Safe Retirement Income

Your Retirement Depends on It

Tim Barton, Chartered Financial Consultant

Pepin Wisconsin
715-220-4866

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About Advanced Directives

About Advanced Directives

Advance Directives are a way to “have your say” about the type of care you receive (or don’t receive) in theautumwalk event you suffer a catastrophic medical event, such as a stroke or an accident, that leaves you unable to communicate your wishes. Every adult should plan ahead by completing an Advance Directive that specifies his or her personal preferences in regard to acceptable and unacceptable medical treatments. There are two types of Advance Directives:

Living Will

A Living Will states your preferences regarding the type of medical care you want to receive (or don’t want to receive) if you are incapacitated and cannot communicate. You specify the treatment you want to receive or not receive in different scenarios.

Medical Power of Attorney

Also known as a durable power of attorney for health care or a health care proxy, a Medical Power of Attorney names another person, such as your spouse, daughter or son, to make medical decisions for you if you are no longer able to make medical decisions for yourself, or you are unable to communicate your preferences.

Note that a Medical Power of Attorney is not the same as a Power of Attorney, which gives another person the authority to act on your behalf on matters you specify, such as handling your financial affairs.

Important Points to Remember

  • Each state regulates Advance Directives differently. As a result, you may wish to involve an attorney in the preparation of your Advance Directive
  • You can modify, update or cancel an Advance Directive at any time, in accordance with state law.
  • If you spend a good deal of time in several states, you may want to have an Advance Directive for each state.
  • Make sure that the person you name to act for you – your health care proxy – has current copies of your Advance Directive.
  • Give a copy of your Advance Directive to your physician and, if appropriate, your long-term care facility.

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What’s the Problem with a Pile of 401(k) Money?

Smart retirement planning has become all about the income, as in how much and for how long.  Last year the Journal of Financial Planning conducted extensive research into retirement portfolio withdrawal rates. They concluded the traditional 4% rule was too risky because it leaves a retiree with an 18% chance of portfolio failure; that’s about a one in five failure rate.

Retirement income failure (running out of money before you die) is disastrous. In the financial planning business they call it “portfolio failure”

Portfolio failure is another way saying “sorry your money is all gone”.  Very bad news to someone in their 70’s potentially looking at many more years of life by surviving only on Social Security each month.

What is the problem with money in a 401 (k)?

It must be withdrawn and a safe withdrawal rate must be determined.

What is the new safe withdrawal rate?

  • 2.52% According to the Journal of Financial Planning.

Retirement income  money that is invested in equities; stock market, mutual funds, ETF, variable annuity etc. has an 18% chance of failure if the retiree withdraws more than 2.52% per year.

What is the solution?

With interest rates hovering around 1% certainly not bonds or certificates of deposit.

That leaves fixed annuities because they can insure a retirement income for life.  But their rates are also low and the income is sometimes level with no chance of increase.

Enter the time tested fixed index annuity with income options.  An indexed annuity can offer a guaranteed withdrawal percentage increase, meaning each year you own an indexed annuity the percentage you can withdraw goes up; some as high as 7%.

Let’s compare the recommended 2.52% equity withdrawal and 7% index annuity withdrawal using a nice round figure like $100,000.

2.52% of $100,000  provides a safe income of $2520 per year.

Whereas the annuity’s 7% withdrawal is $7000 per year guaranteed for life  and this $7000 could go up each year if there is an index interest credit and once it goes up, it is guaranteed to stay up.

3 choices are:

  • Unsafe withdrawal using the antiquated 4% rule and risk running out of money 1 out of 5 times. ($4000 per year)
  • The new “safe” 2.52% rule ($2520 per year)
  • The insured, guaranteed 7% index annuity ($7000 per year)

Which choice do you prefer?

For help you may ask questions in the comments

Or contact me privately: Tim Barton Chartered Financial Consultant

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Long Term Care…Did you know?

