Retirement Archives - Page 5 of 13 - Retirement Income Solutions

03 Jan

Damian Sylvia Posted in General No comments

Wise Decisions with Retirement in Mind

Some retirees succeed at realizing the life they want; others don’t. Fate aside, it isn’t merely a matter of investment decisions that makes the difference. There are certain dos and don’ts – some less apparent than others – that tend to encourage retirement happiness and comfort.

Retire financially literate. Some retirees don’t know how much they don’t know. They end their careers with inadequate financial knowledge, and yet, feel they can prepare for retirement on their own. They mistake creating a retirement income strategy with the whole of preparing for retirement, and gloss over longevity risk, risks to their estate, and potential health care expenses. The more you know, the more your retirement readiness improves.

14 Dec

Damian Sylvia Posted in General No comments

Managing Money as a Couple

When you marry or simply share a household with someone, your financial life changes—and your approach to managing your money may change as well. The good news is that it is usually not so difficult.

At some point, you will have to ask yourselves some money questions—questions that pertain not only to your shared finances but also to your individual finances. Waiting too long to ask (or answer) those questions might carry a price. In the 2019 TD Bank Love & Money survey of consumers who said they were in relationships, 40% of younger couples described having weekly arguments about their finances.¹

01 Dec

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

Your Year-End Financial Checklist

The end of the year can help remind us of last-minute things we need to address and the goals we want to pursue. To that end, here are some aspects of your financial life to think about as this year leads into the next.

Keep in mind, this article is for informational purposes only and is not a replacement for real-life advice. Make certain to contact a tax or legal professional before modifying your tax strategy. The ideas presented are not intended to provide specific advice.

11 Nov

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

401(k) Millionaires

Your workplace retirement account can play a critical role in your overall retirement strategy. However, some have gone further with the accounts than others, especially recently.

CNBC reported on findings that place 401(k) accounts at all-time highs, with some even joining the much-desired “two comma club” of 401(k) millionaires. Average 401(k) balances jumped 24% from the previous year to $129,300. Also on the rise were overall contributions, with 12% increasing their contributions since last year and 37% of employers placing new employees into workplace plans. The study discovered a record 412,000 401(k) plans with million-dollar balances; overall Individual Retirement Account (IRA) millionaires reached 342,000, another record.¹

04 Nov

Damian Sylvia Posted in General No comments

Are Capital Gains Taxes Changing?

There are a lot of questions about President Biden’s Build Back Better plan and potential tax law changes, including an adjustment to capital gains taxes.

18 Oct

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

The Social Security Administration Announces 2022 COLA

On October 13, 2021, the Social Security Administration (SSA) officially announced that Social Security recipients will receive a 5.9 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2022, the largest increase in four decades. This adjustment will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2022. Additionally, increased payments to more than […]

21 Sep

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

2021 Retirement Confidence Survey

Will your retirement dreams match your reality?

That’s perhaps the most critical question to ask people who are currently retired. Was your retirement what you expected, or was it something else?

For more than 30 years, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has conducted the Retirement Confidence Survey, which gauges the views and attitudes of working-age and retired Americans regarding retirement and their preparations for retirement.¹

Part of the survey takes a deep dive into workers’ expectations for sources of income in retirement versus retirees’ actual income sources.

Here’s a couple of highlights of the 2021 survey.

12 Aug

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

Inflation Can Be a Scary Word

Inflation can be a scary word for people who are retired. It’s code for “prices are going up, but my income may stay the same.”

The most recent reading on consumer prices put inflation back into the conversation. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.8% in April 2021 and jumped by a greater-than-expected 4.2% year-over-year.¹

04 Aug

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

Tax & Estate Strategies for Married LGBTQ+ Couples

The 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision streamlined tax and estate strategizing for married LGBTQ+ couples. If you are filing a joint tax return for this year or are considering updating your estate strategy, here are some important things to remember. Keep in mind, this article is for informational purposes only and is not […]

12 Jul

Damian Sylvia Posted in Retirement No comments

Insurance When You Marry After 40

When you marry, you buy life insurance. Right? You buy it out of consideration for your spouse, and also realize that in the event of either your untimely death or your spouse’s untimely death, your household could be left with one income to shoulder expenses that may not lessen.

These days, people are marrying later in life. Take first marriages, for example. A recent study by the Pew Research Center says the median age for marriage in America is now 30 for men and 28 for women, compared to respective median ages of 23 and 21 in 1968. Today, 16% of us are waiting until at least our late forties to marry.^1,2