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• Consumption Smoothing
• Government, Taxes & Other Disasters
• Income Investing
• Social Security

• Mortgages and Retirees Don’t Mix

  By Scott Burns Q. My parents are looking for a house in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They are retired. They are trying to decide if they should pay cash for the house. They have close to $620,000 in savings (CDs, 401(k)s, IRA) and are looking for a $200... Posted Jul 23 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Retirees: Have a "Good Times" Fund

  Q. My husband and I have saved for 18 years. We now have a substantial retirement. He has been the primary earner; I have worked on and off part time. I have recently been ill with a potentially fatal disease and recovered, only to sustain a broken arm... Posted Mar 14 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 13 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Travel, yes. Reverse mortgage, no.

  Q. My son-in-law's parents are urging me to take a reverse mortgage to increase my income so I have more freedom to travel and don't have to budget so tightly. I am 70. My house is worth around $200,000. I have about $200,000 in financial assets and no... Posted Jul 27 2006, 04:20 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• 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

• Want to Live on a Boat? Go for it!

  Q. A while back you did a series of columns about unusual retirements, including living on a sailboat. My husband and I are avid sailors and have enjoyed Florida cruising vacations for many years. We would like to do more extended cruising. I am 54 and... Posted Dec 29 2005, 09:50 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Don't Sell Company Stock in Your 401(k) Plan Willy Nilly

  Q. I retired from ExxonMobil in 2002 and opted for the fixed annuity instead of the lump sum. That decision has turned out to be a blessing in that I have avoided the constant decision-making and risks of managing the lump sum. My current income exceeds... Posted Dec 22 2005, 10:20 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Downsizing Your Home Can Be A Very Good Thing

  Q. I am 80 and have an IRA worth about $59,000, a $9,000 savings account, and a four-bedroom house worth about $140,000. The house is about 21 years old and will need a new roof and some repairs soon. I also have a disabled daughter who lives with me... Posted Apr 21 2005, 12:20 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Should You Have A Mortgage After Retirement?

  Q. I am on the threshold of retirement. I am wondering how to correctly understand the benefits of continuing with a mortgage financing versus paying off the loan. I reviewed the home ownership model on your website and it calculates a (lower taxes) benefit... Posted Oct 28 2004, 09:57 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• A Good Investment for Retirees: Pay Off the Mortgage

  Q. We are retired 70 year olds with annual income of $70,000. We have a $140,000 mortgage (7.375 percent interest) with 9 years remaining on our $250,000 house. We recently sold some property. This diminishes our annual income by $25,000 but leaves us... Posted Jun 27 2002, 10:28 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• It‘s Not What Others Have That Counts

  Q. I get a little disheartened when I read your article and see the large amounts of wealth some people have accumulated at my age. I'm 35 and own my own home. It is worth about $145,000 with a mortgage balance of $105,000. I make $48,000 a year and put... Posted Jan 17 2002, 11:41 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Reduce Worry: Check Your Future Social Security Benefits

  Q. I have a car loan of about $11,000 with $116 payments taken out of my check twice monthly. I also put $120 into a 401k plan each pay period and another $60 into savings to cover the cost of my insurance. I'm single, 60, and earn $12.50 an hour working... Posted Jan 11 2002, 12:12 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement, Social Security

• Some People Need To Save In Retirement

  Q. Most questions in your column relate to people who have an investment portfolio for retirement income. When it comes to long range planning you suggest a percentage of the portfolio that can be withdrawn each year. My situation is different. As a county... Posted Jan 03 2002, 12:34 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement, Social Security

• Diversification Can Protect You From Steep Losses

  Q. I am one of thousands of Dallasites who has watched his 401(k) holdings vanish at an alarming rate. Now, more than a year after the dot.com bubble burst, I am still losing approximately one out of every five dollars invested. My 401(k) investment is... Posted Jul 26 2001, 11:20 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Getting a Higher Return on a Tax Deferred Annuity

  Q. My wife and I are in our 60's, collecting Social Security, and with other investment income we are doing fine. We have $72,000 in a tax deferred annuity that is now paying $321.13 a month. We would like to receive more than this but still have a sense... Posted Dec 09 1996, 11:37 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• The Role of Home Ownership In Retirement

  Q. My husband and I have challenged ourselves to a 10 year plan to get retired when he turns 55. Over the last few years we've reduced our debt by half, down to $250,000. That's our mortgage balance, at 7 percent. We have a year of salary in a diversified... Posted Nov 04 1996, 08:34 AM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement