Fong Law Group

Five Tips for Starting Retirement Planning in Your 50s

When it comes to retirement planning, many Americans find themselves underprepared. A majority of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Generation X’ers (born between 1965 and 1978) often end up without retirement savings or don’t have realistic expectations about post-retirement costs. According to the Insured Retirement Institute, only 25 percent of boomers are confident of having sufficient savings in retirement. If you are in your 50s and nearing retirement without substantial savings or a plan, don’t despair -- it is never too late to start planning.

Although every working professional should contribute towards retirement from their early days, for various reasons they often delay the process. If you are nearing your 50s without a post-retirement plan and see yourself working for another 10 to 15 years, this is an opportunity to plan judiciously and save for your retirement right away.

Here are five strategic steps for achieving the best retirement plan:

1. Set Specific and Practical Goals

Proper retirement planning begins with setting specific goals. Calculate your current income, total savings, and ongoing investments to understand how much you could save, and be sure to set realistic goals.

While providing for emergency expenses and paying off a mortgage can be your short-term and intermediate goals, saving up for retirement should be your long-term goal. An annual financial review is helpful in evaluating your past goals and understanding your earnings as well as liabilities.

2. Plan a Realistic Budget Focusing on Retirement

Review your monthly and yearly expenses and list the factors that are likely to remain constant for the next few years. Now allocate funds to each category in a way that will allow you to save more for your retirement.

According to financial experts, if you are saving for retirement after 50, it is best to contribute 30 percent of your salary towards this end. If you find that goal difficult to meet, look at your budget list and reduce optional expenses.

3. Pay Off Debts

Paying off debts early will help you meet your retirement budgets and ease the financial burden. According to an AARP report, 44 percent of Americans continue to pay for their home after they retire.

Clearing off outstanding debts, credit card bills, loans, and mortgages will make it much easier to prioritize retirement funds.

4. Invest in Retirement Plans

401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs are some of the retirement plans available in the U.S.  While 401(k)s are one of the most popular plans, not all companies offer them and those that do have their own, often restrictive, investment rules. Then there are two types of IRAs:  traditional and Roth IRAs.

To make the best choice among the many retirement plan options, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of IRA vs 401(k), Roth IRA vs 401(k) and other investment alternatives, as well as contribution limits.

5. Diversify Your Investments

Investment diversification will help keep you on a firm financial footing. Do not stash all your money in banks; instead, create an investment portfolio and explore your options.

It is important to diversify and distribute your money among multiple sectors. Considering the volatility of markets, diversification of your investment portfolio safeguards your capital and helps it grow.

It’s Time to Step Up a Gear

A concrete retirement plan with emphasis on savings is essential to ensure a comfortable and healthy post-retirement life. Saving for your retirement is the first priority and the sooner you start, the better your chances of achieving your retirement goals.

Most Are Taking Social Security at the Wrong Time

A new report finds that almost no retirees are making financially optimal decisions about when to take Social Security and are losing out on more than $100,000 per household in the process. The average Social Security recipient would receive 9 percent more income in retirement if they made the financially optimal decision.

When claiming Social Security, you have three options: You may begin taking benefits between age 62 and your full retirement age, you can wait until your full retirement age, or you can delay benefits and take them anytime up until you reach age 70. If you take Social Security between age 62 and your full retirement age, your benefits will be reduced to account for the longer period you will be paid. If you delay taking retirement, depending on when you were born, your eventual benefit will increase by 6 to 8 percent for every year that you delay, in addition to any cost-of-living increases. 

The new report , conducted by United Income, an online investment management and financial planning firm, found that only 4 percent of retirees make the financially optimal decision about when to claim Social Security. Nearly all of the retirees not optimizing their benefits are claiming benefits too early. The study found that 57 percent of retirees would build more wealth if they waited to claim until age 70. However, currently more than 70 percent of retirees claim benefits before their full retirement age. Claiming before full retirement is the financially best option for only 6.5 percent of retirees, according to United Income. 

The consequences of claiming Social Security too early can be big. The report found that collecting benefits at the wrong time causes retirees to collectively lose $3.4 trillion in potential income (an average of $111,000 per household). The report also estimates that elderly poverty could be cut in half if retirees claimed benefits at the financially optimal time. 

