University Retirement Specialists, LLC

Making and Keeping Financial Resolutions

What you might do (or do differently) in the months ahead?

  

How will your money habits change in 2016? What decisions or behaviors might help your personal finances, your retirement prospects, or your net worth?

Each year presents a “clean slate,” so as one year ebbs into another, it is natural to think about what you might do (or do differently) in the 12 months ahead.

Financially speaking, what New Year’s resolutions might you want to make for 2016 – and what can you do to stick by such resolutions as 2016 unfolds?

Strive to maximize your 2016 retirement plan contributions. The 2016 limit on IRA contributions is $5,500, $6,500 if you will be 50 or older at some point in the year. Contribution limits are set at $18,000 for 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and most 457 plans; if you will be 50 or older in 2016, you can make an additional catch-up contribution of up to $6,000 to those accounts.¹

 

If you want to retire in 2016, be mindful of the end of “file & suspend.” Social Security is closing the door on the file-and-suspend claiming strategy that married couples have used to try and optimize their Social Security benefits. If you are married and you will you be at least 66 years old by April 30, 2016, you and your spouse still have a chance to use the strategy. Starting May 1, that chance disappears forever for all married couples. (It will still be permitted on an individual basis.)^2,3

 

Similarly, the opportunity to file a restricted application for spousal benefits has also gone away. This was another tactic retirees employed in pursuit of greater lifetime Social Security income.²

 

Can you review & reduce your debt? Look at your debts, one by one. You may be able to renegotiate the terms of loans and interest rates with lenders and credit card firms. See if you can cut down the number of debts you have – either attack the one with the highest interest rate first or the smallest balance first, then repeat with the remaining debts.

 

Rebalance your portfolio. If you have rebalanced recently, great. Many investors go years without rebalancing, which can be problematic if you own too much in a declining sector.

 

See if you can solidify some retirement variables. Accumulating assets for retirement is great; doing so with a planned retirement age and an estimated retirement budget is even better. The older you get, the less hazy those variables start to become. See if you can define the “when” of retirement this year – that may make the “how” and “how much” clearer as well.

 

The same applies to college planning. If your child has now reached his or her teens, see if you can get a ballpark figure on the cost of attending local and out-of-state colleges. Even better, inquire about their financial aid packages and any relevant scholarships and grants. If you have college savings built up, you can work with those numbers and determine how those savings need to grow in the next few years.

 

How do you keep New Year’s resolutions from faltering? Often, New Year’s resolutions fail because there is only an end in mind – a clear goal, but no concrete steps toward realizing it.

So, if your aim is to save $20,000 toward retirement this year, map out the month-by-month contribution to your retirement account(s) that will help you do it. Web tools like Level Money and Mint.com can help you examine your cash flow week-to-week and month-to-month – you can use them to keep track of your saving effort as well as other aspects of your finances.⁴

If you wish, you can let a loved one or a close friend in on your New Year’s financial resolutions. That loved one or friend may decide to adopt them. Even if he or she does not, sharing your resolution might increase your commitment to carrying it out. Dominican University of California did a study on this very subject and found that when people set near-term goals and kept those goals private, they achieved them about 35% of the time – but when they informed friends about them and sent weekly progress updates, the achievement rate surpassed 70%.⁴  

Lastly, you may want to automate more of your financial life. If you have not set up monthly money transfers to a retirement or investment account, 2016 can be the year this happens.

 Citations.

1 - money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2015/10/26/how-401-k-s-and-iras-will-and-wont-change-in-2016 [10/26/15]

2 - money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2015/12/04/say-goodbye-to-the-social-security-file-and-suspend-strategy [12/4/15]

3 - tinyurl.com/p3exq5s [12/18/15]

4 - forbes.com/sites/bethbraverman/2015/12/29/4-tricks-to-get-your-new-years-resolutions-to-actually-stick-this-year/print/ [12/29/15]

Taking Loan from Retirement Plan = Bad Idea

Why you should refrain from making this move.

 Thinking about borrowing money from your 401(k), 403(b), or 457 account? Think twice about that, because these loans are not only risky but injurious to your retirement planning.

    

A loan of this kind damages your retirement savings prospects. A 401(k), 403(b), or 457 should never be viewed like a savings or checking account. When you withdraw from a bank account, you pull out cash. When you take a loan from your workplace retirement plan, you sell shares of your investments to generate cash. You buy back investment shares as you repay the loan.

