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Archive for Blog – Page 3

What Kind of Retirement Do You Want?

Posted by Frank McKinley on
 July 14, 2021

We all know the process. Estimate how much is needed in retirement
(which can range anywhere from 70% to over 100% of pre-retirement
income), determine available income sources, and then calculate how much to save annually to reach those goals. As you go through this largely mathematical exercise, however, don’t forget the most important part. You need to give serious thought to the type of retirement you want — visualize what retirement will be like.

Retirement is no longer viewed as a time to slow down, but considered a new beginning in life. That means your current living expenses may have very little to do with your retirement expenses. To help you visualize your retirement so you can estimate retirement expenses, consider these questions:

When do you want to retire?
Will you realistically have the resources to retire at that age?

Do you plan to stay in your current home, trade down to a smaller one, or move to a different city? If you plan to move, is the cost of living there more or less expensive than your present city?

Will your mortgage be paid off by retirement? What about other debts?

Will you continue to work after retirement? If so, will you work part- or full-time? Where will you work and how much can you expect to earn? Do you have any hobbies or interests That can be turned into paying job s?  Are you planning to start a business after retiring?

How will you spend your free time? What hobbies will you pursue? How much and where will you travel? How much will all these activities cost?

How will you pay for medical costs? Will your employer provide health insurance or will you need to purchase insurance to supplement Medicare coverage?

Do you have any medical conditions that are likely to impact your quality of life in retirement? What would you do if you became physically disabled? Would your spouse take care of you, would you move in with your children, or would you go to a nursing home? How will you provide for long-term-care costs?

How much of your income will be provided by personal investments, including 401(k) funds? Are you confident those investments will last your entire retirement?

What would happen financially if your spouse dies? If you die, would your spouse be able to support himself/herself financially?

Answering these questions should give you a clearer picture of what your retirement will be like.

If you’d like to review these questions in more detail, please call or contact me.

Frankly Speaking

The English astronomer Edmund Halley prepared the first detailed mortality table in 1693. Life and death could now be studied statistically,and the life insurance industry was born. – Mathshistory.st-andrews.ac.uk

“You can live to be a hundred if you give up all things that make you want to live to be a hundred.” – Woody Allen
“Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The World owes you nothing. It was here first.” – Mark Twain

Summertime an’ the livin’s easy, fish are jumpin’ & the market is high…And where is RISK when the Market is HIGH? Where is the market today? You got it – HIGH! And what can you do about it? Ever hear of Guaranteed Income Accounts*? Or ‘Buffered’ accounts, either Exchange Traded Funds or (God forbid) annuities*? They each offer downside protection in exchange for a ‘cap’ on gains. So, WHEN do you think the next correction will occur? Sooner or later?

If you or anyone you know wants to discuss protection of your gains, PLEASE call or contact me ASAP!

*All guarantees and protections are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing company.

Categories : Blog, Financial Services, Retirement, Savings

What Are Your Retirement Planning Assumptions?

Posted by Frank McKinley on
 July 7, 2021

To enjoy your retirement without financial worries,  make sure you have enough money saved when you retire. This calculation can be a daunting task, since a variety of factors affect your required amount and inaccurate estimates for any factor can leave you with way too little in savings. Some of the more significant factors
include:

What percentage of your preretirement
income will you need?

You can find various rules of thumb indicating you need anywhere from 70% to over 100% of your preretirement income. On the surface, it seems like you should need less than 100% of your income. After all, you won’t have any work-related
expenses, such as clothing, lunch, or commuting costs. But look carefully at your current expenses and how you plan to spend your retirement before deciding how much you’ll need. If you pay off your mortgage, stay in good health, live in a city with a low cost of living, and engage in inexpensive
hobbies, then you might need less than 100% of your income. However, if you travel extensively, pay for

pay for health insurance, and maintain significant debt levels, even 100% of your income may not be enough. You need to take a close look at your expenses and planned retirement activities to come up with a reasonable estimate.

When will you retire?

Your retirement date determines how long you have to save and how long investment returns can compound. You want to make sure your retirement savings and other income sources, such as Social Security and pension benefits, will support you for what could be a very lengthy retirement. Even extending your retirement age by a couple of years can significantly affect the ultimate amount you need.

How long will you live?

Today, the average life expectancy of a 65-year-old man is 81 and of a 65-year-old woman is 84 (Source: Social Security Administration). Most people use average life expectancies to estimate this, but average life expectancy means you have a 50% chance of living beyond that age and a 50% chance of dying before that age. Since you can’t be sure which will apply to you, it’s typically better to assume you’ll live at least a few years past that age. When deciding how many years to add, consider your health as well as how long other family members have lived.