3d man reading a book

Did You Know…

  • At least 70% of people over 65 will need long term care services and supports at some point in their lives.
    (Source: 2016 Medicare & You, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
  • About 68% of nursing home residents and 72% of assisted living residents are women.
    (Source: Long-Term care Services in the United States: 2013 Overview, National Center for Health Statistics)
  • The national median daily rate in 2015 for a private room in a nursing home was $250, an increase of 4.17% from 2014.
    (Source: Genworth 2015 Cost of Care Survey, March 2015)
  • The average length of a nursing home stay is 835 days.
    (Source: CDC Vital and Health Statistics, Series 13, No. 167, June 2009)
  • At a median daily rate of $250, an average nursing home stay of 835 days currently costs over $208,000, making it virtually unaffordable for many Americans.
  • Medicare does not pay for long-term care services, as explained by the Social Security Administration:

    “About Social Security and Medicare… Social Security pays retirement, disability, family and survivors benefits. Medicare, a separate program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, helps pay for inpatient hospital care, nursing care, doctors’ fees, drugs, and other medical services and supplies to people age 65 and older, as well as to people who have been receiving Social Security disability benefits for two years or more. Medicare does not pay for long-term care, so you may want to consider options for private insurance (emphasis added).”

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4 Points to Financial Literacy

Four key things to learn and know on your way to financial literacy.

  1. The difference between saving and investing: Some people think these are one and the same, but they’re not. The focus in saving is on preserving money that you accumulate over time. Money that is saved is typically “stored” in low-risk vehicles, such as fixed  annuities, bank savings accounts, CDs and money market accounts, which guarantee the principal and interest. A savings approach is appropriate for shorter-term needs that generally require a higher degree of liquidity, but is generally not the best approach for accomplishing your longer-term financial objectives. Investing, on the other hand, emphasizes accumulation through growth. Investment vehicles, such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds, involve a greater risk to principal than do savings vehicles, but also offer a higher return potential and may better guard against inflation. Most financial plans reflect a combination of savings and investments.
  2. Risk and reward: First off, let’s understand that there is risk in saving and investing…it can’t be avoided. You could keep your savings in a mattress and the mattress could catch on fire! The key is to understand the different types of risk and the relationship of risk and reward. For example, savings vehicles typically have no risk of loss of principal (market risk) or lack of a ready market when you need the money (liquidity risk). Without these risks, however, they produce a relatively low return, which means that they may not grow at a rate to keep pace with inflation (purchasing power risk). Investment vehicles, however, do come with both market risk and liquidity risk, including the risk of losing your principal investment. With these risks, however, investment vehicles offer the potential to produce a higher return and greater accumulation over time. The objective is not to eliminate risk. Rather, the objective is to balance risk and return in a way that is consistent with your temperament and financial goals.
  3. Understand saving and investment vehicles: Take the time to understand what you’re saving and investing in…the potential risks and rewards, the fees and expenses, the advantages and disadvantages.
  4. Investment resources: Know where you can turn for advice. Decide whether you want to actively manage your investment portfolio or whether you’d prefer to pay an advisor to recommend specific investments, as well as make market timing and asset reallocation decisions.

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Confirmed; Annuity Owners More Confident To Retire

 

The following IRI survey comes as no surprise to retirement income planners who witnessed their annuity client’s relief and security while they heard stories of large losses from their friends and associates in the aftermath of 2008’s financial meltdown.   Not only did these clients not lose any money or income; they experienced strong growth as the market indexes slowly recovered.

Insured Retirement Institute survey, by IALC

According to a recent survey by the Insured Retirement Institute (IRI)  of Americans aged 50-66, a majority (53%) of annuity owners are extremely or very confident that they will have adequate income in retirement, compared to less than a third (31%) of non-annuity owners who say the same.

And not only are these consumers more confident, they are also satisfied with their annuity purchases. A recent LIMRA study found that 83% of fixed indexed annuity buyers reported being satisfied with their annuities and five in six would recommend annuities to others.

So what’s driving people to buy fixed annuities, in particular? Certainly the 2008 crash taught consumers that their foundations are not as sturdy as they once thought. So in order to regain a sense of stability they are looking for sources that provide some minimum guaranteed income. In fact, when asked about the intended uses for indexed annuities in another recent LIMRA survey, respondents’ top three responses involved retirement planning, including supplementing Social Security or pension income, accumulating assets for retirement, and receiving guaranteed lifetime income.

For help you may ask questions in the comments

Or click here to contact me privately: Tim Barton Chartered Financial Consultant

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What Is the Marital Deduction?

