Any way you look at it, missing even just a few days in the market can adversely affect your retirement. In this blog post, we’ll look at this issue with three different charts. But staying fully invested can be difficult when markets are plummeting. I get that. We all understand that over time the market does something like 10% average annual returns. But there’s something called the sequence of returns risk that can destroy a retirement income plan – especially … Continue reading

Not a cheery topic by any means. But it’s one that, as a retirement income planner, I have to deal with almost every single year. Besides the obvious, I’ll focus on just income taxes and Medicare Part B and D premiums after a spouse dies. It’s not pretty. Let’s say that this 72-year-old couple is enjoying a modified AGI of $181,000. With the standard deduction of $28,700 (2022), their taxable income is $152,300. That means they’ll pay taxes to the … Continue reading

New laws are here! The new Inflation Reduction Act is a big enchilada of green energy spending, corporate taxes, and some major changes to Medicare. Is this deal a big deal? Could be. I’ll wrap it up for you at the end. First, here are some Medicare changes you might want to know about:1 Medicare will be able to negotiate drug prices (starting in 2026) For the first time, the Medicare program will have the power to negotiate the cost … Continue reading

The Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is a generous stimulus program designed to bolster those businesses that were able to retain their employees during this challenging time. Due to the extremely complex tax code and qualifications, it is severely underutilized. Your business may be eligible for Employee Retention Credits. We’ll identify stimulus funds you are eligible for at no charge. Our designated firm only gets paid after you do. Changes to the Federal Cares Act have made billions more funds available with expanded … Continue reading

How secure are your future Social Security (SS) checks? Turns out, not very secure. After 2034, when the Trustees say they will run out of “reserves” there will only be enough money coming in from workers to pay just 77% of your promised retirement benefits! Your SS income may be cut by a quarter or so. But that’s not all. Medicare Part A, which helps pay for services such as inpatient hospital care, will be able to pay scheduled benefits … Continue reading