Author Archives: Matthew Illian

Once you buy this product, you’re stuck. All structured settlement transfers must take place through a court order…

Q: My husband hasn’t gotten rid of a single bill or financial statement during our entire 18-year marriage! He received a shredder from Santa this past Christmas, and I am ready to get started, but I want to know what, if any, of this paperwork I should keep.

Q: I am a 65-year-old retired widow and I have a large IRA. How should I invest if I don’t need this money?

You have now created an efficient money-generating machine, and you should start enjoying your success.

Q: I was told that I would not be able to apply for spousal social security until my husband qualifies for social security. Should I keep working so I can collect my small social security payment or should I just wait for spousal payments at age 73?

When Gordon Murphy, an investment banking veteran, was told he only had six months to live, he decided to use his last days to write a book aimed at changing the way most individual investors think about investing.

Q:What advice can you offer for how to go about accessing retirement funds after a hardship?

Q: I would like to see a portion of my investments make a difference in the world. Can you suggest an approach to socially responsible investing?

Q: I received a letter from a nonprofit organization to which I regularly donate suggesting I may be eligible for state tax credits. Can you please explain what this means?

Q: We plan to use appreciated stock for charitable giving and are looking into using a Schwab Charitable Fund. Do you have any feedback on this strategy?

Q: I inherited shares of five stocks from my parents, who died many years ago. I am now 70 years old and would like to gift them to my grandchildren. How do you recommend I do this?

Just a few weeks ago, my wife and I were going to join a diverse group of friends for dinner. My wife said we would bring dessert but on the day of the event, there was no time for baking.

Here are three reasons to make time for thanksgiving during this national holiday weekend.

Q: I have put my investments in bonds until this global economic crisis settles down and the economic woes of the European Union subside. Do you have any suggestions for indicators that I should look for to get back in?

Q: It’s annual enrollment time, and my employer is now offering a health insurance plan with a $3,500 deductible and otherwise similar benefits as an alternative to our conventional HMO health plan. What do you recommend I do?

I’m turning 45 this year and the reality is hitting me that I am now about halfway through my working career. Am I on track to retire at age 65?

Q: Is it now time to short Treasuries? What do you think about using inverse ETFs to play the inevitable bear market for U.S. bonds?

Q: I just hit the big 5-0, and my retirement date is now in the foreseeable future. How do you suggest I assess the performance of my 401(k) and investment accounts? Do you have any benchmark recommendations? I would like … Read More

What advice do you have for someone who is considering a strategy shift toward fixed income?

Most Americans want to know that everyone is paying their fair share. Achieving this goal gets more challenging with each dot and tiddle added to the voluminous internal tax code.

Q: I am receiving some extra cash as a result of maturing CDs. I want to make a safe investment that is protected against future inflation. We do not need this money, and so I am interested to know what you think of purchasing I bonds for our grandchildren. I have heard they can be tax free if used for college.

Q: My husband and I divorced several years ago, and I am about to turn 62 in December. Since my ex-husband (he’s a year older) and I parted ways, we don’t talk. Can you please explain the Social Security benefits due to a divorced spouse?

Q: I am 53 years old and have never invested in the stock market. I have inherited $150,000 from a family member, and my son is recommending that I invest this money in the market. Do you agree?

Q: Our son is headed to Virginia Tech as a college freshman. When it comes to finances, he’s clueless. What financial advice should we offer before we drop him off?

On the same day that the S&P 500 plunged 6.7% in reaction to the Standard & Poor’s downgrade of US sovereign debt, Bloomberg is reporting on two different headlines stating that Warren Buffet’s company, Berkshire Hathaway, is on a buying spree.

In a recent Vanguard commentary entitled, “Despite gloomy news, some trends back economic improvement”, Mr. Aliaga-Diaz writes that there are many factors pointing to a long term economic recovery.

If the American family hopes to emerge from this debt crisis, the American people must recover the productive zeal that fueled our country’s growth in the past.

Capitalizing on tax savings can allow you to be even more generous in years to come.

Students are graduating with larger debt loads than they were 10 years ago. Public four-year college borrowers graduate with an average of $19,800 in debt; their nonprofit private college counterparts graduate owing $26,100.

Virginia land preservation tax credits are a savvy way for you to save up to 25% on your state tax bill.

Wall Street loves speculators because they often get out of a stock just as quickly as they got in. And every time a trade is made, a coin in a Wall Street coffer rings.

An individual 401(k) (also known as a “solo 401(k)”) offers you the option to defer the first $16,500 of income.

With the income tax debate currently controlled by legislators advocating even higher rates, I don’t think you will regret having some tax free money.

Real estate could be a great investment right now.

My youngest is a first-year student at the University of Virginia. My coauthor Matthew’s youngest child was born only a month ago. There is no such thing as saving too early.

Those who moved their investments to the supposed safety of Treasury bond investments were deeply disappointed.

We call the difference between the market return and typical investor returns the “termite gap.”

Virginia 529 plans allow for an unlimited carry-forward deduction.

Future earnings and the potential for Roth IRA conversions should be part of your plan.

Healthy spouses with little earnings should encourage their partners to delay filing.

Filing early and then repaying is the least dangerous for those who are single or for a husband and wife whose benefits are roughly equal.

Dying young never jeopardizes a retirement plan financially.

Filing early exacts a steep price.

Your filing option choices may be worth $250,000 of income or more.

A $360,000 investment can remove over $2 million from their taxable estate, savings $900,706 in estate taxes.