Category: Retirement

Posted on

Closing the Books – 4 Final Tasks Before Death

man at cemetaryLife’s race is almost over. It’s time to take your victory lap and start preparing for whatever comes next. Completing the following four tasks can help you meet any last obligations to your loved ones, ensure your final days are spent as you want, and reconcile your dreams with the realities of your life. Whatever you have done, or left undone, is past and now is the time to finally realize the wisdom of John Viscount Morley who said, “The great business of life is to be, to do, to do without, and to depart.”

1. Estate Planning
After a life accumulating assets, you want to make sure that they go to the people you love and trust when you pass. If your estate is valued at $5.25 million or less (indexed for inflation), your heirs are likely not subject to federal or state taxes. However, some states may impose a tax even if there is no federal liability (additional complications arise if the surviving spouse is a non-citizen). Executors of estates larger than that threshold must file Form 706 within nine months of the decedent’s death or receive an extension from the IRS.

Read more . . .

This article appeared on the Forbes website January 14, 2014.

Posted on

6 Best Investments for Retirement Planning

couple retirement planningBaby boomers are the first generation of a new retirement era with the burden of saving the bulk of their retirement income and making those savings last 20 to 30 years. This responsibility is due to the decline in company pensions which shifted saving and investment responsibilities to employees, as well as an increase in life expectancy after attaining adulthood (almost 20% since 1950). The challenge of investing has been particularly difficult in the last five years; a study by Thornburg Investment Management calculated the annual “real return” for many classes of investment during the period as being negative.

The possibility of a future investment environment where inflation remains low and interest rates rise (the opposite of the 1960s to 1980s) producing slower economic growth, projected healthcare expenses not covered by insurance, and the uncertainty of program changes in Social Security and Medicare will result in people continuing to work as long as possible, accelerating their savings in their later years, and seeking maximum returns in their portfolios.

According to Chris Brightman, head of investment management at Research Affiliates, “Baby Boomers are going to work longer than they originally expected. They’re going to have to save more than they planned. And they’re going to have to consume more modestly in retirement.”

Your Investment Options for Retirement

There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different investment vehicles available. The following list describes the most popular choices, while some investments (such as gold and collectibles) are not listed because, according to Warren Buffett, they are difficult to analyze, lack any productive use, and their future price depends solely on the hope that the next buyer will pay more for the item than the owner paid.

Read more . . .

Posted on

4 Strategies to Maximize Retirement Income

This article first appeared in Forbes.com on November 28, 2013.

Retirement Fund 3More than seven out of 10 Americans worry about outliving their income during retirement, according to a recent survey by Prudential PUK +1.57% Retirement. Decades of pension plan conversions to profit-sharing plans, combined with a stock market decline of more than 50% in 2008 and falling real estate values have devastated savings and retirement accounts nationwide. As a result, a combination of post-retirement work, Social Security benefits, and prudent portfolio management is going to be necessary for most baby boomers to retire during the next two decades. Implementing the following steps can help you maximize your post-retirement income so that you remain financially independent during your golden years.

1. Continue to Work

According to a recent Gallup Poll, almost three-quarters of U.S. workers intend to work past retirement age, 40% by choice and 35% due to necessity. Delaying retirement as long as possible makes economic and psychological sense due to the following reasons:

  • Increased Financial Security During Retirement. The last years of work are typically the highest income-earning years of employment. At the same time, most of life’s major expenses – buying a house, educating children, acquiring significant assets – are over, so that a greater proportion of income can be devoted to savings.
  • Improved Mental and Physical Health. According to Carol Dufouil, at a recent presentation at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, the risk of getting dementia drops by 3.2% for every year worked past retirement age. Study after study indicates that people who continue to work live longer and are in better health than those who retire at age 65 or earlier, and the benefits are present for those who worked full-time or part-time.

Unless your job is too physically demanding or stressful, seek to extend your employment, either full-time or part-time, as long as possible.

Read more . . .

Posted on

Life After Retirement – What Do I Do Now?

This article first appeared in Forbes.com on November 22, 2013.

retired man thinkingRetirement wasn’t working for Dwayne. A deliberate, thoughtful man, Dwayne spent 25 years with a Fortune 500 company rising through the ranks to Company Vice President of Logistics. When he retired, Dwayne expected to fall easily into a life of leisure – rising late, doing what he wanted when he wanted, and traveling frequently with his wife Mary. Now, three months post-retirement, he finds his days endlessly boring, spent mostly sleeping or watching television. He doesn’t like golf, gardening is too hot, and Mary has her own activities which don’t include him.

As many retirees discover, leaving one life to begin another is difficult. A May 2013 study by the UK’s Institute of Economic Affairs reports 40% of retirees suffer from clinical depression, while 6 out of 10 report a decline in health.

Read more . . .