone.” The long answer is: “It depends.” What is it? Long-term care essentially involves insurance for two risks: assistance within your home, and/or care within a health-care facility (i.e., assisted living or long-term nursing care). Can I get it? If you have a significant and chronic health condition...
November 15, 2018 MONEY Magazine recently had an article 1 on the “growing number of people (who) are facing retirement by themselves.” Please click through to find a few tips on how to “live life to the fullest when it’s a party of one.” Establish a Buddy System - “If you don’t have people to call on, it might be...
If you were born after 1929, have 40 credits of earnings history (e.g. 10 years’ of work), and are at least 62 years of age, you are eligible to collect Social Security retirement benefits.