Many financial advisors and wealth managers encourage their clients to have goals when it comes to retirement. Of course, that can mean different strokes to different folks. For example, one person may have a goal of saving a certain amount of money for retirement. Another person may want to save up to buy a retirement home in a warm weather locale. Another may want to have enough saved up to take a big trip every year. Whatever it is, it’s good to set a goal to work towards. However, the road to retirement can be long and along the way things can change. Layoffs happen. Unexpected bills occur. Having children and a family can add some costs along the path to your post-working life. Thus, those retirement goals and benchmarks you set out with can change. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s a good thing to reassess your retirement goals every so often. Maybe living far away from children and grandchildren doesn’t sound so appetizing. Or maybe you realize that you’re saving more than you anticipated and have a little more freedom with retirement to get a little more fancy with your goals. Or maybe you realize you need to save more. Whatever you find, don’t be afraid to change your retirement goals and use those new goals and benchmarks moving forward. If you need help with your current goals or want to make a change, don’t be afraid to speak with a certified financial planner or wealth manager to get some advice.
New RMD Tables For 2022 Are Out. Get Them While They’re Hot?
There are probably very, very, (very) few people out there excited for the announcement of new life expectancy tables used to determine required minimum distribution (RMD). I mean, let’s be honest, nobody is every really gets excited for IRS announcements. While I can’t say this announcement made my day, I did think it was some really good information worth sharing with you as it could have a substantial impact on your retirement savings and financial plans. Furthermore, the IRS does not normally revise their RMD tables, so this was notable (In fact, it’s been almost 20 years since the last revision). As you probably well know, RMDs are waived for 2020 and 2021 RMDs will follow the existing RMD tables. Again, these RMD changes won’t go into effect until 2022 so, of course, I encourage you to start thinking about it now when it comes to what you want to do with your RMDs and whether your current retirement plans might be impact by an RMD change. If you aren’t familiar with life expectancy tables, there are three that the IRS uses when determining RMDs for those old enough to take them and their beneficiaries: The Uniform Lifetime Table (used to calculate YOUR lifetime RMDs), the Joint and Last Survivor Table (used for when your spouse is your sole beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you), and the Single Life Table (when used by an “eligible designated beneficiary” such as a minor child or a surviving spouse). The new changes will most likely lower RMDs for most Americans, which also means lower taxes on your RMDs. Lower taxes means you can spend more of your nest egg on retirement and you. Maybe some IRS announcements aren’t so bad after all.
Markets Going Boom May Also Go Bust Someday
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If you’ve been following the stock market over the past 30 years or so, then you are probably well aware of the fact that bubbles occur and eventually they burst. It happened a little over 15 years ago with the tech bubble, followed less than 5 years after that by the housing bubble. Those bursts were felt throughout the markets and the country. billions of dollars were lost during those bubble bursts, along with jobs in many sectors and homes in many regions. Why am I bringing this up? Well, I’m using it as a reminder that despite how good things may be–and let’s not kid ourselves, the stock market is still trending upwards–there will come a time when the fun ends. After all, what goes up, eventually comes down. So what can you, as a retirement investor do to take advantage of the good fortunes while also protecting yourself (as best as possible) from the bad? Diversify and make sure to review your investments at multiple periods throughout the year or when you hear of market changes. Diversification spreads the risk around and prevents all your money from going into one area of the market. If you diversify, you can limit the damage that a downturn in one market sector can do to your portfolio as a whole. Of course, along with diversifying, you want to track your investments. That means checking your portfolio at regular intervals and checking it when you hear of changes within market sectors that you are invested in. Tech companies struggling? Make sure your tech investments are safe. Homebuilding ramping up? Maybe you should look to make some investments in that area. Those are just a couple of examples. If you need help with your portfolio or just want to talk about your risk appetite, you should of course speak with a certified financial planner, wealth manager, or investment professional.
Do You Know Some of the 10% Penalty Exceptions?
