Retirement

More professional practices (and practice groups) should look into them. In corporate America, pension plans are fading away. Only 16% of Fortune 500 companies offered them to full-time employees in 2018, according to Willis Towers Watson research. In contrast, legal, medical, accounting, and engineering firms are keeping the spirit of the traditional pension plan alive by … [Read more...] about Cash Balance Plans

Avoid these situations, if you can. Pursuing your retirement dreams is challenging enough without making some common, and very avoidable, mistakes. Here are eight big mistakes to steer clear of, if possible. No Strategy. Yes, the biggest mistake is having no strategy at all. Without a strategy, you may have no goals, leaving you no way of knowing how you’ll get there – a … [Read more...] about Eight Mistakes That Can Upend Your Retirement

A radical new approach to working, saving, and retiring. Retire before 50 and live your best life. That is the message of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, which is drawing interest worldwide. Adherents of the FIRE movement contend that many young adults can pursue financial freedom and retire in their 40s (or 30s) through sufficient commitment, … [Read more...] about The FIRE Movement

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 … [Read more...] about Are You Retiring Within the Next 5 Years?

Perhaps both traditional and Roth IRAs can play a part in your retirement plans. IRAs can be an important tool in your retirement savings belt, and whichever you choose to open could have a significant impact on how those accounts might grow. IRAs, or Individual Retirement Arrangements, are investment vehicles used to help save money for retirement. There are two … [Read more...] about Traditional vs. Roth IRAs

Some specifics about the “second act.” Does your vision of retirement align with the facts? Here are some noteworthy financial and lifestyle facts about life after 50 that might surprise you. Up to 85% of a retiree’s Social Security income can be taxed. Some retirees are taken aback when they discover this. In addition to the Internal Revenue Service, 13 states levy taxe … [Read more...] about A Retirement Fact Sheet

Take note of them for 2019. Some notable developments are about to impact 401(k) plans. They follow a major change that became effective in 2018. Thanks to the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, workers who borrow from 401(k) accounts and leave their jobs now have until October of the following year to repay plan loans.1 The Internal Revenue Service has eased the rules on 401(k) … [Read more...] about Some Changes Are Coming for 401(k)s

Are you aware of them? The federal government offers some major tax breaks for older Americans. Some of these perks deserve more publicity than they receive. If you are 65 or older, your standard deduction is $1,300 larger. Make that $1,600 if you are unmarried. Thanks to the passage of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, the 2018 standard deduction for an individual taxpayer … [Read more...] about Tax Considerations for Retirees