One reason most people do not optimize Social Security is because waiting to collect benefits means their overall wealth may fall during their 60s and 70s. They also may not be aware that collecting benefits before full retirement age means that their benefits will be permanently reduced. According to the report’s authors, policy changes are necessary to get retirees to wait to claim benefits. The report recommends that early claiming be made the exception and reserved for those who have a demonstrable need to collect early. Another recommendation is to change the label on early retirement and call it the "minimum benefit age."

Should You Sell Your Life Insurance Policy?

Older Americans with a life insurance policy that they no longer need have the option to sell the policy to investors. These transactions, called "life settlements," can bring in needed cash, but are they a good idea? 

If your children are grown and your mortgage paid off, you may decide that there is no longer a reason to be paying premiums every month for a life insurance policy, or you may reach a time when you can no longer afford to keep up with the premiums. If this happens, you may be tempted to let the policy lapse and get nothing from it or to surrender the policy for its cash value, which usually is a fraction of its death benefit. Another option is a life settlement. This allows you to sell your policy to an investor for an amount that is greater than the cash value, but less than the death benefit. The buyer pays all future premiums and receives the death benefit when you die. 

Life settlements offer seniors a way to get cash to supplement retirement income and help pay for living expenses, health care, or other needed items. They can be a good alternative to surrendering a policy or letting it lapse. But as with any financial transaction, you need to exercise caution. 

The amount you receive from a life settlement depends on your age, your health, and the terms and conditions of the policy. It is hard to determine if you are getting a fair price for the policy because there are no standard guidelines for life settlements. Before selling you should shop around to several life settlement companies. You should also note that the amount you receive will be reduced by transaction fees, which can eat up a good chunk of the proceeds of the sale. In addition, you may have to pay taxes on the lump sum you receive. Finally, the beneficiaries of your policy may not be pleased with the sale, which is why some life settlement companies require beneficiaries to sign off on the transaction.

Before choosing a life settlement, you should consider other options. If you need cash right away, you can borrow against your policy. If the premiums are too much, you may be able to stop premiums and receive a smaller death benefit. In some cases of terminal illness, you can receive an accelerated death benefit (this allows you to receive a portion of your death benefit while you are still alive). If you don't need the cash but no longer want the policy, another possibility is to donate the policy to charity and get a tax write-off. 

To find out the right solution for you, talk to your elder law attorney.

Due Diligence Needed, If Retirement Depends on Inheritance, Selling Business

“I am 60 years old, divorced and have never taken an active interest in my finances. I’ve never worried about saving for retirement. I felt that when I retired, I’d be able to sell my business and that along with the inheritance I would receive from my parents, I would be in good shape.”

The first sentence in this article from Hometown Life, “Playing off charge card debt a major priority,” tells the entire story: “I…have never taken an active interest in my finances.” The person never had his business evaluated by a professional and learned at age 60 that his business had no resale value. In addition, he learned that his parents were supporting a sister and any inheritance he was anticipating would not be enough to live on.

Making matters worse, he has more than $80,000 in credit card debt on various cards, at interest rates between 18% and 21%. With next to no equity in his home and a home equity loan and a mortgage, this person has only one asset: an IRA worth around $100,000.

At some point in their lives, most people realize that they must be active participants in their financial lives. They need a budget to contain spending and a savings plan, so they can enjoy their retirement and control of their credit card debt. It sounds like this man just got a wake-up call.

He wonders how to resolve his credit card debt, but it seems there are a number of other issues that need to be addressed.

First, he should pay off his credit card debt. At 18% to 21%, there is no investment he could make that would come near that rate. One way to do this, is to increase his monthly payments. It may take many years to knock down such a large debt, so another option is to use his IRA to pay off the money immediately.

Equally important is for him to commit to use the money he would have otherwise used to pay off credit card debt and invest that into a retirement fund. It doesn’t matter if he uses an IRA, a SEP or a Roth, but he needs to be disciplined and start putting money away for his retirement.

Potential inheritances are troublesome for people who count their chickens before they hatch. Until the inheritance is safely in your own bank account, you cannot count on it. In a time where living expenses are high and people are living longer, fewer and fewer people are expecting to receive inheritances. Basing a lifestyle around an expected inheritance, can only lead to financial disaster.