What long-term rate of return do you expect to earn on investments?

A few years ago, many retirement plans were calculated using fairly high rates of return. Those high returns don’t look so assured now. At a 

minimum, make sure your expectations are based on average returns over a very long period. You might even want to be more conservative, assuming a rate of return lower than long-term averages suggest. Even a small difference in your estimated and actual rate of return can make a big difference in your ultimate savings.

Have you considered inflation?

Even modest levels of inflation can significantly impact the purchasing power of your money over long time periods. For instance, after 30 years of just 2% inflation, your portfolio’s purchasing power will decline by 45%. When estimating an inflation figure, don’t just look at the historically low inflation rates of the recent past. Also consider long- term inflation rates, since your retirement could last for decades.

What tax rate do you expect to pay during retirement?

Especially if you save significant amounts in
tax-deferred investments that will be taxable when withdrawn, your tax rate can significantly affect the amount you’ll have available for spending. You may find your tax rate is the same or higher fter retirement.

Once you’ve estimated these factors, you can calculate how much you’ll need for retirement.

Please call if you’d like help with this calculation.

Categories : Blog, financial planning, Financial Services, Retirement

Retirement Planning Decade by Decade

Posted by Frank McKinley on
 June 14, 2021

Retirement planning is a life-long process. Below are some of the key retirement-planning actions you need to be taking from your 20s through your 60s.

Your 20s

Start saving. The sooner you can start saving for retirement, the less you’ll have to save overall. If you start saving $5,000 per year at age 25, you’ll have just under $775,000 by age 65, assuming annual returns of 6%. Wait until age 35 to start saving and you’ll have about $395,000 — more than $300,000 less. Also, since you’re still decades away from your retirement date, don’t be afraid to take some risk with your investments. You’ll have to stomach some ups and downs, but earning higher returns from equity (or stock) in-vestments now means more money (and less to save) as you get older. Other steps to take when you’re young: start budgeting, avoid debt, and save for other goals, like buying a house. Even if you’re not earning a lot right now, adopting healthy money habits today will pay big dividends later in life.

Your 30s

As you enter your 30s, your in-come is probably heading upward and your life is beginning to stabilize. You may find that you can contribute more to your retirement savings accounts than you could in your 20s. As your income increases, consider increasing your retirement contributions by the amount of your annual raise so you don’t fall behind on saving. Reassess your savings rate and consider meeting with a financial advisor to make sure you’re saving as much as you can — and investing it well.

Your 40s

You’re at the halfway point to retirement. If you’ve been saving for the past 10 or 20 years, you should have a nice nest egg by now. If you

haven’t gotten serious about saving, now is the time to do so. You’ll have to be fairly aggressive, but you still have some time to build a respectable financial cushion. Whether you’re an accomplished saver or just getting started, you may also want to consider meeting with a financial advisor to help you make sure you’re saving enough to meet your goals and investing in the best way possible.

A special note: people in their late 40s and early 50s are often looking at steep college tuition bills for their children. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing your retirement goals to pay for your children’s college educations. Stay focused and on track so your children don’t have to jeopardize their financial future to support you as you get older.

Your 50s

Once you turn 50, you have the option to make catch-up contributions to retirement savings accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs. You can save an additional $6,500 a year in your 401(k) plan and $1,000 a year in your IRA in 2021. That’s great news if you’re already maxing out your savings in those accounts. Your fifth decade is also the time to start thinking seriously about what’s going to happen when you retire — when exactly you’re going to stop working, where you want to

live, whether you plan to work in retirement, and other lifestyle is-sues. It’s also the time to take stock of your overall financial situation. You’ll still want to keep saving as much as you can, but you may also want to make an extra effort to be debt-free at retirement by paying special attention to paying off your mortgage, car loans, credit card debt, and any remaining student loans.

Your 60s

Retirement is just a few years away. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to dial down the risk in your portfolio so you don’t take a large loss on the eve of your retirement. You’ll also want to start thinking about a firm retirement date and estimating your expected expenses and income in retirement. If your calculations show that you’re falling short, it’s better to know before you stop working. You can make up a shortfall in a number of ways — reducing living expenses, working a bit longer, and even delaying Social Security payments so you get a larger check. Whatever your age, the key to retirement is having a plan and consistently executing that plan. Not sure how to get started? Please call so we can discuss this in more detail.

