Are You Hurting Your Own Chances At Retirement?
August 26, 2011
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, many Baby Boomers are no longer worried about when they will be able to retire, but if they will be able to retire at all. In many cases the reason for this worry stems not so much from any kind of selfish inability to save, but from a tendency to be too generous.
In addition to a growing trend (hinted at in the WSJ article above) of Baby Boomers tapping their own retirement funds to help pay for the care of their elderly parents, this article in USA Today warns of the all-too-common danger of Boomers shorting their own retirements to pay for their children’s college educations.
“People are willing to go to extreme measures because they value a college education so highly… Among parents who are planning for their children’s college, 24% say that they tap their retirement accounts. And that doesn’t reflect people who reduce or halt retirement contributions [to make tuition payments.]”
One thing that both of these articles agree on is that when it comes to saving money, Boomers need to put their own needs first. While the immediate financial needs of an elderly parent or college-bound child may feel more pressing, it’s a very bad idea to short your own retirement account (and your future) to cover their costs. If you have an elderly parent in need, before you dip into your own savings contact a good elder law attorney who can help you review your (and your parent’s) options, and help navigate the VA Benefits or Medicaid system if applicable.
As far as college tuition goes, by neglecting your own retirement to pay for your children’s college education you may simply be perpetuating a dangerous cycle, putting your children in the position of having to pay for your expenses when your savings runs out in the future. Financial advisors, college admissions counselors, and the school’s financial services center may be able to help you explore your options for paying for tuition.
Addressing the Growing Financial Concerns of Baby Boomers
August 3, 2011
The “golden years” are supposed to be a time to retire and relax after a life of working hard for yourself and your family, but according to a recent story on NPR, Baby Boomers have some big financial concerns about the future, many of which involve how they will pay for health care in their golden years.
“The struggling economy, a longer life expectancy, ever-increasing health care costs and challenges facing Social Security are putting added pressure on the boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964.”
An Associated Press LifeGoesStrong.org poll questioned almost 1,500 adults, over 1,000 of whom were Baby Boomers, and found that while ALL Boomers had some concerns about financial comfort and survival as they aged, the younger Boomers in particular (those born in the ‘60s) had the strongest—and the most all-encompassing—concerns.
This discrepancy in fear makes sense when you consider that “Many older boomers still have a defined benefit pension plan, probably some decent retiree medical insurance and Social Security,” whereas “the youngest boomers… face more uncertainty about their pensions, their Social Security, their housing and their medical care.”
The NPR article does not offer any easy fixes or instant comforts to these financial concerns—indeed there are no easy fixes—but it does offer a few suggestions to help Boomers ease their minds about those things that worry them the most:
* Push retirement back as long as you can to put off drawing on your savings until absolutely necessary.
* Start investing in long term care insurance, and do so as early as possible. “Costs for long-term care insurance can range from $1,000 to $8,000 a year, depending on age, health conditions, policy term and other factors.” As you get older the cost goes up—sometimes very steeply.
* Don’t neglect your estate planning. According to the poll, “Forty-percent of the boomers polled said they had a legal will to spell out how their possessions should be distributed after death,” and even fewer had health care directives, proxies, or living wills. A health care directive “allows people to document their wishes concerning medical treatment, and the proxy is a medical power of attorney that allows for the appointment of a trusted person to make medical decisions in case an individual is unable to do so.”
Our office can help you address any concerns you might have about your own (or a loved one’s) golden years. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
Retirement Assets May Be Unpleasant Surprise for Heirs
July 29, 2011
You’ll often read news articles or blog posts about saving for retirement—when to start, how much to save, what savings or investment plan is best—but there’s an important retirement topic which often goes underreported: How these retirement accounts impact your heirs.
As noted by this article in the Wall Street Journal, “The new, higher threshold for the federal estate tax has many heirs happily thinking they won’t have to surrender a big piece of their inheritance.” But these heirs “may need to think again if they’re in line to receive a lot of money from tax-protected retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs.”
Many (if not most) retirement assets these days are IRD assets, this is “income in respect of a decedent,” and it means that the assets are income earned by a person, but not taxed or received before that person passed away. These IRD assets can be wonderfully beneficial to the investor… but they can be an unpleasant surprise for heirs, who will end up paying the taxes on these assets.