Preparing for retirement and taking an active role in managing your finances, is a life-long task and part of our responsibility as adults. Another responsibility is to have an estate plan in place, so even people who die in debt, can be assured that what assets they do have will go to their heirs.

Reference: Hometown Life (March 3, 2019) “Playing off charge card debt a major priority”

How Working and Taking Social Security Benefits Works Or Doesn’t (中英對照)

“Taking Social Security while still working, may sound like a good way to boost your income while you prepare for your impending retirement, but this strategy can have unexpected costs.”

It seems too good to be true — the idea of working at your regular job, receiving your regular salary and giving yourself a little extra income by applying for Social Security benefits at the same time. However, as explained by the article “Working and Taking Social Security at the Same Time? Watch Out for This” from Yahoo! Finance, there are some real pitfalls to doing this, unless you are very careful.

If you are under your Full Retirement Age (FRA), which depends on when you were born, the government may reduce your benefits, if your paycheck exceeds certain thresholds. This is formally known as the Social Security Earnings Test. You’ll need to work all the numbers to see if this strategy might work for you. Don’t expect it to, by the way, because that’s not what Social Security is all about.

The Social Security Earnings Test calculates how much you will lose in Social Security benefits, if you are under your FRA and if you’re earning over a certain amount every year from a paycheck. In 2019, that limit is $17,640. Note that this only applies to earned income. It does not apply to any other government benefits, investment earnings or pension income. For every $2 you earn more than $17,640 in 2019, the SSA (Social Security Administration) deducts $1 from your monthly benefit.

Let’s say you are entitled to a $1,000 benefit every month ($12,000 per year) and you also earn $2,400 from your job. You’ll lose $3,180 in benefits and you’ll get only $8,820 for the year.

The numbers are a little different, if you are reaching your FRA at some point during 2019. The 2019 earnings limit when a person has reached FRA is a lot larger at $46,920, instead of $17,640. In this case, for every $3 you earn over the limit, the SSA will reduce benefits by $1.

Here’s the sweet spot: as soon as you hit your FRA, the rules no longer apply, and you can earn as much as you can. The SSA won’t take deductions from your paychecks.

There is a Retirement Earnings Test Calculator on the Social Security website. You must enter your date of birth, estimated earnings and your estimated Social Security benefit. It will provide further information on how earnings will be calculated.

If you are counting on Social Security for most of your living expenses during retirement, consider working longer, at the very least until you reach your FRA. You can also keep working full-time and delay taking Social Security benefits, so when you do start getting that monthly benefit it will be bigger.

For every month you delay taking Social Security beyond your 62^nd birthday, benefits increase by 2/3 of 1%. You’ll reach 100% of your benefits at FRA, and if you can keep delaying benefits until age 70, benefits increase by a significant amount: 132% if your FRA is 66, or 124% if your FRA is 67.

Reference: Yahoo! Finance (Feb. 25, 2019) “Working and Taking Social Security at the Same Time? Watch Out for This”

工作同時領取社會安全金是可行還是不可行

“在你還在工作的同時領取社會安全金，可能聽起來像是一種為你將來退休做準備同時增加收入的好方法，但這方法會產生意想不到的代價。”

申請社會保障福利同時有正規工作，領取正常工資和給自己一點額外收入的想法似乎好得令人難以置信。但是，正如來自雅虎財務文章“Working and Taking Social Security at the Same Time? Watch Out for This” ，這樣做有一些陷阱，除非你非常小心。

如果您還未達到完全退休年齡（FRA），這取決於您出生的時間，如果您的薪水超過特定門檻，政府可能會減少您的福利。這正式稱為社會保障收入測試。您需要小心計算所有數字，看看這個策略是否適合您。順便說一句，不要期望，因為這不是社會保障的原意。

如果您在完全退休年齡下, 並且每年從薪水中獲得超過一定數額的收入。社會保障收入測試計算您在社會保障福利中將損失多少。在2019年，該限額為17,640美元。請注意，這僅適用於賺取的收入。它不適用於任何其他政府福利，投資收益或養老金收入。您在2019年的收入如超過17,640美元，每多2美元, SSA（社會保障管理局）將從您的每月福利中扣除1美元。

