Scott Burns' column was nationally syndicated in late 1980, making it one of the longest running syndicated features. It is distributed by Universal Press Syndicate. It can be read on Money Central at MSN.com, one of the three largest financial Web sites. The combination of newspaper and online distribution makes Scott one of the five most widely read financial writers in America. Burns' career as a newspaper columnist began at the Boston Herald in 1977 where he was also the financial editor. He retired from the Dallas Morning News in 2006 after 22 years as its personal finance columnist but has yet to spend a single day as retiree. Instead, he started AssetBuilder, an internet-based registered investment adviser that provides risk-measured portfolios with industry challenging pricing. He says it's fun to actually manage money as well as write about it. He uses a disciplined index-fund based approach. Burns' articles have appeared in a variety of national and regional magazines. He has also published three books: Squeeze It Till The Eagle Grins (1972), Home, Inc., The Hidden Wealth and Power of the American Household (1975) and The Coming Generational Storm (2004) co-authored with Boston University economist Laurence J. Kotlikoff. The book was endorsed by four Nobel laureates and has been published in multiple translations. Spend Till The End, an innovative re-visioning of financial planning, will be published by Simon & Shuster in June of 2008, co-authored with economist Laurence J. Kotlikoff. He also co-authored a policy research paper for the National Center for Policy Analysis, "Reinventing Retirement Income in America." The paper examines the problems of 401k plans and proposes a variety of reforms. Other media experience includes radio, television, speaking engagements and seminars. His business experience includes work with a major management consulting firm. His corporate experience includes six years as a director (and three years as audit chairman) of a publicly traded manufacturing company. Burns graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Humanities and Biology (1962). He also studied writing with poet Archibald MacLeish at Harvard. His web site, www.scottburns.com, has been in operation since July 1996. It offers an archive of columns and special collections as well forums for reader questions. The site also includes regular updates of features such as his signature Couch Potato Building Block Portfolios. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2013 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ It's ugly out there. Millions of people have lost a major part of their financial assets. Millions more have seen the value of their home decline. So let's talk about what's left: human capital. Human c http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/22/at_least_you_still_have_your_human_capital d9cd0e93-d4cf-415f-adf7-c4b1ccec8cb8 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT Retiring is easy. The hard part is having a steady income from your investments. Many who retired in 1999, for instance, regretted it as the stock market fell in the next three years. Today, after a year of sp http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/22/the_problem_with_living_benefits eefb2e37-d9f4-42d9-b0d1-41d2fc84ff3d Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT The patient suffered a cardiac arrest. A dangerous amount of time has passed. Although the heart may be restarted, most cardiac arrest patients suffer severe brain damage after such delay. But we are perv http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/20/getting_an_economic_grip 455ce474-2b92-4264-a981-8108f531a86c Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT The patient suffered a cardiac arrest. A dangerous amount of time has passed. Although the heart may be restarted, most cardiac arrest patients suffer severe brain damage after such delay. But we are perv http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/15/getting_an_economic_grip a10165c1-faf6-4cc4-815d-4409c30434aa Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT SAN DIEGO -- "License to Chill" glides by a wonderful sight in San Diego harbor. Hundreds of sea lions, basking at leisure, occupy their own private resort, a long dock that is anchored out in the harbor. Resp http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/15/watching_california_the_national_yard_sale_begins 24d062b0-bf1a-45f3-9b94-ed3b103d957f Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT In the coming election, two major candidates share a nasty secret. Twenty-five years ago the candidates voted for legislation that now hits middle-class retirees hard. Because of this legislation, many retiree http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/09/two_candidates_with_a_nasty_secret ec28d4cf-2756-4827-a45c-4c3f260864a3 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT Presidential candidate Barack Obama speaks with a broad brush. He explains the current crisis with typical overgeneralization. It is, he says, the result of "eight years of failed Republican policies." Re http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/09/how_history_will_see_our_financial_crisis 1eac7b67-26d1-4be8-8b1e-5e85ae83eacc Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 increase will be the largest in 25 years. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/06/want_a_good_raise_retire 23b4162e-5510-4ca2-b258-0d171479ab09 Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I am 69 years of age. I have been receiving Social Security benefits for the past four years. My current monthly payment is $1,888 per month. If I give back my total benefits of $84,960, Social Security wil http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/02/life,_death_and_social_security_benifits 98c3f28c-392e-4ced-acb7-ccde3cea5db2 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I'm 61 and will be eligible for Social Security benefits next year. From the numbers provided by the Social Security Administration, the difference between the age 62 payment and the full retirement (age 66 http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/01/taking_social_security_benefits_now_vs_later 9b76e6ff-c372-4ec4-9307-9c01a0b0642d Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 of college, a whopping $500 a month... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/01/gifting,_feasting,_sharing f11fc8f0-6224-4c2a-9bc4-eb5115cc3382 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 conservatively for the last few months becaus http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/10/01/you_can_be_a_couch_potato_in_the_thrift_savings 0ecaa61b-f209-4550-9462-195891c77b4b Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:01:00 GMT The Retirement/Investment Complex calls it your "retirement income replacement rate." It's the percentage of your pre-retirement income you "need" to sustain your standard of living in retirement. We call http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/29/replacement_bait_why_the_80_percent_rule_is_wrong 245cc4b6-eec4-4d51-bf3a-299d676178ff Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:09:07 GMT Q: I'm 61 and will be eligible for Social Security benefits next year. From the numbers provided by the Social Security Administration, the difference between the age 62 payment and the full retirement (age 66 http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/29/taking_social_security_benifits_now_vs_later d5be3302-5402-412b-bbb3-383a8b5aef93 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:09:07 GMT Q: I am 69 years of age. I have been receiving Social Security benefits for the past four years. My current monthly payment is $1,888 per month. If I give back my total benefits of $84,960, Social Security will http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/29/life,_death_and_social_security_benifits e295fc2b-f458-4530-9a69-04e04c8a794d Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:09:07 GMT Securities attorney and investment adviser Daniel R. Solin has saved our bacon once again, just as he did at this time last year. That's when he offered a short book on investing for everyone -- even... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/27/invest_in_your_future,_not_the_financial_services_industry c1ba21bb-32e0-4f5c-8d95-66b2101d7183 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I wonder if single-premium immediate annuities (SPIAs) are for me. I am 75. My wife is 73. We have no debt, $850,000 in IRAs (mostly in the American Fund family) and $150,000 in a ROTH, again with... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/27/immediate_annuities_can_be_a_useful_tool 8c915690-2341-4172-9b9d-7c9ecadbbfa7 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: Which would be safest and offer the best long-term results for my 401(k) -- a stable value fund or an inflation-protected bond fund? -- O.C., by e-mail A: Go for the inflation-protected bond fund. Long... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/26/inflation-protected_securities_have_good_long_term-results 0cdaa8a7-9f21-4a60-99e4-61e17e517bb1 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 of college, a whopping $500 a month in http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/26/gifting,_feasting,_and_sharing 56740ef5-8beb-4581-bbf3-e697242d7e06 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I'm semiretired, married, with no children. We own our home. I'm 62, have no pension. Our total savings is $95,000 in Vanguard Target Retirement 2010 fund in an IRA. I just moved it there about six months a http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/26/same_fund_family_but_less_risk 04033d4a-e89e-467b-ae78-4161efe05389 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: Can I be said to be a millionaire? I have cash-type assets of about $180,000. I have a 401(k) worth about $82,000. My paid-off home is worth about $175,000. I will also receive a defined-benefit pension. I http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/yes,_youre_a_virtual_millionaire_-_but_so_is_everyone 2fe8e6b2-a2ce-454b-927c-dd14a6e91fab Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:01:00 GMT 