 

So in borrowing from a 401(k), 403(b), or 457, you siphon down your invested retirement assets, leaving a smaller account balance that experiences a smaller degree of compounding. In repaying the loan, you will likely repurchase investment shares at higher prices than in the past – in other words, you will be buying high. None of this makes financial sense.¹

 

Most plans charge a $75 origination fee for a loan, and of course they charge interest – often around 5%. The interest paid will eventually return to your account, but that interest still represents money that could have remained in the account and remained invested.¹

 

Your contributions to the plan may be halted. Some workplace retirement plans suspend regular employee salary deferrals when a loan is taken. They can resume when you settle the loan.¹

 

Your take-home pay may be docked. Most loans from 401(k), 403(b), and 457 plans are repaid incrementally – the plan subtracts X dollars from your paycheck, month after month, until the amount borrowed is fully restored.¹

 

If you leave your job, you will quickly have to pay 100% of your loan back. This applies if you quit; it applies if you are laid off or fired. You will have 30-60 days (per the terms of the plan) to repay the loan in full, with interest.²

 

If you are younger than age 59½ and fail to pay the full amount of the loan back, the IRS will characterize any amount not repaid as a premature distribution from a retirement plan – taxable income that is also subject to an early withdrawal penalty.^1,2

   

Even if you have great job security, the loan will probably have to be repaid in full within five years. Most workplace retirement plans set such terms. If the terms are not met, then the unpaid balance becomes a taxable distribution with possible penalties (assuming you will not turn 59½ in the year in which repayment is due). If you default on the loan, the retirement plan may bar you from making future contributions.¹

 

Would you like to be taxed twice? When you borrow from an employee retirement plan, you invite that prospect. One, you will be repaying your loan with after-tax dollars. Two, those dollars will be taxed again when you withdraw them for retirement (unless your plan offers you a Roth option).¹

    

Why go into debt to pay off debt? If you borrow from your retirement plan, you will be assuming one debt to pay off another. It is better to go to a reputable lender for a personal loan; borrowing cash has fewer potential drawbacks.   

 

You should never confuse your retirement plan with a bank account. Some employees seem to do just that – in 2013, Fidelity researched participants in its retirement plans and found that 66% of those who had borrowed from 401(k)s had done so more than once. No doubt they became acquainted with the above dilemmas in the process.¹

 

In a recent TIAA-CREF survey, 44% of those who had taken loans from their 401(k) plans said they regretted doing so. Why risk joining their ranks? Look elsewhere for money in a crisis, and borrow from your employer-sponsored retirement plan only as a last resort.² 

 

    

Citations.

1 - cnbc.com/id/101848407 [9/14/14]

2 - mainstreet.com/article/why-you-cant-borrow-your-401k-and-only-way-you-should [7/24/14]

 

Getting It All Together for Retirement

Where is everything? Time to organize and centralize your documents.

 Before retirement begins, gather what you need. Put as much documentation as you can in one place, for you and those you love. It could be a password-protected online vault; it could be a file cabinet; it could be a file folder. Regardless of what it is, by centralizing the location of important papers you are saving yourself from disorganization and headaches in the future.

 

What should go in the vault, cabinet or folder(s)? Crucial financial information and more. You will want to include...

 

Those quarterly/annual statements. Recentperformance paperwork forIRAs, 401(k)s, funds, brokerage accounts and so forth. Include the statements from the latest quarter and the statements from the end of the previous calendar year (that is, the last Q4 statement you received). You no longer get paper statements? Print out the equivalent, or if you really want to minimize clutter, just print out the links to the online statements. (Someone is going to need your passwords, of course.) These documents can also become handy in figuring out a retirement income distribution strategy.

 

Healthcare benefit info. Are you enrolled in Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan? Are you in a group health plan? Do you pay for your own health coverage? Own a long term care policy? Gather the policies together in your new retirement command center, and include related literature so you can study their benefit summaries, coverage options, and rules and regulations. Contact info for insurers, HMOs, your doctor(s) and the insurance agent who sold you a particular policy should also go in here.

 

Life insurance info. Do you have a straight term insurance policy, no potential for cash value whatsoever? Keep a record of when the level premiums end. If you have a whole life policy, you need paperwork communicating the death benefit, the present cash value in the policy and the required monthly premiums.

 

Beneficiary designation forms. Few pre-retirees realize that beneficiary designations often take priority over requests made in a will when it comes to 401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs. Hopefully, you have retained copies of these forms. If not, you can request them from the account custodians and review the choices you have made. Are they choices you would still make today? By reviewing them in the company of a retirement planner or an attorney, you can gauge the tax efficiency of the eventual transfer of assets.¹

 

Social Security basics. If you have not claimed benefits yet, put your Social Security card, your W-2 form from last year, certified copies of your birth certificate, marriage license or divorce papers in one place, and military discharge paperwork and a copy of your W-2 form for last year (or Schedule SE and Schedule C plus 1040 form, if you work for yourself), and military discharge papers or proof of citizenship, if applicable. Take a look at your Social Security statement that tracks your accrued benefits (online or hard copy) and make a screengrab of it or print it out.²

 

Pension matters. Will you receive a bona fide pension in retirement? If so, you want to collect any special letters or bulletins from your employer. You want your Individual Benefit Statement telling you about the benefits you have earned and for which you may become eligible; you also want the Summary Plan Description and contact info for someone at the employee benefits department where you worked.

 

Real estate documents. Gather up your deed, mortgage docs, property tax statements and homeowner insurance policy. Also, make a list of the contents of your home and their estimated value – you may be away from your home more in retirement, so those items may be more vulnerable as a consequence.

 

Estate planning paperwork. Put copies of your estate plan and any trust paperwork within the collection, and of course a will. In case of a crisis of mind or body, your loved ones may need to find a durable power of attorney or health care directive, so include those documents if you have them and let them know where to find them.

