Retirement and Estate Planning
Retirement*
The Social Security Administration says that your Social Security benefit should be only one of three parts of your retirement savings formula, along with a pension, and your personal savings/ investments. For the growing number of people not covered by a company pension, that leaves just Social Security and savings/ investments.
Savings/Investments - As with most things in life, retirement can be a good thing if we properly plan for it, or a bad thing if we don't. Allocating your savings and investments in the proper places now, can save you many headaches in the future. Following is a brief overview of the things experts say you should consider before creating your retirement plan. This article, or this list, are in no way to be construed as financial planning advice. Any financial plan should be reviewed by a qualified attorney, accountant, or tax advisor.
Stocks - Your stock portfolio will be comprised of both stocks and mutual funds and will likely be your highest risk / highest return retirement investment. Your age and the amount you must save for retirement will dictate how much risk your portfolio should contain. These decisions should be discussed with your financial planner.
Bonds - Bonds are essentially short term loans made to companies or governments. U.S. treasury bonds are considered the most secure investment because their return is backed by the United States Government.
401(k) - Most large employers offer their employees a 401(k) retirement plan. After signing an agreement, a percentage of your salary is put into a special account. Most plans invest in either stocks or mutual funds. A 401(k) plan is different from other pensions in that you have more control over your plan. You decide how much you want to save and how to invest.
CDs - Certificates of Deposit allow you to lock in a favorable interest rate for your money. This is a great way to keep a percentage of your retirement savings. This IS NOT a good way to store money that needs to remain liquid, as a CD can lock your money away for several years. During those years, you will lose a substantial portion of interest when you withdraw the principal early.
IRAs - An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is available to most working Americans and their spouses. Individuals may contribute $3,000 annually for tax year 2002 to an IRA; Working couples and couples with one non-working spouse may generally contribute $6,000 annually ($3,000 in each IRA for tax year 2002). The deadline for making IRA contributions is the deadline, not including extensions, for filing your income tax return (generally April 15, 2002 for your 2001 contributions). Beginning 2002, an additional "catch-up" contribution may be available to individuals age 50 and over.* Generally, contributions cannot exceed earned income (i.e., wages). Investors in traditional IRAs benefit from the impact of income tax deferral and compounding. Roth IRA investors may enjoy potentially federal income tax free earnings.
Social Security - It is unclear what the status of Social Security will be when those currently under 40 become eligible to receive it. What is clear however, is that despite the fact that Social Security was developed as a supplement to traditional retirement means, more and more people are relying on it as their ONLY means of retirement income. What is also clear is that retirement planning is becoming much more important as the continued viability of Social Security comes into question.
For additional information on Retirement planning, consider the following web sites:
- http://www.fam1st.com/hffrc.htm
- http://www.kiplinger.com/retreport/
- http://www.prudential.com/retirement/
Estate Planning*
Wills - A Will is a document that is prepared by a decedent, prior to death, in order to designate where the decedent's real and personal property will be divided at death. This document ONLY applies to real property and personal belongings that fall within the jurisdiction of the Probate Court. Therefore, property that has been set up to avoid probate, will NOT be affected by the decedent's Will.
Trusts - A Trust is set up by placing all of your possessions into the control of a Trustee. (Most people then set themselves up as the Trustee so they can manage their belongings during their lifetime.) By placing personal belongings and real estate into a trust in this way, these items never pass through the Probate Court system, thus creating an easier way to pass these items onto the beneficiaries that the creator of the Trust has established.
*Nothing on this site is intended to constitute legal advice, if you have questions about Wills, Trusts or your personal Estate Plan, please consult an attorney.
