http://www.beacon-advisor.com fee only, hourly financial planning Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:02:37 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In January of this year, people collecting Social Security retirement benefits received one of the highest cost of living adjustment (COLA) increases seen since the 1980s.  Unfortunately, that increase may be the last one you see for a few years. If you are retired and receiving Social Security benefits, you know ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/06/social-security-cola-could-be-0-for-next-few-years/ The weather's great, so staying inside with your finances probably doesn't sound like a very entertaining option. But a midyear review of your taxes, retirement and spending issues can be far more valuable than the rushed attempt most people make at the end of the year-or when it's too late ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/06/its-summertime-time-for-a-midyear-financial-checkup/ As Baby Boomers are getting closer and closer to retirement, they have many questions about Social Security, such as... Will Social Security be there for me when it's my time to collect benefits? For a long time the media has been telling us that Social Security is going bust. Millions of Americans ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/06/common-social-security-retirement-questions/ It's hard to say what 2009 will look like. While there are still several concerns (the housing market, rising unemployment, etc.), there will also be considerable government intervention to help improve the economy this year, both in the U.S. and worldwide. So what should you do in 2009 to make ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/01/steps-to-take-for-a-better-2009/ After watching their 401K balances shrink up to 40% in 2008, many people are wondering if they should change their allocation to include more "safe" investments, or if they should move completely to "safe" investments then move back into the market later. Here's what Walter Updegrave with Money Magazine has to ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/01/should-you-move-to-safer-investments/ The IRS has announced that brokers may furnish certain composite annual tax reporting statements by Feb. 17, 2009, without penalty. The notice provides that the new February due date established under a recent law change to provide Form 1099-B information to customers also applies to other tax information customarily reported to ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/01/1099b-forms-delayed/ Finally some good news for retirees... Social Security benefits are being increased 5.8% for 2009.  This is the largest increase in more than 25 years! This increase will boost the average monthly Social Security retirement check from $1,090 to $1,153. Even more good news... for the first time since 2000, Medicare premiums ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2009/01/social-security-benefits-increase-58-for-2009/ I know many people were hoping this would pass for 2008 rather than 2009, but I guess late is better than not at all. Congress approved legislation this week that will provide some relief to Americans over 70 1/2 who have suffered significant losses in their IRA accounts.  The bill will ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2008/12/seniors-get-a-tax-break-in-2009-congress-suspends-rmd/ A new tax law in 2006 allowed homeowners to claim credits for purchases that make their homes more efficient.  This law was originally only for purchases or improvements made in 2006 and 2007, but has been extended by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 to include 2009 (not sure ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2008/12/home-energy-credits/ Despite widespread stock market losses in 2008, several mutual fund companies have announced that they will make capital gain distributions to shareholders in mid-December. This is a double whammy to investors because shareholders who hold mutual funds in taxable accounts must pay taxes on those capital gain distributions even if those ... http://www.beacon-advisor.com/2008/12/watch-out-for-capital-gain-distributions/