假設您每月獲得1,000美元的福利（每年12,000美元），同時您工作收入為2,400美元。你將損失3,180美元的福利金，而今年你只能獲得8,820美元。

如果您在2019年的某個時間到了您的完全退休年齡，那麼這些數字會略有不同。當一個人於2019年達到完全退休年齡時，2019年的收入限額便會提高到46,920美元，而不是17,640美元。在這種情況下，若超過限額, 每多3美元社會保障管理局將扣除1美元的福利金。

亮點在這裡：只要到達您的完全退休年齡，規則就不再適用，你可以盡可能賺到盡。社會保障管理局不會從您的薪水中扣除。

社會安全局網站上有一個退休收入測試計算器。您必須輸入您的出生日期，估計收入和您估計的社會安全金。它將提供有關如何計算收入的更多資訊。

如果您在退休期間依靠社會安全金來支付大部分生活費，請考慮延長工作時間，至少到達您的完全退休年齡。您還可以繼續全職工作並延遲享有社會保障福利，這樣當您開始領取每月福利時，它會更多。

在您62歲以後, 您每推遲一個月去領取社會安全金，福利便會以百分之一的三分之二增長。您將在您到達完全退休年齡, 您會獲得全額福利，如果您延遲享有社會保障福利直到70歲，福利將大幅增加 : 132% 如果您的完全退休年齡是66歲或124% 如果您的完全退休年齡是67歲。

參考: Yahoo! Finance (Feb. 25, 2019) “Working and Taking Social Security at the Same Time? Watch Out for This”

Tips to Boost Your Tax-Free Income in Retirement

“Although workers are told to put every spare pre-tax cent into a traditional 401(k) at work, the reality is that once the time comes to tap that account for income in retirement, income taxes will follow.”

There is a bright side to the income taxes that will follow you into retirement. Create a pool of tax-free income, advises CNBC, by following the advice in the article “3 tips to help boost your tax-free income in retirement.”

Introduce yourself to the Roth IRA and the Roth 401(k). Unlike a traditional IRA, with a Roth IRA you pay taxes when you make your contribution to the account. The funds then grow tax-free over time and, as long as you meet certain conditions, there are no taxes on withdrawals. With a Roth IRA, there are none of those pesky RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions). However, there are withdrawal distribution requirements for a Roth (401)k.

Most employers offer Roth IRA and Roth 401(k) accounts, so there’s a good chance they are offered by your employer.

Roth IRAs are often offered along with their counterpart, the traditional 401(k). Between the two of them, it’s possible to save as much as $19,000 in 2019. For those workers who are 50 and over, you can add $6,000 as a catch-up contribution.

The power of the Roth 401(k) is the tax-free compounding that takes place over time. Don’t miss out on this, if you want to max out your tax-free savings.

There are two different types of Roth plans: the Roth 401(k) and a Roth IRA. Roth IRA plans have income limits. If your modified AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) is more than $137,000 for a single and $203,000 for a couple filing jointly, you aren’t allowed to make a direct contribution to a Roth IRA. However, there are no income caps for Roth (401)k. You can also save more for retirement in a Roth 401(k), compared to a Roth IRA. Roth IRAs are also subject to annual contribution limits: $6,000 in 2019, plus a $1,000 catch-up contribution, if you are over age 50.

Here are three steps to make your retirement savings more tax free:

Can you do an in-plan conversion? If your employer offers a Roth 401(k), you may be able to convert some of your traditional 401(k) savings to the Roth. This is called an in-plan Roth conversion. Just like a direct contribution to a Roth 401(k), it will be taxable. Therefore, make sure that you run the numbers before moving funds. You’ll be responsible for taxes on pretax principal and earnings. Don’t do it all at once, so that you don’t find yourself moved into a higher tax bracket.

What does your plan allow? If you’ve left your employer and have money in both a traditional 401(k) and a Roth (401)k, you might want to convert those accounts — if your retirement plan allows it.  Remember that you may not write a check from an outside bank account to add after-tax money to a Roth 401(k).

What’s your time-frame? Just as young workers are in the best position to save early and often, they are also in the best position to make the most out of Roth savings accounts of all types. It’s likely that younger workers have not yet reached their full career and earnings stage, so now is the best time to put money into a Roth 401(k). When incomes are higher, so will taxes on Roth retirement account contributions. If you’re close to retirement, there are other timing factors to consider, primarily Medicare. How much you pay for Medicare Part B and D, which covers doctor’s visits and prescription drugs, depends upon your modified gross income from two years ago. Do the conversion to a Roth at age 62, if you intend to file for Medicare at age 65.

