Retirement - Registered Investment Advisor

Think Before You Convert to Roth IRA

By Scott Burns Q. I don’t understand the hoopla related to the ability to convert conventional IRAs to Roth IRAs— even with the bonus of deferring taxes owed for the next few years. My tax rate will likely be lower in retirement due to lower...

Posted Jun 09 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Financial Planning, Q&A (from print), Retirement

Short of Retirement Income? Try Plan B

By Scott Burns Q. I am 60. My husband is 63. We plan on working five more years. I am an educator and will retire with a pension. My husband only has a small IRA, about $70,000. This is a second marriage for both of us, after two failed 21-year marriages...

Posted Jun 02 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

A Better Balanced Fund

By Scott Burns Craig Israelsen has an interesting idea: Let’s leave 1950 behind. The associate professor at Brigham Young University in Utah thinks it is time to include the world outside the United States, among other things, in our investments...

Posted Mar 26 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: Index & ETF Investing, Retirement

A Low-Cost Roth Is Better than a High-Cost 401(k)

By Scott Burns Q. I'm 45, single, with no kids, and have a 401(k) at work. I also have a Roth IRA and a traditional IRA. Both of the IRAs are with Fidelity. I have moved most of my IRA money into low-cost Fidelity index funds. Recently, I took the...

Posted Mar 17 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

Will the PBGC Cover My Pension?

By Scott Burns Q. I am 67 years old. I will be retiring in three months after working at the same company for over 40 years. I have the option of taking my pension as a lump sum payment or annual payments for life. I prefer the annual payments, but there...

Posted Mar 10 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

Picking Your Glide Path

By Scott Burns Q. This year, I will turn 52 and my wife 51. Two of our three children are still in college, but the last tuition payment should be in 2015. I am in sales, with a base pay around $100,000. Commissions and bonus have added another $20,000...

Posted Feb 24 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 3 comment(s)

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

Choose a Low-Cost IRA over High-Cost 401(k)

By Scott Burns Q. I have read about the Couch Potato index investing and about high fees in 401(k) s. I found out that my American fund fees start at 1.46 percent and go up to 2.08 percent. My employer does not match now and won’t in the future...

Posted Feb 17 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 2 comment(s)

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

How to Leave High-Cost Investing

By Scott Burns Q. My husband and I are both retired. We are tired of paying various "investment consulting firms" to lose our savings. However, I am a retired accountant, and I am afraid I do not know how I can get control of our retirement...

Posted Jan 20 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Income Investing, Retirement

Ten Lessons of the Long-Distance Runner

By Scott Burns I’ve been writing a newspaper column since January 1977. That’s 33 years, 29 of them for syndication. It has definitely not been the same year, repeated 33 times. But there are patterns. And there are rules. There are things...

Posted Jan 01 2010, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Retirement

Essentials For A Secure Retirement

By Scott Burns Q: My husband and I will soon join the ranks of retirees. We are in our upper 60s. We have no debt. We will have adequate income from Social Security and pensions— at least for now. But after consulting with different investment advisers...

Posted Dec 30 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with 1 comment(s)

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

Investing in the Earth Market

By Scott Burns Q. In a recent column you referred to a 33 percent foreign component of the equity portion of a person's investments as being underweight. While I realize that roughly half the world's equity value is outside the U.S., I thought...

Posted Nov 04 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

A New Trend: Improved 401(k) Plans

By Scott Burns Q. I've recently read that 401(k)s need to be retired because of the many issues that arose during the financial crisis. Some think that the plans aren’t a good savings vehicle and that the risk doesn’t match the benefit...

Posted Oct 28 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

The Power of Commitment Management

By Scott Burns Q. I am a 66-year-old recently retired single male. I receive a $1,600 monthly teacher’s retirement pension, $1,400 a month in Social Security benefits and $210 a month from a life annuity. My living expenses come to about $3,000...

Posted Oct 21 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

Asset Allocation in the Thrift Savings Plan

By Scott Burns Q: My son has just accepted a position at a federal agency. He is in the process of establishing his Thrift Savings Plan. As you are probably aware, there are five funds within the Thrift Savings Plan in which to invest: (1) a government...

Posted Sep 30 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Income Investing, Q&A (from print), Retirement

Cash Today, or Lifetime Income?

By Scott Burns Q. I am a 60-year-old police officer looking at retirement in a year or two. Our retirement system offers several options. Basically you can collect a larger monthly retirement check and not take a lump-sum payment. Or you can take a lump...

Posted Sep 02 2009, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments

Filed under: Q&A (from print), Retirement

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Registered Investment Advisor

Think Before You Convert to Roth IRA

Short of Retirement Income? Try Plan B

A Better Balanced Fund

A Low-Cost Roth Is Better than a High-Cost 401(k)

Will the PBGC Cover My Pension?

Picking Your Glide Path

Choose a Low-Cost IRA over High-Cost 401(k)

How to Leave High-Cost Investing

Ten Lessons of the Long-Distance Runner

Essentials For A Secure Retirement

Investing in the Earth Market

A New Trend: Improved 401(k) Plans

The Power of Commitment Management

Asset Allocation in the Thrift Savings Plan

Cash Today, or Lifetime Income?

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