Merriman

While corporate pensions are on the decline for many younger workers, many clients nearing retirement still have pensions through their employers. One topic that often comes up with married clients is the question of a survivor option: Should you take a single life option and collect the highest monthly payout, or take a lesser amount and ensure that some percentage would go to your spouse if something were to happen to you?

One solution you might consider is something called pension maximization. The question that we are trying to address then is: Can you buy life insurance to replace the pension for less than the monthly “cost” of taking the survivor option?

We don’t sell insurance, but work with highly qualified professionals that do this full time. We don’t receive any compensation for any insurance our clients buy, but looking at coverage is part of our comprehensive approach to addressing all of our clients’ financial needs.

How does pension maximization work?

Here is a recent example where one client could take a single life pension of $6,041/month or a 100% survivor option for $5,401/month, a “cost” of $640/month ($6,041 – $5,401). When considering the insurance option, we would need to recreate this income stream based on him passing away in year one with the following policies:

• A 10yr term policy for $225,000 ($44/month)
• A 15yr term policy for $125,000 ($32/month)
• A 20yr term policy for $100,000 ($31/month)
• A 25yr term policy for $105,000 ($54/month)
• A 30yr term policy for $110,000 ($103/month)
• A no-lapse guarantee universal life policy for $275,000 ($274/month)

The reason you would layer policies in the above example is because you need less insurance as you get older since the time you need the insurance to last is shorter. When you add up the above policies, you get a monthly expense of $538/month, which is $102/month less than the “cost” of the 100% joint survivor option. After 10yrs, the $44/month policy will drop so you will get a raise of $44/month. By the time the 20yr policy has lapsed, you’d be receiving almost $1,300 more per year than when you started. Also, if the spouse passes away first, then this client could cancel the insurance and keep the premiums or keep some of the insurance to pass on to their heirs.

Who does this work well for?

• People who are in good health and can qualify for lower insurance premiums.
• People who have kids or family they want to leave money to. If both spouses passed way together early on, their heirs would receive no additional money under the pension and survivor options. However, by using the pension maximization strategy above, this couple’s heirs could receive $940,000 income tax free.
• People who are comfortable with a little added complexity. It is much easier to just take the survivor benefit from the company. Dealing with insurance policies and then having to either invest the money or buy immediate annuities (this is what the example above solved for using current annuity rates) with any proceeds takes additional time and effort. The example above had six different policies, but I’ve often seen it work with  only three or four.
• People who have some time before a decision needs to be made. The underwriting process can take a few months and you don’t want to make this type of decision before life insurance is fully in place.

Final thoughts

I’ve looked into this strategy for many clients, and it doesn’t always work out. Sometimes, the company pension option is the best choice and you don’t have to go through any underwriting like you would in the example above. It is important to work with professionals who have the resources and expertise to help you solve these complex financial issues. Here are Merriman, we work with a number of professionals who are experts in their field to help solve problems like this, and other complex issues, for our clients. Please reach out to your advisor if you would like to discuss this option for yourself.

We have all heard the expression, “back in my day…” followed by the amount a particular item used to cost. While it’s somewhat of a cliché, it does carry a lot of weight. The impact of inflation on your cost of living has real consequences, and factoring it into your retirement plan is of paramount importance.

Consider someone who is planning to retire at 66 years old. Current actuarial figures give them a retirement window of about 25 years. Using 3% for average annual inflation, the future value of a dollar 25 years out is $.48. Put another way, you can afford to buy less than half as many goods 25 years into retirement as you could when you started. Fortunately, that is not the end of the story.

There are several ways to insulate your retirement income from the effects of inflation.

One solution has to do with retirement pensions. Once the pension spigot is turned on, one thing that can increase the flow is a Cost of Living Adjustment, or COLA. A COLA increases annual pension amounts based upon the previous year’s rate of inflation. The important thing to know is whether your pension has a COLA. Without one, you will become increasingly dependent upon other assets as time goes on. Remember, 25 years from now a dollar will be worth less than half of what it is worth today. With a COLA, you will still need to understand how your increasing income stream fits in with your other assets and your specific retirement plan.

Another pension source most people have in retirement is Social Security Income, or SSI. The COLA for SSI is tied to the Consumer Price Index. As such, it varies from year to year.

The final piece to consider is your retirement accounts, such as IRAs, Roth IRAs and taxable brokerage accounts. These accounts do not provide a fixed income stream in the sense that a pension does. Typically, they are invested in an allocation of stocks and bonds controlled by you or your investment advisor. Distributions are on an as-needed basis.