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If you are an educated retirement saver, then you are probably well aware of the 10% penalty you can get hit with if you take a withdrawal from your IRA or employer retirement plan before age 59 1/2. For many Americans–particularly those hit hard financially over the past 8 months–it can be tempting to take that early withdrawal to stay afloat. However, you’re a smart saver and you’ve most likely put yourself in a situation where you don’t need to hit your nest egg. That said, though, you should be aware of the exceptions to the 10% penalty. Now, I’ve mentioned these exceptions in the past, but I feel the need to mention them again as it’s been a while. There are a few exceptions, though, when you can take that early withdrawal and not have to worry about the 10% penalty. Buying your first home? Take that early withdrawal with no penalty. Want to help out a child with college tuition? Take that penalty free withdrawal. Lose your job and need help affording health insurance? Again, take the withdrawal and not worry about the penalty. These tend to be commonly used exceptions to the 10% early withdrawal penalty. Now, before you go taking huge early withdrawals from your retirement savings accounts, make sure it’s the right decision above all else. If you can get the funds you need from other places (ideally, an emergency savings account) that may be the wiser route to go. Remember, your retirement savings accounts should be an absolute last resort when it comes to taking early withdrawals. You should also meet with a certified financial planner or wealth manager to make sure you are making the best decision for you and your future and to ensure you take the proper steps when taking that early withdrawal.
More Retirement Legislation Could Be Around the Corner
I’ve written about the SECURE Act a number of times over the past 11 months or so since it was signed into law. As you may well know, that legislation brought about some big changes, including raising the age for required minimum distributions (RMDs) up to age 72, allowed traditional IRA contributions past age 70 1/2, and eliminating the stretch IRA. Now, there could be even more changes coming to the retirement planning world in America. Recent bipartisan legislation introduced last week, and referred to as Secure Act 2, could take some of the parts of the original Secure Act even farther. Some of the key points of the legislation are the expansion of automatic enrollment to include 401(k), 403(b), and SIMPLE plans, raising of the RMD age to 75, increasing catch-up limits, and matching employer contributions for employees making student loan payments. That last part is interesting as it would potentially allow employers to make matching contributions under a 401(k), 403(b), or SIMPLE IRA for employees making “qualified student loan payments.” The legislation also includes a number of other somewhat minor changes to retirement plans and planning. While it’s still in the early stages, this legislation could have a major impact regarding how people save and when they start spending their nest egg. Obviously, things still have way to go, but I wanted to make you aware of potential changes that could be coming down the pike. It’s worth at least keeping an eye on.
Thinking Trust for Your Estate? Think Legal
While it may not be the right fit for every retiree, a trust is an effective and efficient estate planning tool in certain situations. For example, if you have young grandchildren that you want to leave money for, but you want to control how and when it can be used after you’re gone, then a trust might be the way to go. Or maybe you want to make sure your estate funds go towards a particular cause or entity, in which case a trust can control that. Regardless of your purpose for the trust, it’s important that it is set up properly, which the vast majority of times involves working with an attorney specializing in that area. Trusts are complex devices that, if not created properly, can lead to confusion and eventual frustration for family, friends, and/or organizations that may have expected to benefit from the funds. If you are considering a trust for your estate or for retirement, I strongly urge you to speak to an attorney about it. Not only that, but I encourage you to take the time to find an attorney that you are comfortable with discussing any matters related to your personal trust with. Finding the right attorney can make all the difference and a good one should be able to help you reach your desired goals or be frank with you about the feasibility of your plans. Along with talking with an attorney, you may also want to speak with a wealth manager or financial planner to further discuss your retirement plans as well as your estate plans. These conversations can go a long way towards helping you reach the desired end point for you and your money.
