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By Scott Burns Most of us view the world through dollar glasses. It’s perfectly reasonable. Dollars, after all, are the currency we use in daily life. And the lens, until recently, was distinctly rosy. When we asked, “How much is that in dollars?” we...
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By Scott Burns Q. Am I too young to retire and survive? I am 55 years old, and before company reorganization and the elimination of my position, I had a plan. I was cutting back on spending and focusing on retirement, 401(k), savings and paying off my...
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By Scott Burns Taxes are unpleasant and unfair. We all know this. And our friends in government work hard to keep it that way. The only thing about taxes that all Americans can agree on is that someone else should pay them. Perhaps we can learn something...
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By Scott Burns Q. I'm semiretired, married, with no children. We own our home. I'm 62, have no pension. Our total savings is $95,000 in Vanguard Target Retirement 2010 fund in an IRA. I just moved it there about six months ago. In the last year...
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By Scott Burns According to the trip meter on our 2003 Prius, my wife and I have covered the last 2,200 miles at an average of 46.1 miles per gallon. That’s pretty typical of the mileage we’ve enjoyed since buying the car five years and 62,800 miles ago...
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By Scott Burns Q. I am a Couch Potato investor. From regular news stories--- and some of your columns--- one might deduce the financial end is near. Should I stay the course or trim the sails? ---F. S., San Antonio, TX A. The day-to-day news is dismal...
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By Scott Burns Sometimes while watching a particularly gruesome edition of the evening news, I think dark thoughts about the human race. You probably have them, too. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if we were all wiped out by a new and horrible virus. Rather...
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By Scott Burns Q. My wife and I are 52 years old. We’re slogging through a lot of expenses, and we’re nervous about the market. Here are the basics: Our two children in private school cost $19,000 a year. College starts for one in 2 years. Both will be...
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By Scott Burns PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO . Standing on our 10th-floor balcony at the Westin, my wife hands me her binoculars. “I think they added the verticals for another three floors while we were having lunch.” She points to the framework for yet another...
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By Scott Burns Q: I believe inflation is getting out of hand and the dollar will continue to decline. So I am worried about my future. I am almost 63, have our house paid for, and have about six times my income in retirement savings and investments (not...
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By Scott Burns and Laurence J. Kotlikoff "... let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." -- President...
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By Scott Burns Q. Sometime ago your column gave information about what it costs to maintain a home--it was a percent of the value of the home and included utilities, insurance, taxes, etc. Do you still have that information? It might help many home buyers...
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By Scott Burns First it was technology stocks. Then houses. Now U.S. Treasury obligations. I guess you can’t keep a bubble down. But it doesn’t seem right. How can a government as irresponsible as ours be rewarded with such low interest rates? The answer...
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By Scott Burns Q. Would you comment in a column on your present suggestions for a Couch Potato portfolio for retirees? ---C.D., by email A . The Couch Potato portfolios aren’t about change. They are about simplicity and low costs. Whether it is a two...
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By Scott Burns No one wants to be at the bottom of the heap. We want to be above average at everything, including investing. That’s why we spend billions every year, hoping to find a superior investor who will, for a modest fee, invest our modest savings...
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