 

Tax returns. Should you only keep your 1040 and state return from the previous year? How about those for the past 7 years? Have you kept every one since 1982 or 1974? At the very least, you should have a copy of returns from the prior year in this collection.

 

A list of your digital assets. We all have them now, and they are far from trivial – the contents of a cloud, a photo library, or a Facebook page may be vital to your image or your business. Passwords must be compiled too, of course. 

     

This will take a little work, but you will be glad you did it someday. Consider this a Saturday morning or weekend project. It may lead to some discoveries and possibly prompt some alterations to your financial picture as you prepare for retirement.

   

Citations.

1 - fpanet.org/ToolsResources/ArticlesBooksChecklists/Articles/Retirement/10EssentialDocumentsforRetirement/ [9/12/11]

2 - cbsnews.com/8301-505146_162-57573910/planning-for-retirement-take-inventory/ [3/18/13]

Are You Retiring Within the Next 5 Years?

What should you focus on as the transition approaches?

 

You can prepare for your retirement transition years before it occurs. In doing so, you can do your best to avoid the kind of financial surprises that tend to upset an unsuspecting new retiree.   

       

How much monthly income will you need? Look at your monthly expenses and add them up. (Consider also the trips, adventures and pursuits you have in mind in the near term.) You may end up living on less; that may be acceptable, as your monthly expenses may decline. If your retirement income strategy was conceived a few years ago, revisit it to see if it needs adjusting. As a test, you can even try living on your projected monthly income for 2-3 months prior to retiring.

   

Should you try to go Roth? Many pre-retirees have amassed substantial retirement savings in tax-deferred retirement accounts such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s and traditional IRAs.Distributions from these accounts are taxed as ordinary income. This reality makes some pre-retirees weigh the pros and cons of a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) conversion for some or all of those assets. You may want to consider the “Roth tradeoff” – being taxed on the amount of retirement savings you convert today in exchange for the ability to take tax-free withdrawals from the Roth IRA or 401(k) tomorrow. (You must be 59½ and have owned that Roth account for at least five years to take tax-free distributions.)¹ 

 

Should you downsize or relocate? Moving to another state may lessen your tax burden. Moving into a smaller home may reduce your monthly expenses. In a perfect world, you would retire without any mortgage debt. If you will still be paying off your home loan in retirement, realize that your monthly income might be lower as you do so. You may want to investigate a refi, but consider that the cost of a refi can offset the potential savings down the line.

    

How conservative should your portfolio be? Even if your retirement savings are substantial, growth investing gives your portfolio the potential to keep pace with or keep ahead of rising consumer prices. Mere gradual inflation has the capability to erode your purchasing power over time. As an example, at 3% inflation what costs $10,000 today will cost more than $24,000 in 2045.²

 

In planning for retirement, the top priority is to build savings; within retirement, the top priority is generating consistent, sufficient income. With that in mind, portfolio assets may be adjusted or reallocated with respect to time: it may be wise to have some risk-averse investments that can provide income in the next few years as well as growth investments geared to income or savings objectives on the long-term horizon.

    

How will you live? There are people who wrap up their careers without much idea of what their day-to-day life will be like once they retire. Some picture an endless Saturday. Others wonder if they will lose their sense of purpose (and self) away from work. Remember that retirement is a beginning. Ask yourself what you would like to begin doing. Think about how to structure your days to do it, and how your day-to-day life could change for the better with the gift of more free time.

 

Many retirees find that their expenses “out of the gate” are larger than they anticipated – more travel and leisure means more money spent. Even so, no business owner or professional wants to enter retirement pinching pennies. If you want to live it up a little yet are worried about drawing down your retirement savings too fast, consider slimming transportation costs (car and gasoline expenses; maybe you could even live car-free), landscaping costs, or other monthly costs that amount to discretionary spending better suited to youth or mid-life. 

 

How will you take care of yourself? What kind of health insurance do you have right now? If your company sponsors a group health plan, you may as well get the most out of it (in terms of doctor, dentist and optometrist visits) before you leave the office.

 

If you retire prior to age 65, Medicare will not be there for you. Check and see if your group health plan will extend certain benefits to you when you retire; it may or may not. If you can stay enrolled in it, great; if not, you may have to find new coverage at presumably higher premiums.

 

Even if you retire at 65 or later, Medicare is no panacea. Your out-of-pocket health care expenses could still be substantial with Medicare in place. Long term care is another consideration – if you think you (or your spouse) will need it, should it be funded through existing assets or some form of LTC insurance?

 

Give your retirement strategy a second look as the transition approaches. Review it in the company of the financial professional who helped you create and refine it. An adjustment or two before retirement may be necessary due to life or financial events.  

    

    

Citations.

1 - turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tools/tax-tips/Retirement/The-Tax-Benefits-of-Your-401-k--Plan/INF22614.html [5/7/15]

2 - investopedia.com/articles/markets/042215/best-etfs-inflationary-worries.asp [4/22/15]

IRS Raises Plan Contribution Limits

Roth & traditional IRAs won’t get 2015 COLAs, but other plans will.

