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• Consumption Smoothing
• Couch Potato Investing
• Financial Planning
• Home Ownership & Mortgages
• Income Investing
• Mutual Fund Investing
• Retirement
• Social Security

• Yes, You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing

  Q. My wife and I have about $320,000 of investments. About a third of that amount is invested in two royalty investment trusts. One is oil-based, and the other is in natural gas. Even after the recent dunking the energy market has taken, we are still... Posted Jan 19 2006, 02:40 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Consumption Smoothing, Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Sometimes It Pays To Pay Taxes Now

  Recently, D.M. from Richardson Texas asked a question that vexes many fortunate Americans: Were Required Minimum Distributions from IRA plans harmful to the survival of IRA portfolios? The short answer was "No"--- the distribution requirements are always... Posted Sep 22 2005, 10:32 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print)

• Should You Pay Taxes Today?

  Q. Assuming you take advantage of all of your employer's retirement benefits, are there circumstances under which it would be advisable to take your salary today and invest a post-tax portion in taxable funds rather than place the pre-tax amount in a... Posted May 19 2005, 10:34 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Defending Yourself from the Declining Dollar

  Q. It seems the dollar may have a long drop ahead as our government continues to ignore the burgeoning federal and trade deficits. With war costs mounting and the Chinese and Japanese moving away from the dollar, I am wondering how to hedge against a... Posted Jan 27 2005, 11:25 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print)

• Is the Consumer Price Index Accurate?

  Q. You have recommended the Vanguard Inflation Protected Securities Mutual Fund instead of the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund because of its inflation-indexed securities. Recent articles by Bill Gross and others show that the CPI inaccurately calculates... Posted Nov 04 2004, 02:57 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print)

• Who Pays The Taxes?

  Q. I always heard that the richest people in the United States do not pay much income tax because of all the loopholes. I also heard that it is the middle and upper middle-income people that pay the most. Now I've heard different. What is the truth? ... Posted Jul 13 2004, 01:43 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print)

• Gay Marriage Would Not Endanger Social Security

  Q. Am I right in thinking that under Social Security a surviving spouse can collect benefits based on his or her earnings record or that of the deceased spouse? Much of what homosexuals say they want to accomplish by getting "married" can be accomplished... Posted Apr 29 2004, 11:38 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print), Social Security

• A Life Insurance Policy To Die For

  Q. A Houston Insurance Agency advises clients to take advantage of a section of the Texas Property Tax Code. It allows those over 65 to defer property taxes at 8 percent interest. This money can be used in anyway the taxpayer chooses. The agency proposes... Posted Apr 01 2004, 10:27 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print)

• What Did Investors Experience In The Last Big Crash?

  Q. I am concerned about mutual fund investing in the event of a market decline( when, not if). You have referred to the stock market crash of 1973-74 in your column. I do not remember this since I was young, uninvested, and uninterested. But please tell... Posted Nov 14 1996, 09:31 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Mutual Fund Investing, Q&A (from print)

• A Government Funded Bull Market? No Way.

  Q. I love conspiracy theories and just came up with this one. What would prevent the incumbent federal government from buying just enough stock on a daily basis to keep the market from taking a nose dive and perhaps driving it up just a tad before the... Posted Oct 28 1996, 08:13 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Financial Planning, Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Moving To The Southwest, From Canada

  Q. We are considering moving to work in Dallas in the near future. If you could please give me an idea after all kinds of mandatory and basic deductions from different levels of government and probably insurance companies, what would the net be for annual... Posted Oct 07 1996, 08:49 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• Homeowner Gains Can Be Rolled And Not Taxed

  Q. I sold my home after age 55 so I qualified for exclusion of gain. I bought another home for a higher price and elected to postpone gain on sale of the first home until sale of the second home, on which I also made a profit. I thought that I could exclude... Posted Sep 23 1996, 12:36 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• What Is The True Inflation Rate?

  Q. I'm curious about the federal government's reporting and its accuracy of the national inflation rate or CPI. I read that the inflation rate hovers around 3% or less, but I have this dubious feeling that the actual rate is much higher than what we are... Posted Jul 25 1996, 10:52 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Couch Potato Investing, Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Q&A (from print)

• The Flat Tax Isn't Here Yet

  Q. Many of us middle class oldsters bought muni bond funds or unit trusts at par. Since we are in retirement our primary concern at this point is not for the interest, but for the effect of the flat tax rate on the capital which we feel must be preserved... Posted Dec 28 1995, 12:57 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)

• A Lot of Ups and Downs Between Buying and Selling

  Q. Can you tell me what approximate return per year one can expect on each $1000 invested in a good stock fund? I have in mind to hold the investment until I need the money and then sell. ---H.E., Dundee, IL A. Expecting clockwork-like returns on equity... Posted Sep 16 1995, 11:13 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Government, Taxes & Other Disasters, Income Investing, Q&A (from print)