Scott Burns
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Gifting, feasting and sharingSep 01, 2008 11:00 pm - Spending goes in only one direction. Up. This is a fundamental law of the universe. It is always possible to spend more money. This was true when I got my first job out ...
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Be a couch potato on Thrift Savings PlanAug 27, 2008 11:00 pm - Q: I saw your advice to a Seattle reader who had lost some money in the government Thrift Savings Plan. I also have over $100,000 in the TSP. I have been investing conse...
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Recognizing the different annuitiesAug 20, 2008 11:00 pm - Q: I would like to know the difference between a variable annuity and a life annuity. A few years ago I invested $100,000 in a tax-deferred variable annuity. Later, I ca...
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Will you die broke? Maybe notAug 18, 2008 11:00 pm - A new study indicates that most Americans will die broke. You may think that's just more bad news, but read on. I'll tell you why things may be better. Ernst & Young LLP...
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Bet on sure things for retirementAug 13, 2008 11:00 pm - Q: A co-worker is 65. He is going to start taking Social Security even though he is still working full time as an engineer, making good money. I am close to being the sa...
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The power of attentive spendingAug 11, 2008 11:00 pm - Yes, there is a silver lining in the gigantic cloud that surrounds us. It's small, but it has a value far greater than most people realize. I call it the Power of Attent...
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Meet the alternative minimum tax for the retiredAug 06, 2008 11:00 pm - Q: What triggers taxation of Social Security benefits and what does not? Can the tax be avoided? - L.M., by e-mail A: The only proven way to avoid the tax is to have l...
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Want a good raise? RetireAug 04, 2008 11:00 pm - Senior citizens can look forward to a major increase in Social Security benefits next year. Unless there is a sudden rush of deflation in the current quarter, the increa...
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The rush for safety has reduced yieldsJul 30, 2008 11:00 pm - Q: Would you give us retirees your view as to the safest place for our hard-earned savings while we are having bank failures? - H.V., by e-mail (one of many asking the s...
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Coming soon? Tax inflationJul 28, 2008 11:00 pm - It has been a long time - decades - since we suffered from tax inflation. In the late '70s a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly showed that taxes, not...