“Heirs who receive retirement accounts often pay far more tax on IRD than they have to, collecting payments from the plan but failing to take an annual deduction that is available to beneficiaries. Sometimes that’s because the tax attorney who planned the estate knew about the deduction, but the accountant who prepares the heir’s taxes doesn’t.”
Some of the solutions suggested in the article are to take advantage of a recent rule change which allows many IRD savings accounts to be converted to Roth 401(k)s. Taking advantage of this and converting the money to a Roth allows the owner to pay any applicable taxes now, so that heirs won’t be liable. Another option is to move money from the IRD retirement account into an irrevocable life insurance trust, thus removing it from the taxable estate.
“People need to refocus their thinking on what heirs are truly inheriting.” Our office can help you do just that. A little bit of thought and action now can save your heirs a lot of taxes and confusion down the line, and this is especially true if you are lucky enough to have a significant amount of savings that you anticipate passing on to your children or grandchildren.
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Retirement
May 20, 2011
Everyone knows that entrepreneurs and small business owners often march to the beat of a different drum. After all, in order to start (and keep) a successful business you have to have a somewhat different and dynamic way of looking at the world and its possibilities. But this different way of looking at the world doesn’t always work in their favor.
This article in Entrepreneur.com points out that “In some ways, planning and saving for retirement runs contrary to the typical characteristics of successful entrepreneurs… Does planning for retirement make you a pessimist who assumes your business will never grow big enough to be sold for millions of dollars, making retirement savings irrelevant? Does relying on a retirement nest egg mean you’ve lost the entrepreneurial confidence you once had?”
Entrepreneurs and small business owners often feel the best investment in their future is to invest in themselves. Where an employee in a large corporation is likely to take any investment income and put it in stocks or savings, a small business owner is more likely to turn around and put that money back into growing her own company.
Contrary to what the dedicated business owner may think, it’s not pessimism to save for retirement—even as an entrepreneur; it’s just plain common sense. Luckily, there are ways for entrepreneurs to invest and save that don’t feel as if they’re taking away from their investment in their business. The article mentions cash balance pension plans, zero coupon bonds, individual retirement accounts and 401(k) plans.
But in addition to planning for your own future, you need to plan for the future of your business as well. After all, you won’t be around forever, and your successful business should be the legacy you leave for generations to come. Planning the successful transition of your business requires a comprehensive, well thought out, and flexible business succession plan. This is where our office can help. Whether you plan to leave the business to your heirs, sell it to pay for your children’s futures, or transfer your shares to a partner, our firm will be there to guide you every step of the way.
Retirement Planning Goes Back to its Roots
May 11, 2011
When it comes to retirement planning you can find suggestions, rules and guidelines of just about every shade, but it wasn’t until this article in the U.S. News and World Report that we’ve seen the biblical “7 Deadly Sins” applied to retirement planning. The tone of the article is light and tongue-in-cheek, but the advice it contains is serious and spot on.
Planning for retirement can often feel overwhelming to anybody without a background in economics or investing, but the use of the well-known and easily remembered religious/literary reference makes planning for your retirement a little more relatable. For example, the concept of diversifying your portfolio becomes easier to understand when related to the sin of greed:
“Greed is a killer when it comes to your investment portfolio. Greedy investors often chase past results, choose higher risk investments, or don’t do their research before investing. This can lead to falling for scams, buying at the top of the investment bubble, and other problems. Solution: Start with a balanced portfolio, research all investments thoroughly before buying, and remember that if an investment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
And of course who could ever forget the ever-popular sin of lust: “Lust can be equated to extravagance and longing to the point it becomes all-consuming. Signs of giving in to lust include spending too much on luxury items and living beyond your means. It could also mean having champagne taste on a beer budget. Excessive spending can lead to unmanageable debt if left unchecked. Solution: You need a budget and you need to stick to it.”
The article tackles sloth, pride, envy, wrath and gluttony in the same helpful and informative manner, reminding us that although retirement planning today—with our Roth IRAs, 401(k)s and online investment portfolios—may at times be complex, convoluted and fast moving, the principles behind it are well known and ages old.