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, a major accounting firm, recentl http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/will_you_die_broke__maybe_not 3710d159-d87a-4628-93a6-e0ed4b12b4ca Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I like my broker, but she and I differ on what type of fund to be in. I prefer a low-expense fund. She says: Forget expenses if the 10-year returns bear more fruit. I have $400,000 to invest. I want to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/your_broker_is_a_hammer_-_dont_be_a_nail 68f23b33-f852-4715-8c30-e1ccf16e8d66 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: How can I prove that my company 401(k) plan is a loser? The company I work for has our plan with Putnam. I believe there is no combination of funds in the 401(k) that has ever beaten the S&P 500 index o http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/tools_for_evaluating_your_401k 414303d3-e171-4cab-84f1-e44283a8fe6a Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT How does the cost of raising a family affect your retirement planning? The answer is good news, in a backhanded kind of way. When we have children we voluntarily reduce our adult standard of living so w http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/the_n_factor_and_retirement_planning c0c28e4f-15dc-4e3e-861e-d9dc8bf4a07f Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: Tired of high fees and disappointing returns, I fired my broker in 2003. I am 41 and have a taxable account at Vanguard (in addition to a 401(k) with my employer). I adopted a "buy and hold" strategy with t http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/market_timing_is_market_timing 4abc5926-44a4-487e-ba40-bdea6f59b5fe Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I am 73 and have investigated buying back the Social Security benefits I took at age 62. The buyback number is $158,529. My current monthly benefit is $1,231. A total buyback would give me a new monthly ben http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/steps_for_getting_a_guaranteed_lifetime_income fb492eb7-4774-4c84-9501-f707a92d3835 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I'm 61 and will be eligible for Social Security benefits next year. From the numbers provided by the Social Security Administration, the difference between the age 62 payment and the full retirement (age 66 http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/taking_social_security_benefits 52ba933d-0b0d-48fc-ab93-fe943ab73808 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Taxes are unpleasant and unfair. We all know this. And our friends in government work hard to keep it that way. The only thing about taxes that all Americans can agree on is that someone else should pay them. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/the_truth_about_income_taxes 41bfe5f7-82c3-4ba1-ac51-9be269bf7ec7 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Allow me to introduce the Power of Non-Financial Thinking. This is the kind of thinking that actual people can do. It involves none of the magical thinking preferred by those on Wall Street who make their... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/three_big_levers_on_your_retirement_spending 94fb13f5-5569-48cb-b96c-b3e5915eeeb2 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 conservatively for the last few months... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/you_can_be_a_couch_potato_in_the_thrift_savings_plan 905082ca-3d37-449f-a95d-b5e92764efb2 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 same question) A: For most people, the http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/the_rush_for_safety_has_reduced_yields bfd8773d-e70a-44c7-9e06-71800f02c96a Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: My mother has recently retired, age 79. She is deeply concerned about what to do with her retirement savings. This would not be such a problem if I hadn't recently become severely disabled and unable to wor http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/sometimes_everything_we_do_is_an_accident_waiting_to_happen ef5a89ff-0b65-472b-83be-7a595788ea5a Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 Attentive Spending. Today, most people http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/the_power_of_attentive_spending 5e139a76-0100-4cbd-825b-891f448e5a53 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 food or energy, were rising faster tha http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/coming_soon__tax_inflation 1c38de51-24b4-4ae2-9723-35979116519f Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Lots of explanations are offered for the soaring prices of oil and commodities. You can choose from: (a) the terrorism premium, (b) speculators, (c) peak oil theory, (d) shrinking net exports from oil-producin http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/another_reason_oil_prices_are_soaring 743c526f-3508-46b5-b4c0-4c2add7572fc Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: When I started taking required minimum distributions from my IRAs, I used a withdrawal formula based on dividing the value of my IRA by 27.4. I understood that this value would have to be withdrawn annually http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/death,_taxes_and_required_minimum_distribution 0394f559-771d-4d6a-83c1-6f9e9fdcd7e2 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT 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 increase will be the largest in 25 years. