Elliot Raphaelson

Health savings accounts, beneficiaries and tax liability

August 4, 2021 at 8:19 p.m.

I have written previously about the tax advantages associated with health savings accounts (HSAs). Contributions are tax-deductible regardless of income. Returns on contributions grow tax-deferred. As long as distributions are...

As a successor beneficiary of IRA, wife cannot do rollover

October 3, 2019 at 7:59 p.m.

In this week's column, I will answer questions submitted by readers. Q. My husband inherited an IRA from his deceased father, who had already been receiving distributions based on his...

Multiemployer pension plans need saving

October 3, 2019 at 7:59 p.m.

In this space, I have frequently written of the potential difficulties facing those preparing for retirement who do not have the advantage of a defined-benefit pension. Today I'd like to...

To age successfully, couples need a physically active and mentally stimulating lifestyle, strong social engagement, and the purpose and meaning in life.

How to avoid critical mistakes later in life

October 3, 2019 at 7:57 p.m.

Although the divorce rate of younger couples has been dropping, the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the divorce rate for married people over...

Getting rid of your timeshare

May 23, 2019 at 2:22 p.m.

They say the two happiest days in a boat owner's life are the day he buys it and the day he sells it. The same may be true of timeshares....

What you need to know about hedge funds

December 25, 2018 at 7:31 p.m.

Do hedge funds belong in your portfolio? I have long preached that investors buy no-load, low-cost index funds. So why write about hedge funds? For one thing, "hedge fund" is...

Gold is a hedge, not a substitute for a diversified portfolio

December 25, 2018 at 2:53 p.m.

In times of great volatility in the stock and bond markets, interest spikes in commodities such as gold. Indeed, ever since the global economic turmoil began more than four years...

Key to successful investing: Identifying relevant risks

December 25, 2018 at 10:51 a.m.

Very few individual investors do as well as market indexes on a long-term basis. One major reason is that they fail to develop long-range plans, instead creating portfolios that require...

Reverse mortgages have pitfalls, so reserve only as a last option

May 23, 2019 at 2:18 p.m.

Like many financial products, reverse mortgages are designed to meet a particular need in the marketplace. Nevertheless, while they may be appropriate for some homeowners, they are unsuitable or even...

7 questions you need to answer for a secure retirement

December 24, 2018 at 9:31 p.m.

There are many good personal finance writers, and in previous columns I have recommended many of them, and their books. One author who has not received a great deal of...

All Stories