Tag: Rick Brooks
The Care and Feeding of Your Estate Plan
Most affluent Californians have some form of estate plan. While a will is a basic necessity, many people have invested in a comprehensive package including a will, trust, powers of attorney and advanced health care directive. As I’ve written before, your estate plan determines what happens to your assets once you’ve passed away or when […]
From Academic to Retirement – A Case Study
It’s been said that roughly 10,000 baby boomers retire every day. Even though so many people are doing it, there’s still a considerable amount of stress as you transition from working into retirement. The big financial transition is from drawing a paycheck to drawing down savings, but the emotional changes of purpose and identity can […]
Financial Planning for the Terminally Ill
Over the past few months, I’ve had an up-close and personal experience with this topic: my father recently passed away after a protracted illness. Financial planning is about making the best use of your available resources (money, time and skills) to do the things you want to do in life. Estate planning is most often […]
Should You Buy Rental Car Insurance?
It’s probably safe to say that most of us have been there before. That uncertain pause when the rental car clerk asks “Would you like to buy our accident waiver insurance?” You don’t want to be liable to the rental car company if you damage their car, but paying for all of that coverage can […]
Costly 401(k) Mistakes That Could Wipe Out Your Retirement Plan
We were recently asked to help someone who had a very unusual problem with her 401(k). While the combination of problems was unusual, the situation illustrated several common mistakes people make. In this case the combination of mistakes compounded into a nightmare. Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll be able to avoid that result. Here’s […]
Do Tax Cuts Really Stimulate the Economy?
There’s a very popular economic theory that suggests that if tax rates are at zero or 100 percen, the government will raise no revenue in either case. At 100 percent, all income goes to the government so there is no incentive for people to work, while a tax rate of zero percent obviously raises no […]
Estate Planning Is More than Just a Will
Not too long ago, I wrote about the most basic estate-planning tool: your will. If you have children, or really anyone whom you wish to benefit at your death, your will is the most essential foundation for putting your affairs in order after you’re gone. However, “after you’re gone” isn’t the only scenario your estate […]
An Unlikely Valentine’s Gift: Sharing and Preparing
This is probably not going to sound all that romantic. I will even admit that my Valentine’s suggestion probably is a lot more practical than most people would normally consider. There’s no jewelry involved, though a box of See’s candies and a rose would round things out nicely. For many couples, especially those who have […]
Clearing Out Your Old 401(k)
When changing jobs or retiring, one important decision you will face is whether to roll over your employer’s retirement plan (401k, 403b, pension, SIMPLE or SEP IRA, etc.) to an IRA. Before you leave your employer, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. Below are some questions to ask, and […]
President Trump. Now What?
Donald J. Trump will be the next President of the United States, and Republicans maintained control over the House of Representatives and the Senate. Since the election results became clear, equity markets have rallied sharply. As I write this, the U.S. stock market is up about 2.5 percent since the election, while the bond market […]