Categories : Blog, financial planning, Financial Services, Investments, Retirement, Savings

Do You Really Need a Will?

Posted by Frank McKinley on
 May 24, 2021

Many people believe they don’t need a will. But how valid are the more common reasons for not preparing a will?

Your estate is too small. Some believe that if their estate won’t be subject to estate taxes (in 2021, your taxable estate must be over $11.7 million before estate taxes would be owed), there is no need for a will. However, a will’s purpose is not to save estate taxes, but to:

Provide for the distribution of your assets.
Without a will or other estate-planning documents, your estate will be distributed in accordance with state law, which may or may not coincide with  your desires.

Name guardians for minor children.
Without a will, the courts decide who will raise minor children when both parents die.

Select an executor for your estate.
The executor assembles and values your assets; files income, estate, and inheritance tax returns; distributes assets; and accounts for all transactions. You will typically be

in a better position, based on family relationships and individual qualifications, to decide who should be named executor of your estate.

All your property is jointly owned.  When one owner dies, jointly owned property passes directly to the joint owner, regardless of provisions in a will. Also, the unlimited marital deduction allows you to leave any amount of your estate to your spouse without paying estate taxes. Thus, many married couples use joint property ownership as their sole estate planning technique. However, individuals with very large estates may save
estate taxes by distributing some assets to other heirs.

A living trust will distribute your assets. Only assets actually conveyed to the living trust are controlled by the trust document. Typically a pour-over will is also needed, which places any asset not held by the trust at your death in the trust.

You expect your estate to grow significantly in the future. Some feel it is premature to plan their estate while it is being built. However, a will can be changed. In fact, you should periodically review your entire estate plan to see if changes in your personal situation, preferences, or tax laws require changes to your plan.

The Financial Aspects of a Death

The emotional trauma of dealing with a loved one’s death can be devastating. If you also have to handle the financial aspects, it can seem  overwhelming. Following is a checklist to consider:

Your most immediate concern will be to notify family and friends of the death and to make
funeral arrangements.

If a surviving spouse and/or minor children are involved, evaluate their means of support and determine whether care for the dependents needs to be obtained.

Locate any safe deposit boxes and follow  necessary procedures to have them opened.

If the deceased was employed, contact his/her employer to start the process of collecting any
outstanding pay, life insurance proceeds, or other benefits.

Locate important documents, including wills, trusts, deeds, investment records, insurance policies, business and partnership arrangements, and other evidence of assets and liabilities.

Meet with an attorney to discuss the deceased’s estate matters.

Financial Thoughts

Individuals in retirement face five risks: outliving their money (longevity risk), investment losses (market risk), unexpected health expenses (health risk), unforeseen needs of family members (family risk), and retirement benefit cuts (policy risk). A recent study found that the greatest risk is longevity risk followed by health risk. However, retirees believed that their greatest risk was market risk. Many discounted longevity risk and health risk because they believed they would not live long enough to outlive their savings or to accumulate a large amount of health costs (Source: Centerfor Retirement Research at Boston College, July 2020).

A recent study found that investors tend to flee volatility and chase stability, but end up with bad timing with respect to stock volatility. This leads to high exposure to stocks when volatility is high and low exposure to stocks when volatility is low, resulting in returns with higher volatility (15% to 20% over 10- year periods and 70% to 75% for 30-year periods) than buy-and-hold-returns (Source: AAII Journal, October 2020).

Categories : Blog, estate planning, Financial Services, Wills
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How Much Should You Save in Your 401(k) Plan?

Posted by Frank McKinley on
 May 10, 2021

To make sure you’re on track for retirement, you should have an idea of how much you need to set aside to reach your retirement goal.

Know Your Limits — Before you come up with an annual savings target, it’s important to understand how much you’re allowed to contribute to a 401(k) plan. In 2021, workers younger than 50 can save $19,500 in a 401(k), 403(b), or similar plan, while those age 50 and older can save $26,000 annually, an extra $6,500 per year.

Contribution limits usually go up slightly every year; if you’re an aggressive saver, you’ll also want to pay attention to that and adjust accordingly.

At a Minimum, Get Your Match — The first rule of 401(k) plans is to save enough to get your full employer match. You’ve probably heard it before, but not contributing enough to get your employer’s matching contributions
is like leaving free money on the table. Even if you’re not impressed with your company’s 401(k) plan and would prefer to save in some other way, it still makes sense to at least get that free money.