 A little inflation means a little adjustment. As the Consumer Price Index is up 1.7% over the last 12 months, the federal government is giving Social Security benefits a 1.7% boost for 2015 and lifting annual contribution limits on key pension plans as well.¹

    

401(k), 403(b), 457 & TSP annual contribution limits increase by $500. You will be able to defer up to $18,000 into these plans in 2015. The catch-up contribution limit will also rise by $500 to $6,000 next year, so if you are 50 or older in 2015 you are eligible to contribute up to $24,000 to these retirement savings vehicles. (The above adjustments do not apply to all 457 plans.)²

    

SIMPLE IRAs get a similar COLA. Their base contribution and catch-up contribution limits also go up $500 for 2015. The limit for the base contribution will be $12,500 next year, and the catch-up limit rises to $3,000.³

    

Limits also rise for SEP-IRAs and Solo(k)s. Small business owners will want to take note of the new maximum deferral amount of $53,000 for 2015, a $1,000 increase. As for the compensation limit factored into the savings calculation, that limit will be $265,000 next year, $5,000 more than the 2014 limit. A side note: the threshold for an employee to be included in a SEP plan goes up $50 to $600 next year (i.e., that worker has to receive $550 or more in compensation from your business in 2015).^2,3

    

Take note of the slightly higher phase-out range for Roth IRA contributions. Next year, you won’t be able to make a Roth IRA contribution if your AGI exceeds $193,000 as a married couple filing jointly, or $131,000 should you be a single filer or head of household. Those figures are $2,000 above the 2014 eligibility thresholds. Joint filers with AGI of$183,001-193,000 and singles and heads of household with AGI of $116,001-131,000 will be able to make a partial rather than full Roth IRA contribution next year.³

      

Phase-out ranges on the deduction of regular IRA contributions have also been altered. Here are the 2015 adjustments to these thresholds (this gets pretty involved). If you are a single filer or file as a head of household and you contribute to a traditional IRA and you are also covered by a workplace retirement plan, the AGI phase-out range for you is $1,000 higher next year ($61,001-71,000). If you file jointly and contribute to a traditional IRA and are also covered by a workplace retirement plan, the AGI phase-out range is $98,001-118,000. Above the high end of those phase-out ranges, you can’t claim a deduction for traditional IRA contributions.²

 

If you contribute to a traditional IRA and your employer doesn’t sponsor a retirement plan, yet your spouse contributes to a workplace retirement plan, the AGI phase-out on deductions of traditional IRA contributions strikes when your combined AGI ranges from $183,001-193,000.²

And if you are married, filing separately and covered by a workplace retirement plan, the phase-out range on deductions of traditional IRA contributions is $0-$10,000 (this never receives a COLA).^2,3

      

AGI limits for the Saver’s Credit increase. Americans saving for retirement on modest incomes will be eligible for the credit next year if their AGI falls underneath certain thresholds: single filers and marrieds filing separately, adjusted gross income of $30,500 or less; heads of household, AGI of $45,750 or less; joint filers, $61,000 or less.³

     

Contribution limits for profit-sharing plans rise as per limits for 401(k)s. A participant in such a plan is looking at a 2015 elective deferral limit of $18,000 ($24,000 if she or he is old enough to make catch-up contributions). The yearly compensation limit on such plans will be $5,000 higher in 2015 at $265,000.⁴

                    

    

Citations.

1 - tinyurl.com/lxbv6rq [10/21/14]

2 - irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Announces-2015-Pension-Plan-Limitations;-Taxpayers-May-Contribute-up-to-$18,000-to-their-401%28k%29-plans-in-2015 [10/23/14]

3 - forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2014/10/23/irs-announces-2015-retirement-plan-contribution-limits-for-401ks-and-more/ [10/23/14]

4 - irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/COLA-Increases-for-Dollar-Limitations-on-Benefits-and-Contributions [10/23/14]

 

Less Protection for Inherited IRA's

They are no longer exempt from creditors & bankruptcy proceedings.

 

    

A SCOTUS ruling raises eyebrows. On June 12, 2014, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that assets held within inherited IRAs by non-spousal beneficiaries do not legally constitute “retirement funds.” Therefore, those assets are not protected from creditors under federal bankruptcy statutes.^1,2

   

This opinion may have you scratching your head. “IRA” stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement, right? So how could IRA assets fail to qualify as retirement assets?

    

Here is the background behind the decision. In 2010, a Wisconsin resident named Heidi Heffron-Clark filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In doing so, she listed an inherited IRA with a balance of around $300,000 as an exempt asset. No doubt this seemed reasonable: the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act provided a cumulative $1 million inflation-adjusted bankruptcy exemption for both traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs in 2005.³

  

So under BAPCPA, wasn’t that $300K in inherited IRA funds held by Ms. Heffron-Clark creditor-protected? Her creditors, the bankruptcy trustee and the Wisconsin bankruptcy court all thought not. That wasn’t surprising, as bankruptcy trustees have issued numerous challenges to the exemption status of inherited IRAs since BAPCPA’s passing.³

    

Clark v. Rameker made it all the way to the country’s highest court, and boiled down to one question: is an inherited IRA a retirement account, or not?

