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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”

Using a Health Savings Account for Retirement Health Care Costs

“In 2019, you can save up to $3,500 in a health savings account, if you have self-only health insurance coverage. The limit goes up to $7,000 for family plans.”

If it’s done right, the older American worker has an opportunity to save additional money for health costs during retirement. That’s if they do it right, according to CNBC’s article “Over 55? Maximize your savings in this tax-advantaged account.” Over 55? You can put away an additional $1,000.

Starting in 2019, people with self-only coverage in a high-deductible health insurance plan will be allowed to save up to $2,500 in a Health Savings Account (HSA). If you’ve got family coverage, you can save $7,000.

HSAs permit users to put away money that is pre-tax or tax deductible. The funds accumulate interest on a tax-free basis, and then the account owner can withdraw the money tax-free for qualified medical expenses. Catch-up contributions for those 55 and older of $1,000, make this an even more attractive way to save for health care costs.

However, there are a few complications you’ll need to know about, if you are married and if you are getting close to being eligible for Medicare.

Keeping one HSA, if you’re married and in a high-deductible health plan works, until one of the spouses celebrates a 55^th birthday. If the spouse under 55 years has the HSA account, but the older spouse is eligible for the catch-up contribution, the spouse who is over 55 should open their HSA and put away the additional $1,000. There are no joint HSAs, so only the older spouse can make that contribution.

If both spouses are 55, the only way each can make a $1,000 contribution, is if they have separate HSAs. If both spouses have family coverage, they can split the total plan contribution of $7,000 between the two accounts. However, those $1,000 catch up contributions still have to go into the account of the spouse permitted to make that contribution.

Once you or your spouse turns 65 and you enroll in Medicare, you are no longer permitted to make contributions. You can use the funds for qualified medical expenses, but no more contributions.

Let’s say you celebrated your 65^th birthday in July and enrolled in Medicare. You were in a plan with self-only coverage. In that case, you are only permitted to make contributions until June—one month before you enrolled in Medicare. The most you are permitted to contribute to your HSA account for that year would be $2,250.

Contribute too much, and you’ll need to get the money out of there. Your deadline to do so is April 15.

One last detail: you are permitted a one-time-only rollover from your IRA to your HSA. There’s a limit, of course: $3,500 if you have self-only coverage or $7,000 if you have a family plan—and the $1,000 catch-up contribution if you’re over 55. It’s a smart move, taking taxable money and making it nontaxable, as long as it’s used for qualified medical expenses.

Reference: CNBC (Dec. 24, 2018) “Over 55? Maximize your savings in this tax-advantaged account”

Retirement Planning Tips For the Coming Year

“Are you ready for retirement? There are steps you should take to ensure you’re able to live the life you desire, once it’s time to pass the management reins to the next generation.”

On average, American men today will live to 84.3 years, says the U.S. Department of Social Security. That means you can expect to enjoy at least 20 years of retirement or muddle through two decades of financial worry, depending on your level of preparation.

Consider that the average monthly income for a couple receiving Social Security benefits is $2,176. That’s about $26,000 a year, says Farm Journal’s Ag Pro in the article “5 Retirement Investment Tips.” If that’s an average benefit, then farm couples should expect to receive less than that. Why? Because farmers are very good at avoiding taxes, said David Marrison, Ohio State University Extension specialist. Even if they receive the average amount, he asks, where’s the rest of the household income?

When it comes to retirement income, about $26,000 is just not enough. To allow for a comfortable retirement and limit negative impact on the family farm, or any family business for that matter, planning must be done in advance. Here are a few tips that are simple, direct and can make a difference for your retirement.

When are you going to retire? Many people retire at 65.  However, the decision often needs to be made from a financial perspective and not based on age. If you can work a little longer, that may give you a better chance of building up enough finances to retire comfortably.

What’s your budget? This is where so many people fail. How much money are you going to need when you retire, starts with knowing how much money you are spending now. For farm and business owning families, some expenses can get co-mingled, such as fuel or utilities. Get into the details and make sure you are not missing any expenses.

