Category Archives: Retirement Planning

Baby Boomers & Retirement Planning

Facebook, GE, Johnson & Johnson and other stocks that Baby Boomers love.

If you are a Baby Boomer, and have investments in your retirement planning, you’ll enjoy this article. Forbes writer, Samantha Sharf, looks at the stocks that the different generations favor. “Johnson & Johnson JNJ -0.59% is the tenth most popular stock among Baby Boomers — the generation born between 1946 and 1964 — making up 0.9% of the average Boomer’s stock portfolio, according to TD Ameritrade. Two key facts make a strong case for why the healthcare giant ranks with this group but not their younger counterparts.

First fact: Boomers are turning 65 at a rate of about 10,00 per day. That trend is expected to continue until around 2030, according to Pew Research.

Second: Last year Fidelity Benefits Consulting estimated a 65-year-old couple will need an average of $220,000 to pay for medical expenses throughout retirement. That’s a lot.”

“The healthcare giant ranks 14th for Millennials’, the youngest adult generation, and 22nd for Gen Xers, the generation just behind Boomers. Johnson & Johnson, however, is even more popular with people over 70 making up 1.1% of a Senior’s portfolio on average.”

Stocks Baby Boomers Love Most:
Apple
General Electric
Microsoft
Facebook
Bank of America
Intel
AT&T
Exxon Mobil
Berkshire Hathaway
Johnson & Johnson

Read original article “Johnson & Johnson and the 9 other stocks Baby Boomers Love Most“.

We do more than just tax preparation. US-TaxLaws is your best source for professional tax preparation and/or financial consulting services that include:

Personal Tax Preparation   Business Tax Preparation   Partnership Tax Preparation
Corporate Tax Preparation  Incorporation-Choice of Entity   Business Support Services
Corporate Compliance   Audit Representation  Retirement Tax Planning   Wills & Trusts, Estate Planning   Bookkeeping   Payroll

Are you 50+? Ready to get serious about retirement?

What Do You Need To Consider When Planning Retirement?

When is the best time to get serious about retirement planning? Some say it’s the 50’s. And guess what, it’s not all about you. It’s about your parent’s too. “It’s important to talk openly with your parents about their financial position and plans,” said Matthew Saneholtz, a certified financial planner with Tobias Financial Advisors. “Be sure your parents have an estate plan in place and long-term care coverage, or at least a picture of their final stages of life, because it might affect you,” he said. “If you know your parents don’t have the money to pay for care on their own, are you willing to use your own savings to help them? Will they rely on Medicaid? Will you take care of them in your own home? These are questions you need to think about, as they could become your dependents.”

Source: Your 50s Is the Time to Get Serious About Retirement Planning“.

Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs)
Roth IRAs

401(k) Plans
403(b) Plans

SIMPLE IRA Plans (Savings Incentive Match Plans for Employees)
SEP Plans (Simplified Employee Pension)
SARSEP Plans (Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension)
Payroll Deduction IRAs

Profit-Sharing Plans
Defined Benefit Plans
Money Purchase Plans
Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)

Governmental Plans

457 Plans
409A Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans

Help with Choosing a Retirement Plan

We do more than just tax preparation. US-TaxLaws is your best source for professional tax preparation and/or financial consulting services that include:

Social Security Spousal Benefits

The 3 Secrets to Maxing out Social Security Spousal Benefits

Social Security Spousal Benefits is not something many of us look into, until necessary. Philip Moeller in his Money.com, Ask The Expert column takes a close look at this benefit, and what you have to do to protect yourself. “If there’s one set of rules worth understanding, it’s spousal benefits.”

Q: My wife was born in 1950 and will be 65 this year; I was born in 1953 and will be 62. As I have earned more in my lifetime, my Social Security benefit is estimated to be larger than hers at full retirement age. But her spousal benefit would be less than half of her individual retirement benefit. When the younger spouse has a higher estimated benefit, what are some strategies to explore? —Jack

Every year, couples leave literally billions of dollars on the table because they make the wrong claiming choices. Here are three secrets to getting this claim right, and how they apply to your situation:

To get spousal benefits, the primary earner must file for retirement benefits first. Spousal benefits can equal as much as half of the amount the person would receive in individual Social Security benefits at full retirement age (FRA). For anyone born in 1943 through 1954, FRA is 66; it will gradually rise to 67 for people born in 1960 or later.
If you file for a spousal benefit before your FRA, you will end up with a smaller amount. You can file as early as age 62 but if you do, you will be hit with benefit reductions. Retirement benefits will rise each month they are deferred between FRA and age 70. Spousal benefits peak at FRA, so there is no reason to defer claiming them past that point.

An early filing will also trigger a Social Security provision called deeming—this means the agency considers you to be filing both for your individual retirement benefit and you spousal benefit. You will be paid an amount roughly equal to the greater of the two benefits. But you lose the opportunity to get increases for delayed claiming on your individual benefits. This is a bad deal.