 

The Supreme Court rejected the idea that a retirement account for one individual automatically becomes a retirement account for the individual who inherits it. It made that stand based on three features of inherited IRAs:

 

** The beneficiary of an inherited IRA can draw down all of the IRA balance at any time and use the money for anything without any penalty. Compare that to the original IRA owner, who will face penalties for (most) IRA distributions taken before age 59½.

** Typically, beneficiaries of inherited IRAs must start to take required minimum distributions (RMDs) in the year after they inherit the IRA; it doesn’t matter how old they are when that happens. They could be 68 years old, they could be 8 years old – age doesn’t factor into the RMD rules.

** Unlike the original IRA owner, the beneficiary of an inherited IRA can’t contribute to that account – another strike against the contextualization of an inherited IRA as a retirement fund.³

 

All this gave the high court a basis for its decision.

    

Do IRA funds that pass to surviving spouses remain creditor-protected? It would seem so. Frustratingly, the Supreme Court didn’t tackle that question in its ruling. IRAs inherited from spouses are still presumably exempt from federal bankruptcy laws, and if a surviving spouse rolls over inherited IRA assets into an IRA of his or her own, the resulting enlarged IRA is presumably still defined as a retirement account.Oral arguments heard in Clark v. Rameker may help to reinforce this view; the bankruptcy trustee’s lawyer emphasized the differences between Ms. Heffron-Clark’s inherited IRA and one inherited from a decedent.³

 

State laws may save some inherited IRA assets. If a non-spousal beneficiary inherits an IRA and lives inAlaska, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio or Texas, state law is on his or her side. In those states, bankruptcy exemption statutes shelter inherited IRAs.²

 

What if the heir lives elsewhere?That could pose a problem.If an IRA owner fails to play defense, the IRA assets could one day be at risk if a non-spousal beneficiary inherits them.

 

Designating a trust as the IRA beneficiary isn’t the only option here, but it certainly has merit. The hitch is that putting an IRA into a trust is rather involved. Trusts also come with fees, paperwork and complexity, and the non-spousal beneficiary of the IRA assets should have some financial literacy.¹

 

In the case of a traditional IRA, a Roth conversion might be an option worth examining. (The conversion would have to happen during the original owner’s lifetime.) Another option: some of the IRA balance could be spent on life insurance which could be left to a trust; life some of the IRA balance could be spent on life insurance which could be left to a trust; life insurance proceeds are tax-free, and a life insurance policy is much more suited to inclusion in a trust than a traditional or Roth IRA.²

 

The bottom line?If you fear that the heir(s) to your IRA might face bankruptcy proceedings someday, talk with a financial or legal professional about your options. If state law won’t protect those assets, a trust might be wise.

           

    

Citations.

1 - blogs.marketwatch.com/encore/2014/06/12/scotus-inherited-iras-not-retirement-accounts/ [6/12/14]

2 - tinyurl.com/n9g4acw [7/13/14]

3 - theslottreport.com/2014/06/supreme-court-inherited-iras-are-not.html [6/18/14]

 

It Isn't Too Late to Save for Retirement

If you’re 40 or 50 and haven’t begun, you must make the effort.

 

  

Some people start saving for retirement at 20, 25, or 30. Others start later, and while their accumulated assets will have fewer years of compounding to benefit from, that shouldn’t discourage them to the point of doing nothing.   

 

If you need to play catch-up, here are some retirement savings principles to keep in mind. First of all, keep a positive outlook. Believe in the validity of your effort. Know that you are doing something good for yourself and your future, and keep at it.

 

Starting later means saving more – much more. That’s reality; that’s math. When you have 15 or 20 years until your envisioned retirement instead of 30 or 40, you’ve got to sock away money for retirement in comparatively greater proportions. The good news is that you won’t be retiring strictly on those contributions; in large part, you will be retiring on the earnings generated by that pool of invested assets.      

 

How much more do you need to save? A ballpark example: Marisa, a pre-retiree, has zero retirement savings at age 45 and dedicates herself to doing something about it. She decides to save $500 each month for retirement. After 20 years of doing that month after month, and with her retirement account yielding 6% a year, Marisa winds up with about $225,000 at age 65.¹

 

After 65, Marisa would probably realize about $10,000 a year in inflation-adjusted retirement income from that $225,000 in invested retirement savings. Would that and Social Security be enough? Probably not. Admittedly, this is better than nothing. Moreover, her retirement account(s) might average better than a 6% return across 20 years.¹

 

The math doesn’t lie, and the message is clear: Marisa needs to save more than $6,000 a year for retirement. Practically speaking, that means she should also exploit vehicles which allow her to do that. In 2014, you can put up to $5,500 in an IRA, $6,500 if you are 50 or older – but you can sock away up to $17,500 next year in a 401(k), 403(b), Thrift Savings Plan and most 457 plans, which all have a maximum contribution limit of $23,000 for those 50 and older.²

 