Inflation. Recent years have seen a very low impact of inflation but that may be changing. Once you’ve identified your target savings goal, build in inflation. Here’s one way to do it: take the number 72 and divide it by an interest-rate factor. Many experts use 4%, which is the average inflation rate for the last five decades. Using this rule, you can expect your living expenses to double what they are today because of inflation. Sounds scary? That’s why planning is so important.

Make a plan for savings. View retirement as both a means to an end and a way to reduce tax liability. For farmers, good times used to translate into mitigating taxes, by purchasing equipment. However, it’s likely that putting away money in a 401(k) may have been a better idea.

Start saving today. Even if all you are doing is setting aside 10% for the future, if you are young enough that can be a good start.

Add to these tips getting your estate plan done or updating your estate plan. Your estate plan is a critical piece for farm families, who want to pass the farm down to the next generation. In addition to a will, you also need Power of Attorney for your finances and documents for health care. Make an appointment with a local estate planning attorney to get this done.

Reference: Farm Journal’s Ag Pro (Dec. 24, 2018) “5 Retirement Investment Tips”

Make Your Retirement Dreams Come True

“While a retirement wish list might include roaming the world or pursuing a luxurious hobby, the daily realities of paying off a mortgage or funding a child’s education can make it tough to save.”

Moving from general concepts to specific retirement activities you think you’ll want to do during retirement, can help you do a better job of saving and planning, advises U.S. News & World Report in the article “Will You be Able to Afford the Lifestyle of Your Dreams in Retirement?” Increased longevity has made retirement a time to begin anew. This requires a different mindset. Regardless of your retirement dreams, you’ll need more funding for a longer retirement.

Here are some pointers to help get retirement savings on track:

What do you want to do? Vague goals like travel may not motivate your savings. However, if you’ve identified the cost of living in Paris for six months, you’ve got a real concrete goal to work toward. That provides more motivation and helps avoid impulse spending. Get specific: write down what you want to do and start researching what it will cost.

Do a test drive first. If your spouse wants to live in an RV full time, that’s great as long as you do. However, don’t sell the house before testing it out. Try renting an RV and living in it for at least a month. The same is true for living in a house in the woods. Sounds great—but if you’re a city dweller, how will you feel after a few months of living in an isolated spot?

Think about how long you want to work. Many people today work into their late 60s and early 70s. If they have a desk job, and they have reached a certain level of success, there may not need to be a cut-off date for retirement. What about taking more time off for vacations or working part time? Recent studies have shown that working even a few more years, can have a major impact on the quality of your full retirement.

Do the math. Once you have some concrete plans in place, run the numbers. Consider how you might make the money you have last longer. Look at housing prices, if downsizing to a less expensive area is on your list. If you plan on travelling, do you have to stay in five-star hotels, or could you be content with Road Scholar, formerly known as Elderhostels?

Remember to include health care costs. You’ll need to include the cost of medical expenses, including Medicare premiums, deductibles, copays and coinsurance, among other costs. This is especially true, if one or both spouses have any chronic conditions.

Now, what’s your savings plan? Once you have all this information, you’ll be able to determine how much you need to save, each year and each month. When you combine all your retirement income sources, do you have enough to sustain your retirement dreams? Or do you need to adjust your savings?

Reference: U.S. News & World Report (Dec. 19, 2018) “Will You be Able to Afford the Lifestyle of Your Dreams in Retirement?”

Have A Question for Social Security? Be Prepared to Wait…and Wait…

“Social Security has closed 67 field offices since fiscal 2010 in rural and urban areas alike. For the public, the cuts have meant less access to field offices, and ballooning wait times in the remaining 1,229 offices and on the agency’s toll-free line.”

If you need an answer in a hurry about a Social Security matter, you might have to have a lot of patience, says The New York Times in the article “Have a Social Security Question? Please Hold.” Part of the problem has been an eight-year reduction in the agency’s operating budget. Congress has reduced the agency’s budget by 9% in inflation-adjusted terms since 2010. This is happening at the same time that the number of Americans receiving benefits from Social Security is on the rise—by 17%, according to Social Security Administration data.

The good news is that the agency’s budget is now increasing, and it hopes to start decreasing the backlogs. It is hard at work modernizing the agency’s use of technology, addressing customer service needs and enhancing online options for the public.

