I recently gave a webinar on the subject of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which generated lots of feedback. Evidently, the WEP affects many American olim. Many American citizens who have made aliya weren’t aware that their moving to Israel and receiving a pension in Israel would affect Social Security payments…. Read more
If you’re ready to get serious about a multicurrency life, here are some key ideas you need to know.
Reference and Living Currency
The first thing you have to know is the difference between a reference currency and a living currency. A reference currency is the currency that you use to measure your net worth…. Read more
As a result of the Patriot Act, regulations were enacted that have made it difficult for U.S. investment firms to work overseas. Many firms have chosen to close down their operations outside the United States rather than adjust their compliance procedures. In fact, people living outside America have been receiving termination letters from companies like Wells Fargo,… Read more
Wealth transfer is a hot topic in financial planning. Thinking about how to pass funds from one generation to the next can be emotionally difficult. Perhaps the older generation doesn’t approve of the way the younger spends the money, or the younger generation isn’t involved in the family business…. Read more
With the current news, investing can be a scary business. It’s great when you make money, but terrible when you lose. Even paper losses can hurt.
While investing can be nerve racking, it doesn’t need to be. If your investments are made according to your financial plan, and you maintain your desired asset allocation, … Read more
As a result of anti-money-laundering legislation that was supposed to dry up the cash flow to terrorists, a great deal of trouble has befallen U.S. citizens living overseas. Not only do Americans now have to file IRS tax returns, but any of them who hold an aggregate of $10,000 in overseas accounts needs to file additional forms with the American government…. Read more
Boy! I really riled the feathers of a Nobel Prize winner recently when I suggested that the U.S. Social Security system resembles a Ponzi scheme. Let me give you the background: Since I work with many American olim when I help them put together financial plans and handle their U.S…. Read more
On Wall Street, risk means the possibility of losing some, or even all, of your original investment. Risk is the chance that your final investment return will be different than what you expect it to be. The risk/return tradeoff is the balance between the lowest possible risk one is willing to assume and the highest possible return one can hope to achieve based on the risk taken…. Read more
The most important time to focus on a successful retirement may be the five years preceding retirement.
Five Years and Counting
The five-year period leading up to retirement is generally the time people bring home their largest paychecks due to their experience and company seniority. At the same time,… Read more
People are often divided into two categories: “haves” and “have-nots,” or fiscally “organized” versus “disorganized.” Some folks can recite their monthly expenses, savings and pension plans by heart, while others have no idea what they spend weekly on groceries. While these two categories of people may approach their finances from dramatically different angles,… Read more
