ROTH IRA conversion strategies for 2010
Published February 10, 2010 6641 Views
You can reverse a ROTH conversion if your investment goes south.
If you convert an account in 2010, you'll have until Oct. 17, 2011, to "recharacterize" it back to traditional IRA status. So if the account tanks between now and then, you can use the recharacterization privilege to reverse the conver...
Making Money in a Down Market
Published February 9, 2010 6477 Views
From early 2008 to March 2009 the S&P 500 lost more than half its value, a noticeable amount to say the least. As the house of cards began to fall people understandably began to become nervous. Many stopped contributing to their 401(k). Their thought was 'Isn't dumping money into a falling market li...
My Big Fat Greek Default?
Published February 9, 2010 6650 Views
Over the last few weeks, world financial markets have been roiled, with the bellwether S&P 500 index off 8% since late January. That's a rude shock to investors who had seen markets rise steadily for the last 22 months. We get asked about financial markets every day so we need to have an answer read...
Buying Premium Bonds? - Don't Forget to Vote!
Published February 8, 2010 6486 Views
You don't really get to vote when it comes to bonds - but there is an election that can save you money today. Bonds are purchased at a premium when the bond is purchased at a price in excess of its maturity value. For a taxable bond, the premium remains part of a taxpayer's basis in the bond until...
Ground Rule #1: Give Yourself a Raise
Published February 8, 2010 6546 Views
Sure everyone would if they could, but an increase in salary is not what I'm talking about here. What I'm suggesting is the most important thing you can do to build your retirement savings: give your retirement contributions a raise. Once you get in a 401(k) or 403(b) and establish your contribution...
SUPER AD SUNDAY
Published February 5, 2010 6451 Views
With the Super Bowl quickly approaching, I decided to do a bit of research on just how successful companies are after forking up millions for a 30-second commercial spot.
It turns out that the stock price of publicly traded firms that ran Super Bowl ads beat the S&P 500 performance in 10 of the last...
Ground Rule #2: Percents, Not Dollars!
Published February 4, 2010 6494 Views
We have covered the first question for plan participants: How much? How much should you contribute, how much will keep you comfortable in retirement, how much can you afford today? If you decide what you can afford and that's your contribution, it's a perfectly reasonable approach (but don't forget...
Communication is Key
Published February 4, 2010 6800 Views
This week's spot features client Maria Milella expressing her appreciation for the communication she shares with investment consultant Bob Kravetz.
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Frequent and open communication between you and your financial advisor is critical. If you're not sharing information about you...
A double whammy in NYS for high income taxpayers ?
Published February 3, 2010 7029 Views
Larger federal income tax bills may be coming for higher-income Americans, if the President has his way.
Individuals making $200,000 and up and couples making $250,000 or more a year will see their taxes increase in 2011, unless Congress votes to keep the George W. Bush-era cuts in place.
This would...
And Now a Word From The US Economy
Published February 3, 2010 7407 Views
We are smack in the middle of corporate earnings season for the 4th quarter of 2009. Two groups might be a bit surprised by the numbers that have been coming out: sideline observers who have been watching the US stock market nervously, wondering why it has been going nearly straight up for the last...