Congress finally started to reverse the downward funding trend in March. Lawmakers ignored the administration’s request for a small increase in fiscal 2018 and instead, raised the administrative budget by 4.6%—$480 million. In September, Congress ignored the administration’s request for a $400 million cut and instead, gave Social Security a $40 million increase.

That means that in fiscal 2019, the agency’s operating budget will be $11.1 billion.

This government agency touches the lives of millions of Americans and its ability to function efficiently is extremely important to people of all ages. In fiscal 2019, the Social Security Administration projects payments of $1.1 trillion to about 69 million recipients of disability benefits, Supplemental Security, Income and Social Security retirement benefits.

As for calls from Americans with questions, Social Security reports that it will serve about 43 million visitors at the remaining field offices and handle as many as 75 million calls to the toll-free telephone line.

As the nation ages, those numbers are only going to increase. Over the coming decades, the agency expects the number of beneficiaries to soar by 45%.

The backlog in appeals cases for Social Security Disability Insurance has grown in the years that the agency’s budget was being cut. The average time to wait for a hearing decision on an appeal in fiscal 2018 was 591 days. That was 39% longer than in 2010, although a slight decrease from 2017.

The service problems also affect people who are simply trying to take care of their Social Security business. The average wait time to see a claims agent was 26 minutes. However, many Social Security offices have people coming in early and lining up to wait to see a representative. Sometimes, those lines wrap around the buildings.

Every year the Social Security Administration is asked to do more with less, beneficiaries suffer.

Reference: The New York Times (Nov. 21, 2018) “Have a Social Security Question? Please Hold”

A Four Decade Retirement Plan? Here’s How

“Orville Rogers was forced into mandatory retirement from his pilot job at age 60. Refusing to let company policy keep him grounded, he flew his own planes until age 79.”

Not everyone gets the good genes or good fortune that has Orville Rogers flying around the country to attend master’s level track meets, but he is an inspiring example to follow. Money describes Rogers in a title that says it all: “This 100-Year-Old Has Been Retired for 40 Years, Has a Healthy Savings Account and Is a Track Champion. Here’s His Impressive Path to a Rich Retirement”

Longevity in savings that aligns with his years is a powerful force. He started saving in 1952, 25 years before the creation of the retirement savings plan, we know today as a 401(k). Back in the day, companies provided their employees with pension plans and those without a pension plan lived on Social Security when they retired. Life expectancies were shorter, so you didn’t need quite so much money. Rogers was born in 1917, and his peer group’s life expectancy was about 48.4 years old.

By saving for retirement and using his downtime between flights to educate himself about money, he started investing and says that his account is now worth around $5 million. He says he wasn’t particularly frugal either and supported his church and other Christian causes throughout his life. However, he had time on his side, making periodic investments over an extended period of time.

Another practice that extends life: exercise. Rogers took up running at age 50 and hasn’t stopped yet. Studies have shown that anyone, at any age or stage, is helped by a regular schedule of physical activity, tailored to your personal needs. Even people who are wheelchair bound and living in a nursing home can benefit from a chair exercise program. Among older seniors, the ability to walk a quarter mile (one lap around a track), is linked to better health outcomes.

Until recently, Rogers ran five to six miles a week. He’s in rehab now and working his way back to his prior running and training schedule.

When you live as long as Rogers has, you outlive a lot of family members and friends. Rogers moved into a retirement community two years after his wife died, making new friends because, as he says, “… if I don’t, I’d have none left.”

Faith has also been a strong force in his life over these many years. At 98, he wrote a book, The Running Man: Flying High for the Glory of God. When he was starting out in his retirement years, he flew church missions in Africa.

“I’m enthusiastic about life,” Rogers says. That kind of inspiration is a lesson to us all.

Reference: Money (Nov. 2018) “This 100-Year-Old Has Been Retired for 40 Years, Has a Healthy Savings Account and Is a Track Champion. Here’s His Impressive Path to a Rich Retirement”

Retiring in 2019? Steps You Need to Take Now

“While some people might have been saving and planning for decades for retirement, others might not have given much thought to their life after full-time work.”