Stocks have historically been the best long-term hedge against inflation. In a sense, they act as a super charged COLA for your retirement accounts. How much stock you allocate to these accounts and how the accounts will supplement your pensions requires careful consideration.

No two retirement plans are alike. Understanding how the unique pieces of your retirement puzzle fit together to meet your retirement goals is what’s important. If you have not already done so, take the time to sit down with a professional who can help you figure out where you are, where you want to go and most importantly, how to get there.

Every year, we update some of our core articles.

The 2013 update of The ultimate buy-and-hold strategy, which includes performance information through 2012, is now available in our Best of Merriman library.

It’s no surprise that women tend to live longer than men. Therefore, it should be no surprise that women tend to need long-term care more often than men. In fact, Genworth Financial, a leading provider of long-term care insurance (LTCi), estimates that two-thirds of their benefits paid go to women. However, up until recently, insurers were not allowed to charge different rates based on gender. That may all change in April, when Genworth is allowed to restructure new policies to incorporate gender-distinct pricing, which may increase the rate for single women by as much as 40 percent. Genworth was the first carrier to win approval from state insurance commissions to raise rates on new policies for single women, but it is expected that other carriers will soon follow suit. Long-term care insurance will become much more expensive for this segment of the market.

What should you do? If you are a single woman considering LTCi, you should consider making a move soon. If you are unsure whether LTCi makes sense for you, talk to your financial advisor or a licensed insurance agent as soon as you can.

For more information on these upcoming changes to LTCi, see For Women, Reduced Access to Long-Term Care Insurance.

Client review meetings always give me something to look forward to. Not only do they present an opportunity to ensure we are on track for meeting the client’s financial goals, they also give me a chance to find out what is new in the client’s life.

I especially love hearing about the travel adventures of my clients – everything from the destination and local sights to the food and the culture. For me, it is a great opportunity to learn about new places and always gives me new ideas for my own dream vacation list. I only wish I could share this information with other travel seekers. Fortunately for my clients, I am busy working on their financial plans, and putting together an archive of travel information is not something I have time for. The good news is there are plenty of websites that have already taken care of it.

Frommers is a great place to start. The website has an interactive map of the continents which lets you narrow in on specific destinations. Once you’ve found the place you’re looking for, it offers an array of helpful information, including suggested itineraries, organized tours, and suggestions for restaurants and hotels.

TripAdvisor is another great resource to consult in addition to Frommers. The thing that makes TripAdvisor stand out is its ability to create community around travel. There are thousands of reviews covering everything from activities to restaurants and hotels. There are also forums that allow you to interact with other travelers who can help answer your questions. This site will help you cut through the weeds and create a trip worth remembering.

Once your trip is mapped out,  make sure your itinerary is organized. The last thing you want to do is miss a flight or be late and lose out on a hotel reservation. This is where TripIt comes into play. Simply email your confirmation emails to TripIt it will build your itinerary for you to print or access from your mobile devices.

A few other quick mentions:

1) Travel blogs: Once you have a destination in mind, search for blogs that cover it. You can sort through older posts and be alerted when new content is posted. All in all, it is a great way to get “in the know” on your destination.

2) For privately-owned accommodations: try Airbnb and VRBO

Our job at Merriman is to help you invest wisely, freeing up your time so you can focus on living fully.

As we near the end of 2012, it’s time to start thinking about your finances for 2013. While some year-end planning might still be needed, it’s not too early to start thinking about next year. Many employers will start having their open enrollment periods over the next few weeks, and this is a great time to review your retirement plan contributions.

The new 2013 retirement contribution limits are as follows:

• The elective deferral contribution limit for 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plans increased to $17,500 from $17,000 in 2012.
• The catch-up contribution limit for employees aged 50 and older into those same plans remains unchanged at $5,500 for 2013.
• The maximum total contributions into a defined contribution plan rise to $51,000 for 2013 compared to $50,000 for 2012. For those aged 50 and older, the limit is $56,500.
• If you participate in a Simple IRA plan, the salary reduction contribution limit increases to $12,000 in 2013, up from $11,500 in 2012. The catch-up contribution remains at $2,500.
• The limit for IRA and Roth contributions increased to $5,500 from $5,000 in 2012. The catch-up contribution remains at $1,000 for 2013.
• For traditional IRAs, there are a few different scenarios where different income limitations apply. These income limits increased from years prior and need to be looked at in more detail for each specific situation.
• For Roth IRAs, the AGI phase out range is $178k-$188k for married couples filing jointly. For single and heads of households, the phase-out range is $112,000-$127,000.