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/want_a_good_raise__retire 36b67068-12a0-4212-82b4-2c6333866ecb Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Variable annuities have a tough row to hoe. Doomed to being measured against better alternatives, they simply can't overcome the burden of their fees or the higher tax rates investors must pay on their returns http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/25/variable_annuity_watch ceddbeec-a728-496c-85aa-426f7b403c14 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Most of us view the world through dollar glasses. It's perfectly reasonable. Dollars, after all, are the currency we use in daily life. And the lens, until recently, was distinctly rosy. When we asked, "H http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/the_value_of_america,_in_barrels 3fba5b3d-da73-47ff-80dc-a9154520d109 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:01:00 GMT Q: Am I too young to retire and survive? I am 55 years old, and before company reorganization and the elimination of my position, I had a plan. I was cutting back on spending and focusing on retirement, 401(k) http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/you_can_retire_early,_but_it_may_require_a_reset 4e099d15-5e90-4aaa-bee8-4ee2d04423a9 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Here's your quiz question for the day: Who is the biggest liar of them all? The answer will surprise you and, yes, you're allowed to consult your daily newspaper or favorite Web sites. Gird yourself. You http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/promises,_promises,_promises eeb636b7-52f3-43f0-97e9-57e50db87796 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT It takes a lot of smoke and rubble to make things clear, but this week brought crystal clarity to a new level. Wall Street bet the ranch. Wall Street lost the ranch. As we see the household names crum http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/reading_the_new_map 17468e50-6031-4c8a-af01-c1ecca838cb6 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: I'm wondering about taking my retirement pension as a lump sum. My financial planner recommends taking the lump sum instead of a monthly pension payment. I know he will benefit from investing the lump sum, http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/life,_death_and_monthly_income ddadbc53-94c4-4625-ac62-47c6bf51be4c Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT Q: Tired of high fees and disappointing returns, I fired my broker in 2003. I am 41 and have a taxable account at Vanguard (in addition to a 401(k) with my employer). I adopted a "buy and hold" strategy with t http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/market_timing_is_market_timing aa2dd986-1ba3-4907-b426-3f0da28ad6f6 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT READING THE NEW MAP It takes a lot of smoke and rubble to make things clear, but this week brought crystal clarity to a new level. Wall Street bet the ranch. Wall Street lost the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/24/reading_the_new_map e43a0818-ebc3-4e8d-9fbe-1056b40a8878 Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT MARKET TIMING IS MARKET TIMING Q: Tired of high fees and disappointing returns, I fired my broker in 2003. I am 41 and have a taxable account at Vanguard (in addition to a 401(k) with my... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/23/market_timing_is_market_timing 659d064a-5e18-40e1-86c0-5795ba5a46bf Tue, 23 Sep 2008 14:01:00 GMT READING THE NEW MAP It takes a lot of smoke and rubble to make things clear, but this week brought crystal clarity to a new level. Wall Street bet the ranch. Wall Street lost the... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/23/reading_the_new_map 08d230d9-726c-40ba-9916-a926fae5ce40 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT The Retirement/Investment Complex calls it your "retirement income replacement rate." It's the percentage of your pre-retirement income you "need" to sustain your standard of living in retirement. We call http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/18/replacement_bait_why_the_80_rule_is_wrong ac07b892-5f3c-4988-a1e7-bb50e0162e28 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:45:05 GMT A recent column predicted that seniors would get the largest Social Security benefit increase in 25 years next January -- about 6 percent. It quickly drew fire from older readers. The 6 percent increase, they http://www.townhall.com/columnists/ScottBurns/2008/09/18/medicare_biggest_threat_to_retirement_standard e4541de2-2c9e-4639-8ea9-4b5419433314 Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:01:00 GMT