Reference: CNBC (Feb. 10, 2019) “3 tips to help boost your tax-free income in retirement”

 

Planning for Three Financial Phases of Retirement: Spending Down, Final Spending and Legacy

“The knowledge required to effectively manage financial assets in the accumulation phase is not sufficient to carry clients through the remaining stages. What follows is the knowledge needed to give your clients the greatest chance of achieving life and financial goals, as they pass through the various other stages.”

In pre-retirement earning years, all our attention is focused on accumulating assets. However, the information you need during the accumulation years is different than for the remaining years, according to a useful article from Financial Advisor titled “A Successful And Secure Retirement—Spend-Down Strategies: Part 1.”

The biggest difference in the strategies during the accumulation and withdrawal strategies, is that there’s a greater emphasis on long-term tax planning. Taxes are often the single biggest expense for investors. To make sure that you meet your goals, which includes having the IRS take the smallest piece of your assets, a plan must be created to focus on paying the least amount in taxes, while you are alive and even after you have passed.

The first phase of decumulation, which occurs at different times for different people (and for some people, never occurs) usually comes with a low tax rate. It often starts with retirement, when the paychecks are not coming in and, ideally, you are not yet drawing Social Security or pension benefits. This would allow your Social Security benefits to continue to grow and keep you in a low tax bracket.

The spend-down phase begins, when you start taking withdrawals from tax deferred retirement accounts. This typically starts the year you turn 70½ and start taking RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions). This is the time to be careful, since your tax rate will likely jump up from the amount it was when you were not yet taking RMDs or getting Social Security or pension benefits. The goal is to manage your retirement income, in order to minimize taxes.

The final-spending phase begins all too soon, especially when medical costs and long-term care costs increase dramatically. Given their tax deductibility, as things currently stand, this may provide another period with very low tax rates.

The legacy phase begins upon your death, or on the death of the surviving spouse. The goal is the tax efficient transfer of remaining wealth to heirs and charities and preparing heirs for the assets they will inherit. An estate plan should be in place long before this phase is reached, so that your assets are passed seamlessly to family members and charities.

As a person moves through these stages of post-retirement spending, there are many strategies that can be used to minimize tax liability and maximize the growth of assets. A balance must be found between spending, managing tax burdens and preparing for a legacy.

Speak with your estate planning attorney, who can help you navigate tax planning.

Reference: Financial Advisor (Jan. 21, 2019) “A Successful And Secure Retirement—Spend-Down Strategies: Part 1”

Still Wondering Why You Need to Review an Estate Plan? 還在想為什麼你需要審查您的資產產計劃？ (中英對照）

“An estate plan is the guide to how you want your personal and financial affairs to be handled, in the event of your incapacity or death. As life changes, your guide changes with it.”

One of the most common mistakes in estate planning is thinking of the estate plan, as being completed and never needing to be reviewed. That is similar to taking your car for an oil change and then simply never returning for another oil change. The years go by, your life changes and you need an estate plan review.

The question posed by the New Hampshire Union Leader in the article “It’s important to periodically review your estate plan” is not if you need to have your estate plan reviewed, but when.

Most people get their original wills and other documents from their estate planning attorney, put them into their safe deposit box or a fire-safe file drawer and forget about them. There are no laws governing when these documents should be reviewed, so whether or when to review the estate is completely up to the individual. That often leads to unintended consequences that can cause the wrong person to inherit, fracture the family and leave heirs with a large tax liability.

A better idea: review the estate plan on a regular basis. For some people with complicated lives and assets, that means once a year. For others, every three or four years works. Some reviews are triggered by changes in life, including:

• Marriage or divorce
• Death
• Large changes in the size of the estate
• A significant increase in debt
• The death of an executor, guardian or trustee
• Birth or adoption of children or grandchildren
• Change in career, good or bad
• Retirement
• Health crisis
• Changes in tax laws
• Changes in relationships to beneficiaries and heirs
• Moving to another state or purchasing property in another state
• Receiving a sizable inheritance

What should you be thinking about, as you review your estate plan? Here are some suggestions:

Have there been any changes to your relationships with family members?

