Welcome back to our discussion on securing a comfortable retirement! In the first part of this series, we explored essential steps including estate planning, preparing for long-term care, and passing on your legacy. As we continue with the second part of our series, we’ll delve into additional areas that are crucial for ensuring your golden years are not only financially stable but also enriched with independence, health, and continued personal growth. So let’s pick up where we left off. READ MORE
Posts Categorized: Retirement Planning
Options for Establishing and Transferring Your IRA to a Loved One
Now, more than ever before, Americans are using a variety of tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k)s and IRAs to save for retirement. And while the laws are currently designed so that people must start withdrawing the money when they retire, it is not uncommon for many of these accounts to still have significant value at the owner’s death. As a result, a huge amount of accumulated wealth is just waiting to be passed on to loved ones over the next few decades as retirement account owners age and die.
Many people are unaware that there are numerous options for transferring these types of accounts to their loved ones. For purposes of this article, we will use “IRA” to refer to a retirement account because many people end up rolling over their 401(k) and other similar retirement accounts into an IRA to obtain greater investment options. READ MORE
10 Steps to Take Now to Secure a Comfortable Retirement: Part 1
Retirement is more than just an end to the working years; it’s an exciting new phase of life that requires thoughtful preparation and strategic planning. Since May is Older Americans Awareness Month, it’s the perfect opportunity to explore 10 steps you can take now to ensure a comfortable and fulfilling retirement. In this article, we’ll discuss the first 5 steps, why they’re important, and how to implement them. Next week, we’ll continue with the remaining 5 steps.
Effective estate planning ensures that your assets are distributed according to your wishes, potentially reduces estate taxes, and can prevent a lot of legal complications for your heirs. Proper estate planning also helps to avoid the public, often lengthy and costly process of probate, ensuring that your heirs have quicker access to the assets you leave behind. READ MORE
What You Must Know About Your Right to Your Spouse’s Retirement Benefits
If you are part of a blended family, navigating the complexities of estate planning is crucial to ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes. Managing considerations such as holiday arrangements for children and planning family vacations is part of the routine. However, it’s equally important to address the fate of your assets, particularly retirement assets, through careful planning.
In the context of blended families, failing to establish a clear plan for your assets before your passing means that the law will dictate the distribution, potentially conflicting with your intentions. This oversight, especially in the case of retirement assets, can lead to significant financial consequences for your loved ones and even result in prolonged and costly conflicts. READ MORE
Have You Thought Through Your Retirement Plans?
Beginning your retirement is a great milestone that is worth celebrating. You have put in many years of hard work, and you are now able to focus your energy on the next phase of your life. However, before you begin this next chapter, you need to make sure that you have fully thought through this exciting change in your life.
Having a properly executed and legally binding estate plan is a great first step toward ensuring that you and your loved ones are cared for. However, estate planning is not a one-and-done event. It is important that you review your plan every year or so, especially after major life events such as the beginning of your retirement. When considering your existing plan, ask yourself the following key questions: READ MORE
Key Milestones For Planning Your Retirement
The key to having a comfortable retirement is to save as much as possible as early in your career as possible. Time, tax breaks, and compounding interest all add up, and by getting into the habit of saving when you are young, it will be exponentially easier to reach vital retirement goals as you get older.
With this in mind, one of the most important things you can do at this age is to take full advantage of employer-sponsored retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s, IRAs, and other tax-advantaged plans, especially if your employer offers a match. A common rule of thumb is that you should save at least 15% of your pre-tax income each year. If that’s not possible, then save as much as you can – and at least enough to get the full benefit of your employer’s matching contribution if one is offered. READ MORE
Should You (or Your Parents) Be in the Stock Market Now?
With everything that is happening in the world—and with the volatility of the stock market and our current reality —knowing your options is vital to preserving the life and legacy your parents have worked to build. If you need help figuring out how to best preserve these assets, we are here and ready to support you. READ MORE
The SECURE Act’s Impact On Estate and Retirement Planning—Part 2
In light of the recent SECURE Act, there are strategies for maximizing your retirement account’s potential for growth, while minimizing tax liabilities and other risks that could arise in light of the legislation’s legal changes. READ MORE
The SECURE Act’s Impact On Estate and Retirement Planning—Part 1
The changes ushered in by the SECURE Act have dramatic implications for both your retirement and estate planning strategies—and not all of them are positive. While the law includes a number of taxpayer-friendly measures to boost your ability to save for retirement, it also contains provisions that could have disastrous effects on planning strategies families have used for years to protect and pass on assets contained in retirement accounts. READ MORE
The SECURE Act: How Does It Affect Your Retirement Accounts?
On December 20, 2019, President Trump signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (SECURE Act), which became effective on January 1, 2020. The Act is the most impactful legislation affecting retirement accounts in decades. It will have a positive impact for many older Americans but could have negative tax consequences for many beneficiaries of their retirement accounts. READ MORE
Changes to ABLE Accounts You Should Know
If you have a loved one with disabilities, you may be familiar with “ABLE” accounts, authorized by Congress in 2014 under the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. ABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts–similar to 529 education savings plans–whose funds can be used to pay for certain qualifying expenses of disabled individuals. As a result READ MORE
The Silent Threat to Your Estate Plan
It is common knowledge that everyone needs to have an estate plan in place. Commonly, the focus is on assets, taxes, and any changes to legislation that may affect the security of your loved ones in the event of your incapacity or death. What many often forget, however, is that changes in family dynamics and READ MORE
5 Reasons to Protect Your Retirement Accounts Now
During your lifetime, your retirement account has good asset protection, but as soon as you pass that account to a loved one, that protection evaporates. This means one lawsuit and POOF! Your life long, hard earned savings could be gone. Your heirs could be left penniless.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. A special trust called a “Standalone Retirement Trust” (SRT) can protect inherited retirement accounts from your beneficiaries’ creditors.
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Estate Planning Considerations for Benefits Open Enrollment
The fall, generally late-October or early-November, is the time when employers send out summaries of employee benefits offered by the company and give employees the option to enroll in these benefits. If you are contemplating new benefits and changes to your beneficiaries, give me a call so I can ensure your beneficiary designations work as expected with your current estate plan. READ MORE
Your 2018 Taxes – Get Started Now
While we are not yet at the end of the year, even though it is fast approaching, now is a great time to take a moment and start your year-end tax planning for 2018. It is particularly necessary this tax year because of the changes to the tax law that became effective in 2018. READ MORE