But How Much Do I Really Need? — So you know how much the government will let you save and that you should be contributing enough to get your employer match. But how much should you be setting aside to prepare yourself for a comfortable retirement? That’s the ultimate question.

Unfortunately, there’s no magic number because every individual situation is different. People have different tolerances for risk, market performance varies over time, and everyone has their own idea of an ideal retirement. That’s why it’s best to talk to a financial advisor who can help you determine how much you need. But in the meantime, there are a few rules of thumb that may help you get a sense of where you stand.

One guideline suggests saving a certain percentage of your salary every year for retirement. Between 10% and 15% is usually the recommended number. If you started saving when you were young, your target savings percentage is usually lower, but if you procrastinated, you’re more likely to be looking at having to save 15% or even 20% of your pay to get you on track to a  comfortable retirement. The good news is that your employer match counts in that number, so if your goal is to save 10% and your employer match is 5%, you only need to save 5% of your pay.

what to consider when saving
Categories : Blog, financial planning, Financial Services, IRA, ROTH
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Tips to Teach Children to Save

Posted by Frank McKinley on
 April 23, 2021

Think of all the lessons parents teach their children, but what about learning to save? Short- and long-term savings are important life lessons that should start early and remain an ongoing conversation. Here are some tips you can use:

Wants versus Needs: To a child, most everything is a need. A toy, a new bike, and a video game are all needs to them, so the first important lesson of
saving is helping them understand the difference between wants and needs. You’ll want to explain that needs are the basics, such as food, housing, and clothing, and that anything beyond the
basics are wants. You could use your own budget to help illustrate that wants are secondary to needs.

Their Own Money: To help your child become a saver, they need to have their own money. Giving your child an allowance in exchange for chores will be a step in helping them learn to save as well as understanding the value of work.

Set Goals: Setting savings goals is a way for your child to understand the value of saving and what a savings rate is. For example, let’s say one goal is a
$40 video game, and they get a weekly allowance

of $10. You can help them understand how long it will take to reach that goal based on how much of their weekly allowance they put toward the goal.

A Place to Save: Kids need a place to save their money, so take your child to a bank or credit union to open a savings account. This will allow them to
see how their savings grows over time, as well as the progress they are making toward their savings goals.

Track Spending: Knowing where your money goes is a big part of being a better saver. Have your child write down their purchases and then at the
end of the month add them all up. Just like adults, this can be an eye-opener. Help your child understand that if they change their spending habits, they will be able to more quickly reach their savings goals.

Mistakes Are a Good Lesson:  A parent’s natural reaction is to step in to prevent mistakes, but part of learning to control money is letting your child learn from their mistakes. A bad purchase
decision can be a great lesson to understanding
that a savings goal will now take much longer than they thought based on decisions they made.

Beneficiary Designations Override Wills

W hen was the last time you looked at your
beneficiaries on your retirement accounts, insurance policies, annuities, and bank accounts? Many people forget to update their beneficiaries, especially if they’ve held the accounts for a
long time. If you marry, divorce, or have other changes to your family situation, you need to update your beneficiaries.

Some people think their will or trust is all they need to ensure their assets go to the desired recipients. A beneficiary designation is a legally
binding document that supersedes a will or trust. That means that regardless of your current family
status or what your will or trust says, the assets will go to the beneficiary you named when you
last updated it. And if you don’t have anyone named as your beneficiary on these types of
accounts, state laws will determine who receives the benefit.

It is also a good idea to get into the habit of reviewing them on an annual basis to ensure your assets will be distributed based on your
wishes.

Financial Thoughts

Companies with a lot of passive fund ownership are more likely to repurchase shares in order to boost their short-term stock price, subsequently harming performance over the long term. Higher passive ownership was shown to negatively impact the relationship between buybacks and future capital expenditures, employment, cash flow, and return on assets and equity (Source: Centre for Economic Policy Research, April 2020).

A study found that although retirement plays a role in alleviating some of the stress the body undergoes while working a manual labor job, when those workers retire they can accumulate health deficits faster than individuals whose jobs do not require manual work. The health of men working in manual labor was more positively affected after retirement than women. Individuals with low education, in blue collar jobs, and in physically or psychosocially demanding occupations develop new health deficits faster than white collar workers. People who perform manual labor jobs display
on average almost 30% more health deficits than their counterparts who do not (Source: AAII Journal, September 2020).

If you would like more information or to discuss your financial concerns

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Categories : Blog, Financial Services, Savings, Savings Goals
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