By: Howard Gold
t’s best to wait until you’re 70 to start taking Social Security retirement benefits — even if it means tapping into your retirement assets at the bottom of a bear market. Why? Because the guaranteed, risk-free 8% annual Social Security benefit increase...
Whenever a Massachusetts resident passes away with over $1 million in assets, the state will impose an estate tax. The estate tax is progressive, and the highest estate tax rate is 16 percent. If you’re a resident of the Bay State and you’re interested in passing on as much of...
Most Americans do not have a Last Will & Testament or any type of estate planning document in place. The coronavirus pandemic has inspired many Southeastern Massachusetts residents to get their estate planning affairs in order. Whether you are finalizing your will, trust, health care proxy, advance health care directive,...
As of the end of July, more than 150,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the United States. Over 4.4 million people have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Most people who contract the coronavirus recover from the virus without any lasting side effects. Unfortunately, coronavirus can also cause perilous symptoms....
Yes, it might seem crazy to start thinking about a possible future when you're infirmed and need long-term health care if you're only in your 50s. You're young, or relatively young, and healthy. But that's the point: You...
Alice and Mark drove John out to Worcester and dropped him off at his dorm. The college was about two hours from their home on Cape Cod. Once he was moved in, Alice gave him a tearful goodbye. Things seemed to be going well that first semester of college. They talked and...
In this country, there is a growing problem regarding a lack of supportive resources for family caregivers. There are government programs, charities and nonprofit organizations that might be able to help intermittently, but what caregivers often need most is sound advice, regular respite and an extra set of hands.
It seems like many people devote more time to planning a vacation, what car to buy or even where to eat dinner than they do deciding who will inherit their assets after they're gone. Sure, estate planning isn’t as fun to think about as booking a trip or checking out restaurant reviews....
by Barry J. Jacobs, AARP
Carol had a big heart — sometimes too big, she thought. She was glad to run errands for her unmarried 82-year-old aunt who suffered from Parkinson's disease. But then her...
Ashlea Ebeling, Senior Contributor, Personal Finance
If you’re laid off in the COVID-19 economy and you’re an older adult, you might be wondering: Am I going to have to take Social Security earlier than I planned? How much will that reduce my monthly benefits in the long run? What...