Are any family members facing challenges or does anyone have special needs?

Are there children from a previous marriage and what do their lives look like?

Are the people you named for various roles—power of attorney, executor, guardian and trustees—still the people you want making decisions and acting on your behalf?

Does your estate plan include a durable power of attorney for healthcare, a valid living will, or if you want this, a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) order?

Has your estate plan addressed the possible need for Medicaid?

Do you know who your beneficiary designations are for your accounts and are your beneficiary designations still correct? Your beneficiaries will receive assets outside of the will and nothing you put in the will can change the distribution of those assets.

Have you aligned your assets with your estate plan? Do certain accounts pass directly to a spouse or an heir? Have you funded any trusts?

Finally, have changes in the tax laws changed your estate plan? Your estate planning attorney should look at your state, as well as federal tax liability.

Just as you can’t plant a garden once and expect it to grow and bloom forever, your estate plan needs to be reviewed, so that it can protect your interests as your life and your family’s life changes over time.

Reference: New Hampshire Union Leader (Jan. 12, 2019) “It’s important to periodically review your estate plan”

“資產計劃是您在喪失工作能力或去世時如何處理個人和財務事務的指南。隨著生活的變化，你的指引隨之改變。“

資產規劃中最常見的錯誤之一是認為資產計劃已經完成並不需要再審查。這就好像於您將汽車換油然後就不再換油了。隨著歲月流逝，你的生活起了變化，你是需要審查您的資產計劃。

New Hampshire Union Leader在“It’s important to periodically review your estate plan”一文中提出問題是您要何時去審查您的資產計劃。

大多數人從他們的資產規劃律師取得他們的遺囑和其他文件的原檔，將文件放入他們的保險箱或防火文件抽屜中接著便忘記了。沒有法律規定應何時審查這些文件，因此是否或何時審查完全取決於個人。這通常會引致意想不到的後果，導致錯誤的人繼承，破壞家庭並給繼承人帶來巨額稅務。

更好的意見是：定期審查資產計劃。對於一些生活和資產複雜的人來說，應每年審查一次。對於其他人，每三到四年審查一次。有些是因為生活起了變化而需要審查，包括：

• 婚姻或離婚
• 死亡
• 資產發生巨大變化
• 債務大幅增加
• 遺囑執行人，監護人或受託人去世
• 子女或孫兒的出生或收養
• 職業變化，無論好壞
• 退休
• 健康危機
• 稅法的變化
• 與受益人和繼承人的關係發生變化
• 搬到另一個州或在另一個州購買房產
• 繼承了可觀的遺產

在審查您的資產計劃時，您應該考慮什麼？以下是一些建議：

您與家人的關係是否有任何變化？

有沒有家人陷於困境之中或是有沒有人有特殊需求？

以前的婚姻中是否有子女，他們的生活如何？

您為各種角色命名的人 - 律師，遺囑執行人，監護人和受託人 - 仍然是您想要為您做出決定並代表您行事的人嗎？

您的資產計劃中是否包括醫療授權書，有效的遺囑，或者如果您需要，還包括DNR（不要急救指令）？

您的資產計劃中是否有提到醫療補助 (白卡) 的需求？

您知道您銀行帳戶的指定受益人是誰以及您的指定受益人是否仍然正確？您的受益人繼承這些遺囑之外的資產，而您遺囑中的內容並不會推翻這些資產的分配。

您是否將您的資產與資產計劃保持一致？某些帳戶是否直接傳給配偶或繼承人？你有把您的資產注入您的信託中嗎？

最後，稅法的變化是否改變了您的資產計劃？您的資產規劃律師應該查看您所在的州以及聯邦稅務。

正如你不能一下子建立了一個花園並期望它永遠成長和開花一樣，你的資產計劃需要進行審查，這樣可以保障你的利益，因為你的生活和家庭情況會隨著時間而變化。

參考：New Hampshire Union Leader (Jan. 12, 2019) “It’s important to periodically review your estate plan”

Four Retirement Issues for 2019

“It’s going to be a busy year in Washington and state capitals for policymakers working to improve the retirement security of millions of Americans.”

