Real-World Retirement Planning

What I Should Have Said For Real-World Retirement Planning

The NY Times posted an article recently from Paul B. Brown. He’s a former advisor and author. When asked if he would change the advice he gave he said, ” No, I wouldn’t change any of the advice. I told people to start saving aggressively while they’re young and to diversify their holdings. — But I would have provided not only more empathy, but more real-world advice as well.”

The article goes on to detail 3 examples of things he would say now – in hindsight. He talks about the age of retirement, the reality of life and finances as well as those special expenses that come along. He actually even gives a percentage goal for how much you’ll need – which may surprise you.

You can read the full article here.

Credit Scores – How Much Can They Rise?

 

Raising Your Credit Scores

Credit scores:  It is so incredibly important for a person’s financial well-being. So why is there is a surprising amount of mystery surrounding the FICO method of evaluating credit scores? According to FICO itself, after examining its own data, they revealed some solid information.  This can help explain how much a person could expect their credit score to rise after a delinquency falls off of their report.
What did they find? After one delinquency was removed from an account holder there was a rise. Over a three month period, it seems that it typically resulted in a 14-point rise in their credit score. A removal of all outstanding delinquencies over the same period showed a 33-point increase. Although this might not seem like a dramatic increase, they also point out that the penalty for major negatives on an account decreases over time, so the recovery after it actually falls off can be modest.

Radical New Strategy for Advisors in Asset Planning

 

Family asset planning

Have you ever considered providing asset planning for the whole family when consulting with your clients?

Forbes October magazine has an interesting article about a pilot program from an advisor with Wells Fargo.

We probably all know of situations in which a family death began a feud over what money and possessions remain. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s great amounts of money or small. It always has the potential to get unpleasant.

The program highlighted in this article seeks to counsel families in how to plan for the inheritances – before death – so that everyone makes the best use of the assets. Parents are finding comfort through this program in discussing their financial standing openly and honestly with their children so that they can plan to make the best use of their inheritance. It also gives peace of mind to the parents that their gifts will be used appropriately and not be wasted on foolish gains and activities.

The clients noted in the article are, admittedly, dealing with massive amounts of money. Maybe you have some of those clients yourself. Maybe your clients with less money could benefit from a similar approach as well.

Take a look at the article and see what you think. This program is reporting huge success and say they have people beating down the doors to be involved. Could this work for you in your practice?

Inflation and Your Retirement

Inflation, death and taxes – all a sure thing.

When you’re talking about your retirement, inflation is one of those unsure elements that can make or break your sound planning.

Many Americans identify inflation as one of their greatest concerns. You know it’s coming. Is your retirement plan such that it is able to handle the expected or unexpected jumps?

FoxBusiness.com published this article recently outlining the Facts v. Myths you may find interesting in light of your retirement goals. Many people expect to handle any lapses by being more frugal, but will that cover the possible shortfalls?

FoxBusiness.com quotes  Deb Repya, VP of Consumer Insights for Allianz Life; “Although it may be an option for managing expenses, frugality is not a financial strategy that will mindfully and effectively address the rising cost of living throughout retirement, especially one that could last 30 years or more. There are many factors to consider when planning a long, comfortable retirement and addressing inflation is a critical piece of that puzzle.”

For more information, check out the full article here.

Data Breach From – What Retirees Need To Know Today

Equifax data breach

As a sign of the times, there is another data breach, this time it is Equifax, affecting millions of people. There are numerous sources for what do do as a consumer in response to this latest breach, but what about retirees? Is there anything additional that you need to know to protect yourself?

Check out this article from MaketWatch.com for a couple of good suggestions. There are a couple of suggestions you should consider regarding your Social Security and Medicare numbers.

 

Final Installment – Important Retirement Savings – Age 70 1/2

Last but not least – age 70 1/2

We’ve reached the end of our series sharing important information you need to know for your retirement milestones. Here we are at age 70 1/2 – what’s left to know?

Required distributions? Yep! After age 70 1/2, your traditional IRA, ROTH 401(k) and traditional 401(k) require distributions each year with large tax penalties for missing those deadlines. What are those deadlines? How can you avoid taxes on IRA withdrawals? Can you delay withdrawals from your 401(k)? When are you no longer eligible for tax deductions on new IRA contributions? All important questions!

Check out this minute and a half video from US News and World Reports for more details.

If you missed any of the milestones in this series, you can link to those below

Age 50

Age 59 1/2

Age 65

Age 66

MORE Important Retirement Savings – Age 66

Continuing our series: Age 66 – What you need to know now.

This is the next to the last installment in our series. I hope you’ve learned a lot! Maybe it hasn’t applied to you to this point so you’re just joining us now. In either case, what do you need to know about your retirement planning at age 66?

Social Security! We all have been waiting – hoping it will be there when we finally are eligible to collect. Those of you who are baby boomers are indeed eligible to receive full benefits at age 66, however, there are increases in monthly benefits if you wait until age 70 to start claiming them. Claiming Social Security before age 66 can mean significant reductions in your monthly pay outs. The opposite is also true – if you wait – you will see a significant increase in those same monthly benefits.

What if you aren’t a baby boomer, but you are looking ahead – as a wise person should? The requirements are different for you! Check out this full video from US News and World Reports for all the details.

Missed one in the series? Just click below. Want to be sure you catch the last installment regarding important information for your retirement by age?  Watch for it on Thursday September 28th.

Age 50

Age 59 1/2

Age 60

MORE Important Retirement Savings – Age 65

What? Age 65 and I can still make a difference in my retirement savings?

With yet another installment in our series: if you have 90 seconds to spare, I found some awesome more important information that can enhance your retirement savings if you are turning age 65!

We’ve covered age 50 and 59 1/2 in previous posts. Now, what if you’ve reached the golden age of 65?  Yes, there are still important things you need to know regarding your retirement savings with this new birthday. Who said aging stinks? The benefits keep piling up!

Let’s talk Medicare: there is a window where you first become eligible for signup beginning 3 months before your 65th birthday and until 4 months after your 65th birthday. Signing up after that can mean permanent cost penalties can be added to your plan. There are a host of other deadlines you need to keep on your radar for the next few years.

Check out all the details in this short video from US News and World Reports.

Important Retirement Savings – Age 59 1/2

Do you have 90 seconds to enhance your retirement savings?

If you have 90 seconds to spare, I found some awesome information that can enhance your retirement savings if you are at least age 59 1/2!

There may be times in your life where you feel like you need to dip into that retirement savings, but by waiting until age 59 1/2, you can avoid hefty penalties when you include the taxes also due on the withdrawal. There are some exceptions though.

Check out this video from US News and World Reports for more details. The video is literally 1 minute and 14 seconds. That’s about how long it takes to ride the escalator to your office! 1 minute and 14 seconds that could save you a bunch of money – knowledge is power!

Important Retirement Savings – Age 50

Do you have 90 seconds to enhance your retirement savings?

If you have 90 seconds to spare, I found some awesome information that can enhance your retirement savings if you are at least age 50!

Did you know that the closer you get to retiring, there are changes in rules regarding contributions and withdrawals from  your IRA and 401(k) accounts? Once you turn age 50 you can save more in your 401(k) account than younger coworkers. By maxing out your 401(k), you can save a significant amount in taxes. After age 50, IRA accounts also allow you to make larger catch up payments and to defer taxes on more money than younger investors.

US News and World Reports has a great recap of these rules in short video located here. It’s really just over a minute long.

 

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