Use a file-and-suspend strategy. If both spouses defer claiming until FRA, the higher-earning spouse can file and suspend benefits then. This way, the lower-earning spouse can file for spousal benefits, allowing his or her individual retirement benefit to grow due to delayed retirement credits. Then you can each file for maximum retirement benefits at age 70.

So what’s the right approach for you? If you both defer filing, you can file and suspend your benefit at age 66. This will enable your spouse, who will have turned 69, to file for her maximum spousal benefit. Meanwhile, she can continue to allow her individual benefit to grow due to delayed credits up to age 70

Alternatively, your wife can file and suspend at 69, allowing you to file for your maximum spousal benefit at 66 and collect it for four years, while deferring your own retirement benefit until 70. Even though you are the higher earner. this strategy seems likely to maximize your family’s total benefits.

There’s another advantage to waiting until 70: if you die before your wife, she will receive a widow’s benefit that will equal your maximum retirement benefit. (She can only collect the greater of her retirement or widow’s benefit.)

Of course, choosing the best spousal claiming strategy for a couple depends on many factors, including relative ages, finances and health. This is something married partners need to talk about.

To read Philip Moeller’s answer to Jack and other questions, read the full article in its original format: http://time.com/money/3735837/social-security-spousal-benefits-secrets/

Philip Moeller is an expert on retirement, aging, and health. He is co-author of The New York Times bestseller, “Get What’s Yours: The Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security,” and is working on a companion book about Medicare.

Hey Boomers – want to know where is the best place to live in retirement?

Want to know where is the best place to live in retirement?

Use This Interactive Map on State-by-State Guide to Taxes on Retirees

Is *retirement* in your life plan? Want to know where is the best place to live in retirement? Visit Kiplinger and click on any state in the map for a detailed summary of taxes on retirement income property and purchases, as well as special tax breaks for seniors.

Go over to Kiplinger for more maps including the most tax-friendly and least tax-friendly states for retirees. Read more at http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/retirement

SOURCES: State tax departments, CCH and the Tax Foundation.

Will you have enough to retire?

Methodology

Retirement is something we want to look forward to. Some have planned this *future* … others, not so much. To get an idea of what you have in contrast to what you will need, CNN’s article “Will You Have Enough To Retire” includes an online calculator.

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This calculator estimates how much you’ll need to save for retirement. To make sure you’re thinking about the long haul, we assume you’ll live to age 92. But you could live to be 100 or incur large medical bills early on in retirement that may raise your costs even further. Social Security is factored into these calculations, but other sources of income, such as pensions and annuities, are not. All calculations are pre-tax.

The results offer a general idea of how much you’ll need and are not intended to be investment advice. The results are presented in both future dollars (at retirement) and today’s dollars, which is calculated using an inflation rate of 2.3%.

USE CNN ONLINE CALCULATOR http://money.cnn.com/calculator/retirement/retirement-need/

How we calculate your savings goal

First, we determine what your income will be at the time you retire by growing your current income at an annual rate of 3.8% (the inflation rate of 2.3%, plus the salary growth rate of 1.5%). We then assume you can live comfortably off of 85% of your pre-retirement income. So if you earn $100,000 the year you retire, we estimate you will need $85,000 during the first year of retirement. For each subsequent year, we increase your income need by 2.3% to keep up with inflation. We then factor in Social Security by subtracting your estimated benefits (more on that below) since that income will reduce the amount you will need to save.

The second step is to calculate the total savings you will need at the time you retire, in order to generate enough income for each year of retirement. To do this, we determine what it would cost to purchase a fixed income annuity, with inflation-adjusted payments, using a discount rate (or rate of return) of 6%. The cost to purchase this hypothetical annuity is your target savings goal.

How we calculate the amount you will save

To figure out how much you will save by the time you retire, we first estimate your future income by growing your current income at a rate of 3.8% (the inflation rate of 2.3%, plus the salary growth rate of 1.5%). Then, we determine what the sum of your annual contributions will be between now and retirement. We assume your current savings and future contributions are invested and will earn an average annual rate of return of 6%.

How we estimate Social Security benefits

We estimate your Social Security benefits based on the assumption that you will have worked at least 35 years and will start collecting benefits at age 67. For most people who are working today, that’s considered full retirement age. If you plan on retiring after age 67, we assumed the benefits are invested (along with your savings) and grown at the same average rate of return of 6%. We use your estimated pre-retirement income to calculate your estimated annual Social Security benefits, based on current benefit formulas and accounting for inflation. To better understand your actual Social Security benefits, please visit www.ssa.gov.