A host of new retirement savings options will be on the horizon for millions of Americans whose workplace does not offer 401(k) plans, says The New York Times in “For American Workers, 4 Key Retirement Issues to Watch in 2019.” The article takes a broad view of retirement policy topics, covering everything from Congress working on a plan to stop sharp cuts in traditional pensions, to the SEC’s battle over fiduciary responsibilities to protect investors and the possible expansion of Social Security.

Here are some of the highlights:

Workplace Savings Plans. Features like automatic enrollment and matching employer contributions make these plans a great way to help save for retirement. However, a third of workers in the private sector don’t have access to these plans. In 2019, some states are starting programs to automatically sign up workers who don’t have access to these plans at work. Employers in some states will be required to set up automatic payroll deductions, although they won’t have to make matching contributions.

Congress is expected to work on legislation that would make it easier for employers to create and join a single 401(k) plan that they could offer. This “open multiple-employer plan” would be offered by private plan custodians. It may take a while for this to get up and running.

Pension Insolvency Crisis. A special congressional committee is working on heading off an insolvency crisis that could lead to big cuts in pension benefits for millions of workers. More than 10 million workers and retirees are covered by multi-employer plans, which are severely underfunded. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal insurance program for pensions, will run out of money by 2025, if nothing changes. This is a complex problem, with no easy solution.

Protecting Investors. This battle over requiring fiduciary standards by brokers has been going on for a while. It centers on requiring brokers and others to put customer’s financial interests first. A rule from the Department of Labor from the Obama era never made it past opposition from the financial services and insurance industries. A proposed new rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission would require brokers to put their customer’s financial interests ahead of their own. However, it does not require them to act as fiduciaries. Consumers advocates are against this rule, believing that it does not go far enough.

Expanding Social Security. Expansion legislation in the Larson Bill from has more than 170 co-sponsors in the House. The bill includes a 2% increase in benefits, a generous annual COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) and higher minimum benefits for low-income workers. How are we paying for these increases? The cap on wages subject to taxation and a gradually phased-in higher payroll tax are the sources.

Regardless what happens (or does not happen) in Washington, if retirement is in your future, 5 or 50 years from now, this is the year to have your estate plan created and ramp up your savings.

Resource: The New York Times (Dec. 23, 2018) “For American Workers, 4 Key Retirement Issues to Watch in 2019”

Legacy Planning for Farm and Ranch Families

“Planning for the future of a farm, ranch or business can be a lot more complicated than just making a will, especially if there is more than one heir.”

An inheritance is more than money or property, especially when it comes to family farms, ranches and businesses. Many survive for multiple generations, says the Woodward News in the article “Plenty to consider in legacy planning,” but it takes planning.

Knowing that one day your grandchildren, and hopefully their children, will walk the land their great-grandparents did, and take the same satisfaction in knowing that the work they do, is a part of our country’s economy. Every family’s situation is different but one thing they all share in common, is that succession goals need to be evaluated critically, even though there is great emotion involved in passing on a legacy.

Dividing assets, sharing control and management decisions and transferring ownership are all things that must be examined and formalized as part of a succession plan.

For starters, determine the overall goal. Every family’s goals are different. Should assets be held for end-of-life-care for aging parents, passed on to children, donated to charity or are they needed to ensure the successful transition of the business to the next generation?

People work hard their whole lives to accumulate assets, so it’s important to have a legacy plan.  In this way, everything you’ve worked for is preserved for the next generation or available for your needs as you age.

In 2019, gift and estate tax exemptions are up dramatically, but strategic planning still needs to be done.

For farm families, the Farm Journal Legacy Project offers printable downloads, including a succession planning action guide, family meeting agenda, conversation starters and a goals clarification worksheet.

Family meetings will need to tackle some topics that may benefit from the presence of an estate planning attorney, who is experienced with family farms and succession planning.

• How will the transfer of property, including farm equipment, property, and livestock, be done with minimal taxes due?
• How can the non-farming members of the family receive their fair share of their inheritance, without taking away valuable resources needed to keep the farm or ranch going?
• What resources will be available for the older parents to live on, when they retire?
• Can the farm support multiple generations?

Succession planning that works best, begins long before the farm family is thinking about retirement. Determining roles and responsibilities and setting accountability for those roles must start happening long before the oldest generation steps away from the day-to-day operations of the farm or ranch.

Reference: Woodward News (Jan. 2, 2019) “Plenty to consider in legacy planning”