If Marisa is self-employed (and a sole proprietor), she can establish a solo 401(k) or a SEP-IRA. The yearly contribution limits are much higher for these plans. If Marisa’s 2013 net earnings from self-employment (after earnings are reduced by one-half of self-employment tax) work out to $50,000, she can put an employer contribution of up to $10,000 in a SEP-IRA. (She must also make similar percentage contributions for all “covered” employees, excepting her spouse, under the SEP IRA plan.) As a sole proprietor, Marisa may also make a combined employer-employee contribution of up to $33,000 to a solo 401(k) this year, and if she combines a defined benefit plan with a solo 401(k), the limit rises to $47,400. If her 2013 net earnings from self-employment come out to $150,000, she can make an employer contribution of as much as $30,000 to a SEP-IRA, a combined employee salary deferral contribution and employer profit sharing contribution of up to $53,000 to a solo 401(k), and contribute up to $96,300 toward her retirement through via the combination of the solo 401(k) and defined benefit plan.³ 

 

How do you save more? As you are likely nearing your peak earnings years, it may be easier than you initially assume. One helpful step is to reduce some of the lifestyle costs you incur: cable TV, lease payments, and so forth. Reducing debt helps: every reduced credit card balance or paid-off loan frees up more cash. Selling things helps – a car, a boat, a house, collectibles. Whatever money they generate for you can be assigned to your retirement savings effort.

 

Consistency is more important than yield. When you get a late start on retirement saving, you naturally want solid returns on your investments every year – yet you shouldn’t become fixated on the return alone. A dogged pursuit of double-digit returns may expose you to considerable market risk (and the potential for big losses in a downturn). Diversification is always important, increasingly so when you can’t afford to lose a big portion of what you have saved. So is tax efficiency. You will also want to watch account fees.

 

If you start saving for retirement at 50, your retirement savings will likely double (at least) by age 65 thanks to consistent inflows of new money, decent yields and compounding.⁴

 

What if you amass a big nest egg & still face a shortfall? Maybe you can reduce expenses in retirement by moving to another city or state (or even another country). Maybe you can broaden your skill set and make yourself employable in another way (which also might help you before you reach traditional retirement age if you find yourself in a declining industry).

 

If you haven’t begun to save for retirement by your mid-40s, you have probably heard a few warnings and wake-up calls. Unless you are independently wealthy or anticipate being so someday, the truth of the matter is...

 

If you haven’t started saving for retirement, you need to do something to save your retirement.

 

That may sound harsh or scary, but without a nest egg, your vision of a comfortable future is in jeopardy. You can’t retire on hope and you don’t want to rely on Social Security, relatives or social services agencies for your well-being when you are elderly.

   

Citations.

1 - money.cnn.com/2012/08/15/pf/expert/late-start-retirement.moneymag/ [8/15/13]

2 - irs.gov/uac/IRS-Announces-2014-Pension-Plan-Limitations;-Taxpayers-May-Contribute-up-to-$17,500-to-their-401%28k%29-plans-in-2014 [11/4/13]

3 - forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2013/11/01/retirement-savings-for-the-self-employed/ [11/1/13]

4 - forbes.com/sites/mitchelltuchman/2013/11/21/financial-planning-for-late-starters-in-five-steps/ [11/21/13]

 

IRS Announces 2014 Retirement Plan Contributions

Rules changes for IRAs, 401(k)s & other savings vehicles.

   

The IRS has made minor adjustments to retirement plan limitations for 2014. As inflation has been tame in 2013, these COLAs aren’t dramatic; as a result, some retirement plans won’t see any next year. Here is a roundup of the changes for 2014.

 

IRAs. Not much change here: the 2014 contribution limit is still set at $5,500, with an additional $1,000 catch-up contribution permitted for those 50 and older.¹

 

The AGI phase-out ranges affecting your ability to deduct traditional IRA contributions have been slightly adjusted north:

 

* Single & head-of-household filers covered by a workplace retirement plan: $60,001-70,000

* Married filing jointly, you contribute to a workplace retirement plan: $96,001-116,000

* Married filing jointly, spouse contributes to workplace plan, you don’t: $181,001-191,000. ^1,2

  

The limits on eligibility to make Roth IRA contributions have been adjusted. You can make a full Roth contribution in 2014 if your adjusted gross income does not exceed these limits:

 

* Single & head-of-household filers: $114,000 (phase-out range is $114,001-129,000)

* Married filing jointly: $181,000 (phase-out range is $181,001-191,000) ^1,3

  

401(k)s, 403(b)s, most 457 plans & the federal Thrift Savings Plan. Contribution limits on these plans are unchanged for 2014. You will be able to put up to $17,500 in these accounts next year if you are younger than 50, and $23,000 if you are 50 or older (thanks to the catch-up contribution).^2,4

 

If you participate in more than one of these defined contribution retirement plans – for example, you contribute to a 401(k) and a 403(b), or two 401(k)s – you should know that the total contribution limit for both employee and employer contributions across all such accounts in 2014 is the lesser of: a) 100% of your compensation, b) $52,000 if you are younger than 50, or c) $57,500 if you are 50 or older.⁵

 

With regard to 401(k)s, the above limits apply to both traditional and “safe harbor” versions.⁵