The marital deduction (I.R.C. Sections 2056 and 2523) eliminates both the federal estate and gift tax on transfers of property between spouses, in effect treating them as one economic unit.  The amount of property that can be transferred between them is unlimited, meaning that a spouse can transfer all of his or her property to the other spouse, during lifetime or at death, and completely escape any federal estate or gift tax on this first transfer.  However, property transferred in excess of the unified credit equivalent will ultimately be subject to estate tax in the estate of the surviving spouse.

The 2010 Tax Relief Act, however, provided for “portability” of the maximum estate tax unified credit between spouses if death occurred in 2011 or 2012.  The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 subsequently made the portability provision permanent.  This means that a surviving spouse can elect to take advantage of any unused portion of the estate tax unified credit of a deceased spouse (the equivalent of $5,000,000 as adjusted for inflation; $5,450,000 in 2016).  As a result, with this election and careful estate planning, married couples can effectively shield up to at least $10 million (as adjusted for inflation) from the federal estate and gift tax without use of marital deduction planning techniques.  Property transferred to the surviving spouse in excess of the combined unified credit equivalent will be subject to estate tax in the estate of the surviving spouse.

If the surviving spouse is predeceased by more than one spouse, the additional exclusion amount available for use by the surviving spouse is equal to the lesser of $5 million ($5,450,000 in 2016 as adjusted for inflation) or the unused exclusion of the last deceased spouse.

What Requirements Apply to the Marital Deduction?

To qualify for the marital deduction, the decedent must have been married and either a citizen or resident of the U.S. at the time of death.

In addition, the property interest:

  1. Must be included in the decedent’s gross estate,
  2. Must pass from the decedent to his or her surviving spouse
  3. Cannot represent a terminable interest (property ownership that ends upon a specified event or after a predetermined period of time).

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Paying the Estate Tax Bill

The federal government will not accept a percentage of your estate as payment for your estate tax bill. Instead, your estate tax bill must be paid in cash, and it must be paid within nine months after your death.

If your estate is subject to the federal estate tax, there are FOUR ways to provide your estate with the cash needed to pay your estate tax bill:

1. 100% METHOD

You could accumulate enough cash in your estate to pay your estate tax bill outright. Rarely, however, does a successful person accumulate such large sums of cash. Instead, the reason for financial success is usually due to the investment of cash in appreciating assets, rather than accumulating it in a bank.

2. 100% PLUS METHOD

Your estate could borrow the cash needed to pay your estate tax bill. This, however, only defers the problem, since the money will then have to be repaid with interest.

3. ASSET LIQUIDATION METHOD

Your estate could liquidate sufficient assets to pay your estate tax bill. This choice may make sense if your estate owns considerable assets that can be readily sold for a gain following your death. Keep in mind, however, that if a forced liquidation is necessary, it may bring only a small fraction of the true value of your assets. In addition, sales expenses are bound to be incurred.

4. DISCOUNT METHOD

Assuming you qualify, you can arrange now to pay your estate tax bill with life insurance dollars. For every dollar your estate needs, you can give an insurance company from approximately one to seven cents a year, depending on your age and health. No matter how long you live, it is unlikely you will ever give the insurance company more than 100 cents on the dollar. In addition, the life insurance policy can frequently be structured to accommodate your unique premium payment requirements.

 

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Probate Process for Your Estate

Probate is simply the Latin word for prove, which means that the estate probate process is the process by which your will is brought before a court to prove that it is a valid will. The courts charged with this responsibility are generally known as probate courts, which may actually supervise the administration or settlement of your estate.

The probate process is governed by state statutes that are intended to accomplish three primary objectives:

  1. To preserve estate assets.
  2. To protect the rights of creditors in the payment of their claims before the estate is distributed to the heirs.
  3. To assure that the heirs receive their inheritance in accordance with the terms of the estate owner’s will.

Once the estate’s personal representative (executor or administrator if the estate owner died without naming a personal representative) is approved by the probate court and posts any bond that is required, the probate process generally proceeds as follows:

  • The personal representative must “prove up” the will — prove that it is a valid will signed by the estate owner who was competent and not under duress or influence at the time of signing.
  • Notice must be given by the personal representative to all creditors to make prompt claim for any money owned to them by the estate.
  • The personal representative must prepare and file an inventory and appraisal of estate assets.
  •  The personal representative must manage and liquidate estate assets as appropriate to pay all debts, fees and taxes owed by the estate.
  • Finally, the remaining estate must be distributed to the heirs in accordance with the estate owner’s will (or the state laws of intestacy if there was no will).

