Roth IRA Conversion Calculators: Should You Convert?

2010 is the year of the mighty Roth IRA conversion and many boomers are wondering if it’s the right thing to do.  The sound of tax-free money is a sweet lullaby, but is it worth the up front tax expense?

photo credit: alancleaver_2000
Everybody’s situation is different and it’s hard to say if it’s right for [...]

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How Much Retirement Income Should You Withdraw?

March 1, 2010

What is the safe withdrawal amount in retirement?  It’s a topic that many of the top financial professionals debate on an ongoing basis.   Most all agree that the first couple years beginning retirement are the most crucial.   Many new retirees either tend to spend too much too fast, or market conditions like 2008 wreak havoc [...]

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Should You Invest Into Preferred Stocks?

February 25, 2010

Dividends are an essential part of a Boomer’s income stream in retirement.  Unfortunately, many stocks that used to pay handsome dividends have either dropped significantly or have been eliminated all together.  One solution as an alternative is investing into preferred stocks.   What exactly are preferred stocks?  Preferred stock are typically considered to be “hybrid” investments.   [...]

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Do You Have Enough Homeowner’s Insurance Coverage

February 24, 2010

Whether you’ve just bought a new home or you recently made some home improvements, chances are you may not have enough homeowner’s insurance.  A staggering report says that 59% of American homeowners don’t have enough insurance to rebuild in case there were to lose that home.  With recent worldly disasters such as the earthquake in [...]

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New Credit Card Laws 2010: Maybe not be what it was cracked up to be!

February 23, 2010

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, there is a new federal credit card law that finally just went into effect February 22, 2010.  The intent to these credit card law changes was to add protection for consumers, but according to this Boomer, they have missed the mark by a mile.  Here’s a some reasons [...]

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Should You Invest Into a CD or Fixed Annuity

February 22, 2010

You’ve worked hard and managed to put a decent amount away.  By nature you are a very conservative investor so bank CD’s seem like the natural choice.  Right now interest rates are at historic lows so you’re open to other fixed-rate alternatives.  Investing into a fixed annuity might be the next logical choice.  Here are [...]

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Should You Invest in Oil and Gas Royalties?

February 18, 2010

Crude oil prices have fluctuated more than market could ever hope or want to in the past 24 months. Crude oil prices rose 77.94% across 2009. As amazing as that seems, gasoline futures rose 93.27%. Diesel fuels was up 49.16% for 2009 and the heating oil rose 46.92%. With great gains like [...]

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What’s the Best IRA For You?

February 16, 2010

Many investors debate what’s the best IRA for them-the traditional IRA or the Roth IRA.   What most investors don’t know is that there are other types of IRA’s than just these two.  Just like choosing a tool in your tool box, you have to decide which one is best to complete the job. With additional [...]

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How to Improve and Calculate Your Credit Score

February 15, 2010

You always here about how important it is to have a good credit score.  Even Suze Orman suggests that before dating someone you find out what there FICO score is (how sexy is that?). A good credit score can make or break you. A good credit score can get you the best interest rates on [...]

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Plenty of Good Stuff

February 14, 2010

Here’s some good reads from around the blogosphere:
Recommended articles:

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts vs. 529 College Savings Plans.
The Difference Between Lifestyle Creep and Lifestyle Inflation.
Should You Use a HELOC to Consolidate Credit Card Debt?.
How to Find an Auto Mechanic You Can Trust.
How to Prepare Your House for Sale.
Need Debt Motivation: Calculate Your Daily Costs.
Free Financial Spreadsheets.
Want [...]

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Term Life Life Insurance is Cheap to Buy

February 11, 2010

Term life insurance coverage is cheap these days. Make sure you don’t pay too much.
How much are you paying for term coverage? Term life insurance today is cheaper than it has been in about 20 years, as competition has driven premiums lower and lower.  With hundreds of insurance firms offering term policies, it might be [...]

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Do You Need to Buy Mortgage Protection Life Insurance?

February 10, 2010

If you are the  provider for your family, the last thing you want to do is leave your family in a financial bind after your unexpected passing.   Most people purchase term life insurance to take care of settling up outstanding debts and providing an income stream for the surviving spouse.   The policy should cover the [...]

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