Archive for January, 2008

Do Income Replacement Funds Make More Sense Than Annuities?

Saturday, January 5th, 2008

It’s getting to be the case that virtually any standalone investment product sold to individuals can be repackaged into a mutual fund. It makes a lot of sense – everyone already knows what a mutual fund is, and all that’s left to explain is the objective, availability of capital, specific ...

It’s Time to Start Thinking About the Estate Tax Again

Saturday, January 5th, 2008

Back in 2001, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act triggered a gradual increase in the dollar threshold of estates subject to the estate tax. In tax years 2007 and 2008, estates valued at more than $2 million may be taxed as much as 45 percent, while in tax ...

Pay Close Attention to So-Called “Default” Investments

Saturday, January 5th, 2008

One of the provisions of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 was to allow companies to automatically enroll their employees in their companies’ 401(k) plans, but it wasn’t until last October that companies got guidance on the categories of investments they had to choose for their workers’ contributions. The ...

Getting Today’s Best Returns from a Home Renovation

Saturday, January 5th, 2008

It’s a much different picture renovating a home in 2007 than in 1997. Fueled by huge gains in the price of real estate, homeowners a decade ago were tapping home equity with little care since prices were expected to keep climbing, more than covering the cost of such improvements. ...