It is not uncommon for the probate process to require a year or more and considerable expense before the estate is finally settled.

Proper planning, however, can serve to minimize the impact of the probate process on your estate and heirs.

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Remember Retirement When You Change Jobs

 

WHEN YOU CHANGE JOBS

You May Have an Important Decision to Make…

What to do with your money in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan. Since these funds were originally intended to help provide financial security during retirement, you need to carefully evaluate which of the following options will best ensure that these assets remain available to contribute to a financially-secure retirement.

Take the Funds:

You can withdraw the funds in a lump sum and do what you please with them. This is, however, rarely a good idea unless you need the funds for an emergency. Consider:

  • A mandatory 20% federal income tax withholding will be subtracted from the lump sum you receive.
  • You may have to pay additional federal (and possibly state) income tax on the lump sum distribution, depending on your tax bracket (and the distribution may put you in a higher bracket).
  • Unless one of the exceptions is met, you may also have to pay a 10% premature distribution tax in addition to regular income tax.
  • The funds will no longer benefit from the tax-deferred growth of a qualified retirement plan.

Leave the Funds:

You can leave the funds in your previous employer’s retirement plan, where they will continue to grow on a tax-deferred basis. If you’re satisfied with the investment performance/options available, this may be a good alternative. Leaving the funds temporarily while you explore the various options open to you may also be a good alternative. (Note: If your vested balance in the retirement plan is $5,000 or less, you may be required to take a lump-sum distribution.)

Roll the Funds Over:

You can take the funds from the plan and roll them over, either to your new employer’s retirement plan (assuming the plan accepts rollovers) or to a traditional IRA, where you have more control over investment decisions. This approach offers the advantages of preserving the funds for use in retirement, while enabling them to continue to grow on a tax-deferred basis.

Why Taking a Lump-Sum Distribution May Be a Bad Idea:

While a lump-sum distribution can be tempting, it can also cost you thousands of dollars in taxes, penalties and lost growth opportunities…money that will not be available for future use in retirement.

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Taxable VS. Tax Deferred Investments

How much would you have to earn each year from a taxable investment in order to equal earnings on a tax-deferred investment? This chart illustrates the potential benefits of a tax-deferred investment vs. a taxable investment.

Annual Tax-Deferred Yield Federal Income Tax Bracket:
10% 15% 25% 28% 33% 35%
Annual Taxable Equivalent Yield
3% 3.33% 3.53% 4.00% 4.17% 4.48% 4.62%
3.5% 3.89% 4.12% 4.67% 4.86% 5.22% 5.38%
4% 4.44% 4.71% 5.33% 5.56% 5.97% 6.15%
4.5% 5.00% 5.29% 6.00% 6.25% 6.72% 6.92%
5% 5.56% 5.88% 6.67% 6.94% 7.46% 7.69%
5.5% 6.11% 6.47% 7.33% 7.64% 8.21% 8.46%
6% 6.67% 7.06% 8.00% 8.33% 8.96% 9.23%
6.5% 7.22% 7.65% 8.67% 9.03% 9.70% 10.00%
7% 7.78% 8.24% 9.33% 9.72% 10.45% 10.77%
7.5% 8.33% 8.82% 10.00% 10.42% 11.19% 11.54%
8% 8.89% 9.41% 10.67% 11.11% 11.94% 12.31%
8.5% 9.44% 10.00% 11.33% 11.81% 12.69% 13.08%
9% 10.00% 10.59% 12.00% 12.50% 13.43% 13.85%
9.5% 10.56% 11.18% 12.67% 13.19% 14.18% 14.62%
10% 11.11% 11.76% 13.33% 13.89% 14.93% 15.38%

This chart illustrates the potential benefits of a tax-deferred investment vs. a taxable investment. For example, if an investor in the 25% federal income tax bracket purchases a tax-deferred investment with a 5% annual yield, that investor’s taxable equivalent yield is 6.67%. This means the investor would need to earn at least 6.67% on a taxable investment in order to match the 5% tax-deferred annual yield.

This chart is for illustrative purposes only and is not indicative of any particular investment or performance. In addition, it does not reflect any federal income tax that may be due when an investor receives distributions from a tax-deferred investment.