Sources: Social Security Administration; Federal Reserve of Philadelphia; Department of Labor; CNN http://money.cnn.com/calculator/retirement/retirement-need/

Looking Forward to 2015 Tax Benefits

In 2015, Various Tax Benefits Increase Due to Inflation Adjustments

For tax year 2015, the Internal Revenue Service announced annual inflation adjustments for more than 40 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules, and other tax changes. Revenue Procedure 2014-61 provides details about these annual adjustments. Continue reading →

Estate Planning Changes : What 2015 Looks Like

WealthManagement.com provides insight to Estate Planning for 2015.

The consensus at 48th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning was that because 2014 is an election year, there’s unlikely to be any major tax reform this year. The year 2015, however, could be a different story.

Continue reading →

First Time Home Buyers Can Use Their IRA – penalty-free!

iStock_000011965294Large Anyone that qualifies as a “First Time Home Buyer” can take up to $10,000 out of their IRA penalty free for certain purchase costs. BUT did you know it doesn’t have to be for your home purchase? Call for more information at (619) 589-8680 or use our contact form.

401(k) and IRA Limitations and Adjustments for 2014

IRS cost‑of‑living adjustments affect dollar limitations for pension plans and other retirement-related items for tax year 2014.

Some pension limitations such as those governing 401(k) plans and IRAs will remain unchanged because the increase in the Consumer Price Index did not meet the statutory thresholds for their adjustment. However, other pension plan limitations will increase for 2014. Highlights include the following: Continue reading →

MarketWatch Highlights Tax Law Changes

Have you planned for these 7 tax law changes?

CALL US - 619-589-8680 Seven significant new income tax law changes went into effect at the beginning of the year as a result of two pieces of legislation:

The 2010 Health Care Reform Act
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012

Although the new laws are primarily designed to increase taxes for those with higher levels of income, everyone with earned income is affected. With the first seven months of 2013 behind us, have you begun planning for these changes? Continue reading →

Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) EA UPDATE

UPDATE: Funding the Affordable Care Act through NIIT

Want to know why it is a good idea to have an Enrolled Agent (EA) as your professional tax preparer? They are “America’s Tax Experts®!” An EA can explain, in easy-to-understand language, how the new tax code will affect you and your taxes today, and help you plan for the future, The IRS is the *enforcement arm* for the Affordable Care Act Tax collection, and the laws and reporting requirements are changing almost daily. You want someone who is looking out for you and your best interest (no pun intended). Continue reading →

3 Tax Tips You Need to Know Heading Into 2014

Countdown to the New Year.

The budget deal that Congress and President Obama struck at the beginning of the year to avoid the fiscal cliff resulted in seven tax increases. If you throw in the six tax hikes that are part of Obamacare, that means there are 13 new taxes that may have hit you in 2013.

1.) The biggest potential taxes for wage earners include: Continue reading →

Pay-It-Forward Tax-Saving Moves for 2013!

What Tax Moves Can You Make In December?

Identify and pre-pay deductible expenditures

In our last “tax move” post, we suggested taxpayers look at all the options they have for lowering their tax bill due in 2014. Here are some more possibilities:

January house payment – Prepaying your mortgage will give you 12 months of deductible interest. The same for a vacation home. Continue reading →

Congress Looking At New Stuff To Tax

Congress is looking for potential sources of tax revenue and the list includes employer-paid healthcare, retirement plans, medicare and other potential sources.

Continue reading →

Taxes, Death… and Marriage?

Marriage – tax advantage? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Marriage can have a tax-rate advantage, but it depends on the incomes. Did you know you can actually save tax money if one spouse is making a lot less than the other? It’s true. The tax bill of the high-income earner can almost (if not totally) be cancelled out. Continue reading →

When To Take Retirement?

Retirement is one of the big questions Boomers are facing and keep these thoughts in mind when planning.

The Social Security payment a person receives depends on: Continue reading →

Social Security Changes Based on Life Expectancy

There are changes in Social Security. This affects everyone who is approaching retirement age.

Update: Want to learn more on the latest from the Social Security Administration, see https://ssa.gov/planners/lifeexpectancy.html

Back on July 29, 2013 the Ways & Means Committee released bipartisan proposals which it stated were necessary to strengthen and protect Social Security. In an effort to engage stakeholders in a dialogue on the potential legislative solutions, the Committee is soliciting feedback. Such changes would include the controversial “chained consumer price index (CPI)”option, see Article 2141 and Article 2140.

Without action addressing the fiscal and structural challenges facing the entitlement programs, the Committee notes that Medicare will be bankrupt by 2026 and seniors will experience a 23% cut to their Social Security benefits in 2033.

As part of a bipartisan hearing series on entitlement reforms announced in April, the Committee is reviewing a variety of proposals to protect and preserve Medicare and Social Security that have been identified by President Obama, either in his budget or in other recommendations to Congress, as well as bipartisan ideas for entitlement reform from the President’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (the “Simpson-Bowles Commission”) and the Bipartisan Policy Center Debt Reduction Task Force (“Domenici-Rivlin Task Force”).

Source: https://cs.thomsonreuters.com/