Selecting beneficiaries for retirement benefits is different from choosing beneficiaries for other assets such as life insurance. With retirement benefits, you need to know the impact of income tax and estate tax laws in order to select the right beneficiaries. Although taxes shouldn't be the sole determining factor in naming your beneficiaries, ignoring the impact of taxes could lead you to make an incorrect choice.
Medicare is a federal program that provides health insurance to retired individuals, regardless of their medical condition. Here are some basic facts about Medicare that you should know.
What does Medicare cover?
Section 529 plans and Coverdell education savings accounts are two of the most popular ways to save for college. But which savings option is right for you?
Definitions
By definition, estate planning is a process designed to help you manage and preserve your assets while you are alive, and to conserve and control their distribution after your death according to your goals and objectives. But what estate planning means to you specifically depends on who you are. Your age, health, wealth, lifestyle, life stage, goals, and many other factors determine your particular estate planning needs. For example, you may have a small estate and may be concerned only that certain people receive particular things. A simple will is probably all you'll need. Or, you may have a large estate, and minimizing any potential estate tax impact is your foremost goal. Here, you'll need to use more sophisticated techniques in your estate plan, such as a trust.
The income you receive from disability income insurance may or may not be taxable. The taxability of disability income insurance benefits depends on what type of benefits you receive, whether the premiums were paid with pretax or after-tax dollars, and who paid the premiums (you or your employer).
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Financial Planning--Helping You See the Big Picture
If something just happened and you need to know if you're covered, you should immediately call your insurer or agent or take a look at your policy. But if you're simply wondering what's covered (and what's not) for future reference, you might start by familiarizing yourself with some real-life scenarios.