If you’d like to learn more, you can read the IRS press release here.

The RMD is the amount that Traditional, SEP, SIMPLE IRA owners and qualified plan participants must begin distributing from their retirement accounts in the year in which they reach 70.5.  The RMD must then be distributed each subsequent year.

The standard deadline for taking your RMD is December 31^st.  However, you can use a one time exemption for your first RMD and delay until April 1^st of the following year.  If you choose to utilize this deferral you will have to take both your first and second year distributions that year.

The amount of your RMD is calculated by dividing the year end value of all of your IRAs by your distribution factor.  Your distribution factor can be found using the IRA Uniform Lifetime Tables which are prepared by the IRS.

The stereotypical vision of retiring includes gold watches, sun filled landscapes in foreign lands, vacation homes, and lots of smiling faces. We hold on to this vision to get us through the long road of a lifetime of work. A comfortable retirement is our motivation, and ultimately a reward for a job well done. For a few the transition to retirement is wonderful as they waltz into their retirement years with ease. In my observations over the past 25 years, I believe these lucky individuals are the exception, not the rule.

For most the transition to retirement is a very difficult time of their life. The distress that many new retirees feel is not widely acknowledged or discussed. For a life transition that is supposed to be joyous, new retirees often feel uneasy, fearful, and overwhelmed. Many feel like a rudderless ship. Issues surrounding self-worth, mortality, and lack of control can make a person feel anxious or even depressed. Spousal dynamics often change with the new schedule and routine and can be another source of stress, adding to the confusing mix of emotions that are part of this difficult transition.

Some things that I have seen help make the retirement transition easier are to acknowledge and understand that this transition is going to be another one of life’s challenges, and to prepare yourself for a full range of emotions. It’s perfectly normal to feel uneasiness for no particular reason.

Celebrate! Employers rarely throw a party for retirees anymore as most of us ultimately quit our jobs, or are downsized. Even if you retired some time ago, throw your own party or event to let you and others appreciate your accomplishment.

Communication is very important as you navigate the many emotions you will feel. Talk to your spouse, family, and friends openly about how you are feeling and you might find comfort in the fact that many feel the same as you do. Professional counseling can be very helpful.

Most importantly, ease into retirement. Many retirees feel out of control and rush to “take control” and end up making poor decisions about finances, housing or personal relationships when they should be taking a year of “vacation” to let the rhythms and patterns of your retirement life form. Give yourself a relaxed existence as you deal with the wide range of emotions that come with this difficult transition.

Many people are not optimistic about the chances of being able to retire at the traditional age of 65. In one survey, 39% of those surveyed said that they would work past age 70 or never retire.

A more recent study published by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College paints a more optimistic picture. It concludes that almost half of households can retire at 65 and maintain their standard of living in retirement. For those households whose members can’t afford to retire at 65, 23% would have to work another 1-3 years, and 17% of households would have to work an additional 4-6 years. The study concludes that 88% of households should be able to retire by age 70 and maintain their pre-retirement lifestyle.

Postponing retirement is a powerful way to improve your chances of not outliving your money. Each additional year you work means more savings, more chance for your investments to grow, fewer years to draw down your savings in retirement, and greater Social Security (which increases as you delay claiming it until the age of 70).

While you might not be enthusiastic about the prospect of having to work longer, the reality may not be as bad as you think.

Being self-employed has many advantages compared to being an employee of a firm. However, retirement planning isn’t quite as easy as signing up for the company 401(k) plan like many of your friends do. That said, with some guidance from a qualified professional, you too have many excellent options. Below are a few choices to consider when planning for your retirement. I’ve focused on the options for those who are self-employed and do not have any employees, but the SEP and Simple options below are also available to those with employees.

Simple IRA

A Simple IRA is one option for self-employed individuals. The Simple IRA contribution limit is made up of two parts: employee salary reduction contributions and employer contributions. The employee contribution is limited to $11,500 for 2012. If you are over age 50, you can also make a catch-up contribution of $2,500 for 2012. And, since you are also the employer, you can then make an elective employer match of 3% of net self-employment earnings. You can deduct contributions up until the due date of your tax return, but you need to have the plan set up by October 1st of that tax year unless you are a new business. (more…)