Scott Burns
-
The easy way to simple, low-cost investingJul 22, 2016 1:00 am - Q: I'm worried about Required Minimum Distributions and investing expenses in my IRA. This year, I decided against a variable annuity because of expenses. But I'm still ...
-
Retirement security more about choices than returnsJul 15, 2016 1:00 am - Q: We have interviewed fee-only certified financial planners, but even they focus primarily on managing money. I am 68; my wife is 65. We were both involuntarily retired...
-
When life insurance is like a good lottery ticketJul 10, 2016 1:00 am - Q: My SGLI premium - Serviceman Group Life Insurance - is due to increase soon when I turn 70. I am trying to figure out if I should continue or drop the $200,000 policy...
-
Invest, or pay off debt?Jul 03, 2016 1:00 am - Q: My husband and I are retired and in our 70s. We live on about $8,000 a month from a combination of Social Security, an inherited annuity, my pension and required mini...
-
To reduce retirement risk, reduce debtJun 23, 2016 1:00 am - Q: We are a retired couple. We have two debts that we have not paid off. One is a Sallie Mae student loan at 3.875 percent. We are making payments of $500 monthly. We a...
-
Seven 'slow ideas' in personal financeJun 19, 2016 1:00 am - Ideas are odd things. Some spread like wildfire, instantly transforming our lives. Others are slow, taking decades to be recognized as basic truths. Here are seven "slow...
-
Long life expectancy? Defer Social Security benefitsJun 12, 2016 1:00 am - Q: One of your recent columns was very interesting to me. It was from a 61-year-old woman with a 74-year-old husband. I am 62 and my husband is 78, so there are similari...
-
Some IRA withdrawals an cost more than othersJun 02, 2016 1:00 am - Q: My wife and I are retired. We recently purchased a condo with the proceeds of our previous house, plus $43,000 from my IRA. I must pay back the $43,000 to the IRA wit...
-
Supplemental Social Security good, but strings attachedMay 29, 2016 1:00 am - Q: Do you have any information on Supplemental Social Security? I retired at 59 and was visiting family, and they asked if I had heard of this. I have read a little on t...
-
How a required minimum distribution is calculatedMay 22, 2016 1:00 am - Q: I'm confused. The Required Minimum Distribution table number for age 70 1/2 is 27.4. Where are you getting the 3.65 percent rate mentioned in a recent column as the a...