The Benefits of a Retirement Trust
May 2, 2011
Most of us start thinking about retirement as soon as we get our first job. Even if we can’t start saving as much as we’d like right away, we know it’s there, looming on the horizon, and we think about it. The closer we get to retirement age the more we begin to consider our options and make specific plans. But even with all these years of thought and planning, U.S. News and World Report thinks that there may be a few things you haven’t considered in regards to your retirement. Although not specifically mentioned in the article, one of the things you probably haven’t considered is how your retirement savings will fit into your estate plan.
The first and most common option for distributing your retirement benefits upon your death is simply to name your spouse or children as the beneficiary (beneficiaries) of your retirement benefit plan; however, there is another way. A Retirement Benefit Trust (or Irrevocable Retirement Trust) can be used to keep retirement assets out of your spouse’s taxable estate upon your death. This may not be a big deal if your retirement assets are waning, but if retirement assets comprise a large portion of your estate then this can be a huge benefit.
A Retirement Trust also has the advantage of allowing your beneficiaries to stretch out the financial opportunities of your retirement assets. Instead of withdrawing the entire amount of your retirement savings right away (and paying taxes on the income) a trust allows your beneficiaries to make withdrawals over the course of their entire lives; not only stretching out the investment opportunity, but also helping to keep them in a lower tax bracket.
For more information on Retirement Trusts, and whether one could benefit you and your family, contact our office today.
How Successful CEOs Keep the Family Business in the Family
April 29, 2011
How long will your family business stay in the family? One generation? Two generations? How about 4 generations down the line?
The truth is that very few family business stay in the family beyond the first generation. Statistically, Only 40% of family owned businesses survive to the second generation, 12% to the third, and 3% to the fourth. There are many possible reasons for this, such as lack of interest by subsequent generations or the evolving market and economy, but one of the main reasons that family businesses don’t survive to the second and third generation is lack of planning.
Which families have been successful with succession planning for their businesses? This article in Business Week profiles the famous families of business, and includes some interesting discussion of why certain families are successful where others aren’t. Parent-child relationships often become fraught with tension when the time comes to pass the baton, but history has shown that succession transitions are much smoother when the occur gradually, and according to a plan created and agreed upon by ALL interested parties.
Business succession planning is a key element to owning your business at any step of the game, not just at retirement age. This is because it is not merely about exit strategy, but about making goals and planning for future success. Leaving the business to your children is not your only option. You may decide to sell your business, or leave it to a partner. The options are out there, if you only know where to find them.
This is where an estate planning attorney can help.
Whether your business is in its first generation or its fifth, whether you intend to pass it on to your children or sell it, planning is essential if you want your business to survive. Our firm can help you do just that. Whether through wills and trusts, or the succession planning described in this blog, it is our business to look to the future. Trust us to help you do the same.
Coming in 2012: Change for Retirees
March 2, 2011
Last month the Obama administration released their budget for the 2012 fiscal year, and included in that budget were a few things that retirees (or those close to retiring) will want to be aware of. If you own a business you may want to keep reading as well, as some of the proposals within the budget would affect not only retirees, but also small business owners. This article in the US News and World Report describes some of the proposals included in the budget, including:
Automatic workplace pensions. This would require employers (with the exception of very small businesses) that do not currently offer a retirement plan to enroll their employees in a direct-deposit IRA account. Employees would have the ability to opt-out if desired.
Tax incentives to create retirement plans. This proposal would increase the value of the tax credit to small businesses that start new retirement plans. The current maximum credit is $500/year for up to 3 years, the new proposal would increase that to $1000/year.
More Social-Security funding. Obama’s budget would allocate $12.5 billion to the Social Security Administration, up $1 billion since 2010. The primary aim of this increase would be to “reduce the backlog of disability claims and decrease Social Security fraud.”
But not all of the proposals included in the budget are beneficial to retirees. Here are a few things you may want to watch out for:
Pension insurance premium increases. “The budget proposes giving the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation… the authority to adjust premiums and take into account a company’s financial condition when setting premiums.” Although this is certain to result in premium increases, the increases would be gradually phased in.
