No investment strategy can guarantee success. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of your contribution dollars. There is no assurance that working with a financial professional will result in investment success. On your journey to retirement, you'll likely face many risks that have the potential to throw you off course. Following are five common challenges retirement investors face. Take some time now to review and understand them before your journey takes an … [Read more...]
Building Confidence in Your Strategy for Retirement
In 2018, 64% of workers surveyed were either somewhat or very confident in their ability to afford retirement, up from 60% in 2017. Among retirees surveyed in 2018, 75% were confident, down from 79% in 2017. Source: 2018 Retirement Confidence Survey, EBRI Each year, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) conducts its Retirement Confidence Survey to assess both worker and retiree confidence in financial aspects of retirement. In 2018, as in years past, retirees expressed a … [Read more...]
Marriage and Money: Taking a Team Approach to Retirement
Open communication and teamwork are especially important when it comes to saving and investing for retirement. Now that it's fairly common for families to have two wage earners, many husbands and wives are accumulating assets in separate employer-sponsored retirement accounts. In 2018, the maximum employee contribution to a 401(k) or 403(b) plan is $18,500 ($24,500 for those age 50 and older), and employers often match contributions up to a set percentage of salary. But even when most of a … [Read more...]
Quiz: Can You Answer These Social Security Benefit Questions?
Most people will receive Social Security benefits at some point in their lifetimes, but how much do you know about this important source of income? Take this quiz to learn more. Questions 1. Can you receive retirement and disability benefits from Social Security at the same time? a. Yes b. No 2. If your ex-spouse receives benefits based on your earnings record, your benefit will be reduced by how much? a. Reduced by 30% b. Reduced by 40% c. Reduced by 50% d. Your benefit will not be … [Read more...]
Will a government pension reduce my Social Security benefits?
If you earned a government pension from a job not subject to Social Security tax withholding ("noncovered employment") and are also eligible for Social Security benefits through a job where Social Security taxes were withheld, two provisions might reduce your benefits: the windfall elimination provision (WEP) and the government pension offset (GPO). The WEP affects how a worker's Social Security benefit is calculated. If you're subject to the WEP, your benefit is calculated using a modified … [Read more...]
Four Points to Consider When Setting a Retirement Income Goal
No matter what your age or stage of life, targeting a goal for monthly retirement income can seem like a daunting task. Following are four considerations to help you get started. 1. When do you plan to retire? The first question to ponder is your anticipated retirement age. Many people base their target retirement date on when they're eligible for full Social Security benefits, and for today's workers, "full retirement age" ranges from 66 to 67. Other folks hope to retire early, while still … [Read more...]
Why is it important to factor inflation into retirement planning?
Inflation is one of the key factors you will need to consider when planning for retirement. Not only will the cost of living rise while you're accumulating assets for retirement, but it will continue to rise during your retirement, which could last 25 years or longer. This, combined with the fact that you will not likely earn a paycheck during retirement, is the main reason your portfolio needs to maintain at least some growth potential for the duration of your retirement. Consider this: If … [Read more...]
Don’t Delay: The Potential Benefits of Starting to Save Now
For long-term investment goals such as retirement, time can be one of your biggest advantages. That's because time allows your investment dollars to do some of the hard work for you through a mathematical principle known as compounding. The snowball effect The premise behind compounding is fairly simple. You invest to earn money, and if those returns are then reinvested, that money can also earn returns. For example, say you invest $1,000 and earn an annual return of 7% — which, of course, … [Read more...]
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