By Ashlea Ebeling; Forbes ~ Sep 13, 2013
Last year’s historically low capital gains tax rate of 15% is, well, history, but there are
still ways around the new higher rates that went into effect Jan. 1. The 15% top capital gains tax rate went up to 20%. High income earners have to tack on another 3.8% (the net investment income surtax). Look at this before year-end if you want to avoid a urprise capital gains tax bill when
By Tara Siegel Bernard; The New York Times ~ Sep 13, 2013
It’s the kind of advice that people approaching retirement long to hear: you may not need to keep as much of your hard-earned savings in stocks.
Traditionally, retirees have been told to keep a significant slice — about 50 to 60 percent of their portfolio — in these risky assets, and that’s what many people tend to do. Then they hope and pray the stock market doesn’t plummet as it did in 2008 and
2009.
By Associated Press; The Washington Post ~ Sep 11, 2013
WASHINGTON — Having health insurance used to hinge on where you worked and what your medical history said. Soon that won’t matter, with open-access markets for subsidized coverage coming Oct. 1 under President Barack Obama’s overhaul.
But there’s a new wild card, something that didn’t seem so critical when Congress passed the Affordable Care Act back in 2010: where you live.
Entrenched
political divisions over “Obamacare,” have driven most Republican
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, AP; Anderson Independent-Mail News ~ Sep 11, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — Getting covered through President Barack Obama’s health care law might feel like a combination of doing your taxes and making a big purchase that requires research.
You’ll need accurate income information for your household, plus some understanding of how health insurance works, so you can get the financial assistance you qualify for
and pick a health plan that’s right for your needs.
By Jennifer Waters; MarketWatch ~ Sep 10, 2013
October is an important medical-insurance sign-up month for millions of Americans, both under and over 65 years old.
The annual Medicare open-enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, overlaps this year with the initial registration for the Health Insurance Marketplace, a
cornerstone of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare).
But don’t confuse
the two. They serve different populations.
By Associated Press; The Washington Post ~ Sep 10, 2013
WASHINGTON — The United States could default on its obligations as early as Oct. 18 if Washington fails to agree on legislation to raise the government’s borrowing cap, a new study predicted Tuesday.
The Bipartisan Policy Center analysis says the default date would come no later than Nov. 5 and that the government would quickly fall behind on its payments, including Social Security benefits
By Mark Miller; Reuters ~ Sep 10, 2013
CHICAGO (Reuters) – If you’ve been thinking about getting a reverse mortgage, September offers a model-year closeout sale opportunity.
A new set of rules governing Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), the most popular type of reverse loan, has just been issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, following up on Congressional action last month authorizing
reforms.
By Robert L. Lenzner; Forbes ~ Sep 10, 2013
Whether you’re a Baby Boomer or a Generation Xer or one of the youthful Millennial lot, preparing for retirement carries with it the unique obstacle of earning enough income in a period of record low interest rates and several volatile and traumatic moves up and down in stock
By Kevin Fitchard; GIGAOM ~ Sep 10, 2013
AT&T has given in to the growing pressure from the small operators and the Federal
Communications Commission to support interoperability on LTE devices. That means
that in the future the same phones and gadgets that work on AT&T’s LTE networks will work on the
By Aaron Katsman; MarketWatch ~ Sep 09, 2013
The financial media is full of retirement advice. Most of the advice is based on cookie-cutter solutions like needing 80% of pre-retirement income in order to retire; drawing
down 4% of your portfolio annually; or investing in a few hot stocks to “guarantee” a secure retirement.