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Q: I am planning to retire next year. What should I be doing to prepare given uncertainties in the markets and economy?
Q: I want to go live in a warmer state. What do I need to think about from a tax perspective?
The American healthcare system is, in a word, complicated. It also can be extremely expensive. And that’s before we even reach retirement age.
The 2015 movie The Big Short chronicles the market and economic forces that led to the financial crisis in 2007. Based on a Michael Lewis book of the same name, the film’s all-star cast explains the crisis’s origins through the stories of a handful of analysts and investors who saw the meltdown coming, bet on it, and made a lot of money.
Health expenses are rising faster than inflation, and even insured workers are finding it harder to pay their portion from year to year (premiums, copays, coinsurance, and deductibles), much less plan for the future. The stakes are even higher for early retirees (younger than 65) and self-employed individuals who must purchase their own health insurance and bear the entire cost themselves.
It’s generally a good idea to review your employer-sponsored retirement savings plan at least once each year, and when major life changes occur. If you haven’t given your plan a thorough review within the past 12 months, now may be a good time to do so.
By definition, estate planning is a process designed to help you manage and preserve your assets while you are alive and to conserve and control their distribution after your death according to your goals and objectives. But what estate planning means to you specifically depends on who you are.
When you determine how much income you’ll need in retirement, you may base your projection on the type of lifestyle you plan to have and when you want to retire. However, as you grow closer to retirement, you may discover that your income won’t be enough to meet your needs. If you find yourself in this situation, you’ll need to adopt a plan to bridge this projected income gap.