It All Starts With a Nest
You can’t plan for retirement without first thinking about the money you will be spending in retirement. Thus, your retirement planning–and everything that follows those initial plans–will focus on your nest egg. How you build that nest egg will have a monumental impact on what you can do when you actually most into your post-career life. If you take aggressive steps and keep on top of your nest egg, then you will probably have a good chunk of money ready for when you stop working. On the flip side, if you don’t take steps to properly build up a nest egg or make bad decisions when doing so, then you probably won’t have much flexibility in retirement or may have to work longer than intended to meet your goals. No matter how you slice it, your nest egg is essential to your retirement plans. Now, if your nest egg isn’t quite where you want to it be right now, don’t fret. You can always take steps to get back on track and then determine what’s realistic from there. There is no on-size-fits-all answer for that, but some steps would include re-evaluating your retirement goals, analyzing your portfolio and/or investment decisions, or working with a financial planner or wealth manager to really kick your saving into gear. Each person’s situation is unique regarding how much they need to save for retirement, so some may have a lot of work to do while others may be right on track. What’s key, no matter where you are in your saving journey, is that you never lose track of your nest egg and that you focus on building it up as much as possible. So, how big is your nest egg?
Don’t Let the Election Impact Your Portfolio
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I believe I wrote about this a number of months ago as the election season was starting to ramp up, but I feel the need to mention it again: Don’t let politics drive your portfolio decisions. In the weeks leading up to the election, it can be easy to get caught up in the theories and predictions about what might happen if a particular candidate wins or a certain party gains power. Some will take those predictions and make portfolio decisions in the hopes of getting ahead of the curve regarding how the markets might react to certain administrations. First off, it is incredibly difficult to predict how the markets will react to elections. What economic pundits predicted at the start of the past two administrations did not come to pass with the markets performing much stronger than expected. Rather, you should make your portfolio as you normally would and ignore the election when doing so. Don’t give you portfolio any special treatment between now and Nov. 3. That can be hard to do, especially with the news cycle (and social media and conversations with friends) being filled with election talk, it won’t be easy. However, trust me, it will be worth it to keep your portfolio on the same road it’s be going on.
Struggling With Retirement Saving? You’re Not Alone.
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It’s well known within the retirement planning industry that about half of all Americans are having a tough time with their retirement finances. That’s a lot of people. Furthermore, uncertain economic times can push the number of those struggling north of 50%. Considering how many retirees are out there–and it’s impressive due to one of the largest demographics reaching retirement age (*cough* Baby Boomers *cough*) as we speak–that’s a lot of Americans struggling to either save for retirement or stretch out their finances in retirement. With all that said, I want to remind you that you are not alone if you are struggling to either save or make your nest egg last. Many people do and there’s nothing wrong with asking for help in doing so. If you can afford it, a good wealth manager or financial planner can be a huge help. Despite the tone some of my blogposts, I fully understand that saving for retirement is no easy task and it’s been particularly tough over the past 15 years or so. That doesn’t mean you should give up on it, though. In fact, I want to encourage you to save as much as you can and to take steps to maximize your saving, regardless of where you are in your life. Something is better than nothing. So, are you struggling with saving for retirement? You’re not alone, but what are you going to do about it?
When to Get Serious About Retirement
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Retirement can seem like a long ways off as you make your way through your career–and, of course, life–during your 20s, 30s, and 40s. However, when you get into your 50s, suddenly it might not seem so far off in the distance. Your early 50s, in particular, are a really good time to get serious about retirement. What does it mean to “get serious” about retirement? It means sitting down and taking a long, hard look at where your finances stand and when exactly you want to retire. You will also want to reassess your retirement goals and get a good understanding of what life in retirement will be like. What will your retirement budget be? Do you plan on paying down your debt before retiring? Are you going to move for retirement? These are some important questions you will need to ask yourself as you near retirement age. The answers may surprise you and will give you a good sense of what is realistic regarding retirement. Now, I’m not saying you need to wait until your 50s to get serious about retirement (the earlier you start, the better), but I am encouraging you to not wait until your late 50s/early 60s to start thinking about your post-work life. Remember, retirement is serious business that requires a plan and hard work, both before and during. Taking the time to properly prepare for it so that you can enjoy it is very important. So, are you ready for retirement?