 

SEP & Simple plans. In 2014, the maximum allowable compensation used in the calculation of SEP-IRA contributions increases $5,000 to $260,000. The threshold for an employee to be included in a SEP plan remains at $550 for 2014 (that is, an employee is eligible if he or she receives at least $550 in compensation from your business for the year). SIMPLE plans see no changes to contribution limits next year: the maximum plan contribution remains at $12,000 for 2014, with catch-up contributions still limited at $2,500.^2,6

 

Profit-sharing plans. The 2014 deferral limit is $17,500, the catch-up contribution limit is $2,500, the compensation limitation is $260,000, and the maximum contribution amount across multiple plans is the lesser of a) 100% of your compensation, b) $52,000 if you are younger than 50, or c) $57,500 if you are 50 or older.^4,5

 

ESOPs. Next year, the dollar amount used to figure out the maximum account balance in an ESOP subject to a 5-year distribution period increases by $15,000 to $1,050,000. There is also a $5,000 rise in the dollar amount used to determine the lengthening of the 5-year distribution period – it is $210,000 in 2014.^2,4

 

The dollar limitation used to define a key employee in a top-heavy plan increases. This limit was set at $165,000 for 2013. Next year, it rises to $170,000.^2,4

 

Income limits for the saver’s credit are slightly increasing. This federal tax credit is offered to low-income and middle-income workers saving for retirement. In 2014, you will be eligible for the credit if your AGI doesn’t exceed these thresholds:

 

* Married filing jointly: $60,000

* Head of household: $45,000

* Married filing separately & single filers: $30,000 ³

    

Keep these retirement plan adjustments in mind as you think about your financial moves for 2014.

 

Citations.

1 - bankrate.com/financing/retirement/new-irs-rules-for-retirement-plans/ [11/1/13]

2 - irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/COLA-Increases-for-Dollar-Limitations-on-Benefits-and-Contributions [10/31/13]

3 - blogs.marketwatch.com/encore/2013/10/31/irs-releases-2014-limits-for-401ks-iras/ [10/31/13]

4 - irs.gov/uac/IRS-Announces-2014-Pension-Plan-Limitations;-Taxpayers-May-Contribute-up-to-$17,500-to-their-401%28k%29-plans-in-2014 [11/4/13]

5 - irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Plan-Participant,-Employee/Retirement-Topics---401%28k%29-and-Profit-Sharing-Plan-Contribution-Limits [11/1/13]

6 - irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Retirement-Plans-FAQs-regarding-SEPs-Participation [2/13/13]

 

Why You Should Keep Contributing to Your 401K

Save for retirement consistently, regardless of how the market behaves.

 

 

There is seldom a dull moment on Wall Street. Stocks may rise or fall dramatically over the course of a year or a decade. Sometimes, breaking news may tempt you to pull money out of your 401(k) or greatly reduce your contributions. If you’re considering such a move, think twice.

 

Don’t stop saving for retirement. Even if you think you’re wealthy enough to forego putting money in your 401(k) for a while, you could end up seriously shortchanging your retirement savings potential by reducing your retirement plan balance or elective salary deferrals.

 

A 401(k) plan is a terrific retirement savings vehicle – but many Americans have not saved enough for their retirement years. On top of that, if you withdraw money from a 401(k) plan before age 59½, you’ll face a 10% tax penalty (with few exceptions) and you may end up spending money today that could have enjoyed tax-deferred compounding in the future.¹

 

Don’t lose out on the power of tax deferral & compounding. Together, these factors have the potential to exponentially grow your retirement savings. As an example, let’s say you enroll in a 401(k) plan at age 25 and contribute $2,000 a year for 40 years with an annual return of 10%. At age 65, your $80,000 of contributions will be worth $973,684 thanks to compounding and a consistent inflow of new money.²

 

Contributions to a traditional 401(k) also reduce the amount of taxable income listed on your W-2 form. They may lower your initial tax hit on your state return as well; most states exempt traditional 401(k) contributions from tax. Self-employed individuals can actually deduct 401(k) plan contributions.^2,3

 

The 2013 401(k) contribution limit is $17,500, with $5,500 in additional “catch-up” contributions permitted for workers 50 and older. These limits may rise slightly in 2014.⁴

 

Don’t lose out on a match. Will your employer match your contributions – say, a dollar-for-dollar match on the first 3% of salary? If you make $60,000 per year, 3% is $1,800. Would you throw away $1,800 worth of free money each year? You shouldn’t, especially given that this money will grow tax-deferred.

 

Do keep contributing steadily. It’s a good idea to keep up the dollar cost averaging and continue to make steady month-to-month or paycheck-to-paycheck salary deferrals. In all probability, this is central to your financial plan - and how will you amass the retirement savings you need if you stop contributing? Sure, there are other ways to build retirement savings, but dollar-cost-averaged contributions to a 401(k) represent a consistent, recurring way to get that job done.

 

If you contribute to your 401(k) plan through a dollar cost averaging approach, your investment dollar buys shares at a lower price in a bear market – and it also buys more shares for your money. So when a bull market cycle resumes, you may end up in a really good position.