Senior Community Service Employment Program funding cut. The proposed budget would reduce funding for the Senior Community Service Employment Program by 45 percent, and would transfer the program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Health and Human Services. Seniors who hope to retrain for new jobs in their retirement years may find this more difficult to do than they expected.
Retirement Advice for EVERY Age
February 16, 2011
“Retirement”—It’s a word that goes hand-in-hand with “Baby Boomer” these days. After all, as has been pointed out over and over again, retirement is the issue of the hour as the first round of Baby Boomers hits that magic age. But what about the younger set? Is there anything that twenty- or thirty-somethings should be considering regarding retirement at this point in their lives?
Actually, according to this article by Steve Vernon at MoneyWatch.com, it is never too early to start thinking about retirement; and there is plenty for adults in their twenties or thirties to consider right now that can help them get a jump on retirement a couple decades down the line.
According to the article, “The challenge facing most people in their 20s and 30s is juggling competing priorities — usually there isn’t enough money in the budget to do it all… ‘Should I save money for retirement, a down payment on a house, or for my kid’s college education?’… How do you prioritize?” While all of these things are important, Vernon suggests that your first priority in your twenties should be yourself. He suggests that the best investments you can make at this time are in your career, your home, your health, and your spending habits.
What our firm would like to point out is that a large part of investing in those things mentioned above is protecting those things. An estate planner can help you decide how to best protect your home from taxes, lawsuits, or divorce; an estate planner can also help you protect your health with a living will or healthcare directive. Additionally, many young adults (frustrated with the current state of the job market) have decided to take employment into their own hands by starting their own businesses—and many have been very successful! An estate planner can help you with the overwhelming but necessary task of protecting and planning for the future of your small business.
The news may be flush with stories about (and advice for) Baby Boomers entering or nearing retirement, but we know that everybody can use help and advice when it comes to planning for the future. Our office can help you prepare for your best future—regardless of your age. Call us today.
Long-Term Care; Be Prepared in an Area of Uncertain Options
February 11, 2011
It’s flu season again, and the strain going around this year has been a difficult one, mainly because of how long it keeps its victims out of commission. So the article we recently found on Time.com about Long-Term Care seems particularly timely and relevant, if only because this year’s flu could be seen as an omen of what’s to come as Baby Boomers age into their golden years.
According to the article, “A huge wave of baby boomers may need long-term care in their golden years — and yet fewer than half have taken steps to prepare for it… two-thirds of Americans believe it’s important to plan for long-term care, but only 44% have taken steps to protect themselves.” Part of the reason for this lack of preparedness is that Baby Boomers underestimate the likelihood that they’ll need long-term care, or they overestimate the likelihood that their children or families will be able (or willing) to provide that care.
But there’s another reason why Baby Boomers are statistically unprepared for the crisis of old age; to put it simply, there aren’t any clear avenues to solid and reliable financial preparedness. “While it’s clear that not enough people are thinking about preparing for their long-term-care needs, it’s not at all clear what, if any, the best solutions are.”
Some think that extra savings in the bank will cover the cost of long-term care; others believe that government programs such as Medicaid or Medicare will take care of them. Unfortunately, both of these beliefs are mistaken. “The average cost of a nursing home ranges from $85,000 to $120,000 a year, while hiring an aide to spend six hours a day on average in the home starts around $40,000 a year… Medicare, meanwhile, only covers up to 100 days of long-term care and often involves co-payments. Medicaid will cover long-term nursing-home care but only after the person has drained his or her savings account.”
The only other obvious solution is long-term care insurance; but even with long-term care insurance, nothing is clear cut, and too many people have found themselves paying into a policy and ending up with no return on their investment. This isn’t to say that long-term care insurance shouldn’t be an option, only that it’s one to be well-researched. Long-term care insurance is still one of the best options out there, but “There have been horror stories of people paying premiums on long-term-care insurance policies for years, only to find the benefits won’t cover their needs 20 or 30 years down the road when health care and long-term-care costs are significantly higher.”
The best advice we can give is to do your research and ask for the help of an advisor with experience in elder law, elder care, and senior financial planning. Whatever you do, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater—we may have no clear and easy answers yet, but that’s no excuse to remain completely unprepared.