Displaying items by tag: retirement

Income investors are flummoxed by the turbulent bond market and many are left wondering what to do. Sure dividend stocks might be an okay option but for those closer to retirement times are too turbulent to rely on them. Instead, rather than sinking your teeth into longer-term bonds with so much interest rate uncertainty, investors should ladder or stagger their fixed rate annuities. Sequencing can allow you to fight the current inflation with better yields than bonds and CDs with more security than equity markets. Additionally, laddering can allow you to be ready to pull out in case bond yields rise to provide more income and on top of that get in at a lower price.

FINSUM: Sure short-run annuities have less return than an ultra-long option but if interest rates pick up you won’t be hung out to dry.

There are a record number of people with over a million in the 401(k) accounts which means even more people are considering retirement in the upcoming year. However, there are lots of factors that investors need to consider before even thinking about early retirement. Many consider a $1 million nest egg enough however the 25x rule (retirement is 25 times your annual expenses) might not go far enough. Rising healthcare costs are eating away at existing retirement accounts, and many fail to accurately gauge their retirement healthcare costs. Additionally, rising inflation is eating away at the paper wealth and needs to be a factor in. If you are planning on retiring early you will need a series of tax loopholes to do so without paying high penalties. Finally, an early retirement needs to rebalance their portfolio to a less risky strategy sooner which may leave you with less than you were projecting.

FINSUM: Meet with an accountant or your financial advisors so you can fully gauge how expensive an early retirement could actually cost.

Annuities have been criticized for their lack of a national advertising campaign that could really rally interest, but that will change in 2022. A large number of retirees should give companies enough desire to boost their annuities exposure. In addition to this many of the fundamental changes in regulation such as the secure act are paving the way for annuities to be introduced in new ways. Finally, the stock market has performed better than anyone could expect coming out of the pandemic, and bonds provided now yield and little security. Investors will need to protect their gains and retirement and expect big companies to pitch to these investors more frequently.

FINSUM: Protecting existing stock gains is a great argument for individuals to consider annuities in 2022.

Millions of Americans are reliant on the social security payments as they shift into retirement, and while SSA boosted the amount in checks by 5.9% it pales in comparison to the record CPI numbers. The CPI climbed at a jaw-dropping 6.8% in November, which skims a healthy amount from the bottom line. Another large factor eating at people’s retirement social security is Medicare Part B premiums and are cost-of-living reducer. Medicare Part B premiums will subtract 29% percentage points from the Social security Take home over the next 30-years. Finally, retirees should be wary that their prescriptions are covered by Medicare because otherwise, they will be a hefty retirement expense.

FINSUM: It’s outrageous that social security and other retirement accounts aren’t keeping pace with the actual costs of retirees, and needs to factor into investment decisions.

There have been widespread attempts by the new administration and private financial companies to expand the access to retirement vehicles, but a ‘fiduciary only’ regulation will kill retirement hopes for many low-income communities. Nearly half of black families and almost two-thirds of Hispanic families have no retirement savings account, and a stricter fiduciary rule would make it virtually impossible for these communities to get access to financial securities like annuities which allow them access to guaranteed lifetime income. Previous strict fiduciary rules like in 2016 left 10 million small retirement account owners without financial advisor access and a new rule could have a similar impact. Regulators and public officials should look into alternative approaches if they are interested in building retirement savings in underserved communities.

FINSUM: Unintended consequences of policies most often impact those the policies are seeking to help!