Is 2019 the year you retire? Congratulations! However, you’ve got a lot of planning to do, says CNBC in the article “If you’re planning to retire in 2019, here’s how to make sure you’re prepared.” If you’re seeing your next stage of life as full retirement, semi-retirement or an adventure into the unknown, you should start preparing and dedicating a fair amount of time to what’s coming next.

While we hope your retirement was planned, many of the people who retire—60%—do so because of health issues or because they were laid off and could not get another job. Others have continued to work long after they expected to, sometimes because they don’t see a reason to not keep working.

Whatever category you fall into, your first look should be at your finances.

Do you know what your expenses are? You can’t know how much you’ll need for retirement, unless you know what you are spending right now. Maybe you won’t be buying expensive suits for a sales career. However, you’re still going to need to buy clothing. If you are like most retirees, you’ll want to fill your free time with all of the recreational pursuits you couldn’t do when you were working. That may include travelling, entertainment, sports and other activities—all of which cost money.

Pay off any debt you can. The less debt, the better.

Healthcare is one of the most overlooked costs for retirees. Once you reach 65, you’re eligible for Medicare. If you retire at or past that age, the program is available to you. However, it does not cover everything. The single most expensive item not covered: long-term care. Dental, vision and hearing care are not covered either.

You will also need a Social Security strategy. You can file for benefits any time after age 62, but you’ll increase your benefits by some 6% to 8% every year if you delay filing up to age 70. We don’t see those kinds of returns too often. If you work part time, you’ll need to find out how that income impacts your monthly benefits.

Even though you’re retired, you have to pay taxes. Your taxes will depend on what kind of retirement accounts you have: traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, Roth IRAs, etc. Not all sources of income are taxed the same way.

If you don’t already have an estate plan in place, don’t wait until you retire to get this done. Speak with an experienced estate planning attorney, who can help you create a will, power of attorney, health care directive and examine tax strategies for your estate and to protect your family.

Reference: CNBC (Nov. 4, 2018) “If you’re planning to retire in 2019, here’s how to make sure you’re prepared.”

He’s 60. She’s 48. What Does Their Retirement Plan Look Like?

“The Pew Research Center looked at the age gap in couples. For the most part, people marry someone close in age. However, one stereotype proved to be true: Men who are remarrying tend to wed younger women.”

When couples are about the same age, working the retirement numbers is complicated enough.  However, what about when there’s a big age gap. In fact, an article from The Washington Post asks “How will a couple’s retirement look when there’s a big age gap?” Apparently, a big age gap can lead to some special challenges.

Not only are men who have recently remarried more likely to have a spouse who is younger, said one researcher, in many cases they are marrying women who are much younger. Twenty percent of newly married men wed women who are at least 10 years younger than themselves and another 18% marry women who are six to nine years younger.

By comparison, just 5% of men in their first marriage marry women who are 10 years younger.

For women, the likelihood of having a far younger spouse is very low.

That big age gap can be a big factor in decisions about when you retire, when spouses take Social Security and in planning how much money the couple needs to save and how to invest their savings.  Since women tend to outlive men, it’s especially important for retirement savings to last longer, when the wife is much younger than her husband.

When to retire is one of the big questions. Long-term care considerations, health insurance and other health costs become more significant, when there’s a younger spouse.

Couples with big age gaps need to have a plan that accommodates the partner with the longest life expectancy. Therefore, a 70-year-old husband and a 56-year-old wife need to plan for their portfolio to last over the wife’s longer life span. That could be 30 years, especially if she has good health and a family history of longevity.

If the older partner had a higher income level over his working career, delaying Social Security filing past full retirement age to age 70 could be extremely important. It will enlarge the higher-earning spouse’s benefit and it will also enhance the lifetime benefits for the surviving spouse.

If there is a big age gap between you and your partner, you’ll need to have a lot of discussions about the issues that retirement and retirement planning brings.

Couples should sit down with an estate planning attorney and discuss the challenges they may face because of a large age difference. The attorney will be able to provide guidance, including exploring the use of many kinds of trusts or other estate planning tools that will protect the younger spouse.

Reference: The Washington Post (Oct. 22, 2018) “How will a couple’s retirement look when there’s a big age gap?”