 

It’s a good idea to keep contributing even if you are falling behind financially. Should you pay down debts with your 401(k) assets? Only as a last resort. In fact, if you are looking at a bankruptcy you should know that 401(k) assets are protected in Chapter 7 bankruptcies under federal law.⁵

 

Do review your goals with your financial advisor. Look at your time horizon. Look at your overall financial plan. Whether you are nearing retirement or far away from it, you will see that your 401(k) is a vital tool for pursuing your financial objectives. Whatever this or that website may proclaim, don’t be discouraged by short-term headlines; abide by the long-term plan created personally for you.

 

Citations.

1 - irs.gov/taxtopics/tc424.html [4/1/13]

2 - womensfinance.com/wf/401k/taxes.asp [12/12]

3 - finance.zacks.com/tax-deductions-contributions-401k-plans-1852.html [10/15/13]

4 - irs.gov/uac/2013-Pension-Plan-Limitations [9/27/13]

5 - boston.com/business/personalfinance/managingyourmoney/archives/2010/05/bankruptcy_prot.html [5/17/10]

 

 

End of Year Money Moves for 2013

Here are some things you might want to do before saying goodbye to 2013.  

 

                       

What has changed for you in 2013? Did you start a new job – or leave a job behind? Did you retire? Did you start a family? If some notable changes occurred in your personal or professional life, then you will want to review your finances before this year ends and the next one begins.

 

Even if your 2013 has been relatively uneventful, the end of the year is still a good time to get cracking and see where you can plan to save some taxes and/or build a little more wealth. 

 

Do you practice tax loss harvesting? That is the art of taking capital losses (selling securities worth less than what you first paid for them) to offset your short-term capital gains. If you fall into one of the upper tax brackets, you might want to consider this move, which directly lowers your taxable income. It should be made with the guidance of a financial professional you trust.¹ 

 

In fact, you could even take it a step further. Consider that up to $3,000 of capital losses in excess of capital gains can be deducted from ordinary income, and any remaining capital losses above that can be carried forward to offset capital gains in upcoming years.¹

   

Do you itemize deductions? If you do, great. Now would be a good time to get the receipts and assorted paperwork together. Besides a possible mortgage interest deduction, you might be able to take a state sales tax deduction, a student-loan interest deduction, a military-related deduction, a deduction for the amount of estate tax paid on inherited IRA assets, an energy-saving deduction, a homebuyer credit … there are so many deductions you can potentially claim, and now is the time to meet with your tax professional so that you can strategize to claim as many as you can.

  

Could you ramp up 401(k) or 403(b) contributions? If you can do this in November and December, that will lower your taxable income for 2013. Do it enough and you might be able to qualify for other tax credits or breaks available to those under certain income limits.

 

Are you thinking of gifting? How about making a contribution to a charity or some other kind of 501(c)(3) non-profit organization before 2013 ends? In many cases, these gifts are partly tax-deductible. If you pour some money into a 529 plan on behalf of a child, you could get a deduction at the state level (depending on the state).

 

Of course, you can also reduce the value of your taxable estate with a gift or two. This year, the gift tax exclusion is $14,000. So you can gift up to $14,000 to as many people as you wish this year, with the understanding that you have a $5.25 million lifetime limit before you are actually hit with gift taxes. This $5.25 million limit will rise in future years as it is inflation-indexed.²

 

While we’re on the topic of estate planning, why not take a moment to review the beneficiary designations for your IRA, your life insurance policy, and your retirement plan at work? If you haven’t reviewed them for a decade or more (which isn’t uncommon), double-check to see that these assets will go where you want them to go should you pass away. Lastly, take a look at your will to see that it remains valid and up to date.  

 

Should you convert all or part of a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA? You will be withdrawing money from that traditional IRA someday ... and those withdrawals will equal taxable income. Withdrawals from a Roth IRA you own are never taxed during your lifetime, assuming you follow the rules. Translation: tax savings tomorrow. Before you go Roth, you do need to make sure you have the money to pay taxes on the conversion amount. If you do this and change your mind, the IRS gives you until October 15 of the year after a conversion to undo it.³

 

Can you take advantage of the American Opportunity Tax Credit? Now in place through 2017, the AOTC for qualified college expenses allows individuals whose modified adjusted gross income is $80,000 or less (and joint filers with MAGI of $160,000 or less) a chance to claim a credit of up to $2,500 for qualified tuition and related expenses. Phase-outs kick in above those MAGI levels.^3,4

 

What can you do before they sing “Auld Lang Syne”? Talk with a financial or tax professional now rather than in February or March. Little year-end moves might help you improve your short-term and long-term financial situation.

 

 

Citations.

1 - bankrate.com/finance/money-guides/capital-losses-can-help-cut-your-tax-bill-1.aspx [9/19/13]

2 - chron.com/news/article/New-act-clears-up-estate-gift-tax-confusion-4301217.php [2/22/13]

3 - tinyurl.com/lcb66o8 [12/28/12]

4 - irs.gov/uac/American-Opportunity-Tax-Credit [5/31/13]