I’ve Been Laid Off — What Now?

I’ve Been Laid Off — What Now?

by | Feb 13, 2023 | 401k, Advisors, Ask Merriman, Chris Waclawik, Emergency Savings, Frank McLaughlin, Lowell Parker, Risk & Reward, Sarah Kordon, Sierra Butler, Tech Focus, Wealth Protection

 

News headlines everywhere are talking about widespread layoffs, particularly in the technology industry. Thousands of people have lost their jobs with still many more losses predicted in Q1 of 2023. With so many heavy hitters right here in the Pacific Northwest—Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, just to name a few—it’s likely these tech world layoffs affect you or someone you know.  Many of our own clients have expressed concern over their own job security, understandably anxious and full of questions.

 

Of course, the primary concern when facing a layoff is finding a new job, but that can take time. Here are a few things to think about as you adjust to your new normal. Perhaps most importantly, DON’T PANIC!

 

Here are the things that should be first on your list:

  • Give us a call! Your Wealth Advisor is here to help put your financial picture into perspective and to assist with planning to protect your investments. We can help you wade through the pros and cons of everything in this article—decisions regarding your 401(k), insurance, benefits, cash flow, taxes, retirement concerns, and more.
  • Start networking! Reach out to alumni groups, job boards, professional organizations, former colleagues, recruiters, etc.
  • Understand your rights under state law.
  • Review company documents and your severance agreement. There may be some terms of the layoff you can negotiate, like extending healthcare or retaining some company perks.
  • Apply for unemployment benefits.
  • Once you know the details of your severance agreement and unemployment benefits, plan out how to fill the income gap. See below for the pros and cons with some of the different options available.
  • Look at your options for any vested and unvested stock options or RSUs.
  • Review healthcare options. Should you sign up for Cobra, get coverage via a Marketplace plan, or join your spouse’s coverage? A layoff is a triggering event, so these options are all available to you, but there are pros and cons to each that depend on your situation.
  • Review your expenses and cut back if needed.
  • Consider your 401(k) options.

 

 

What are your options for filling the income gap?

 

Spending down your assets – Sarah Kordon, CFP®, CRPS®, Wealth Advisor

Ideally, you have an emergency savings account specifically appointed for a situation like this. If so, this should be the first asset you begin to use to supplement your income. Keep in mind that you will want to rebuild your emergency savings account after you are settled in a new job, so don’t spend frivolously. Revisit your monthly budget and look for ways to cut costs so you can stretch these savings for a longer period and rebuild them quickly when your new income stream picks up.

Spending down assets may also affect your larger financial goals, so before you dip into your savings and investments too heavily, be sure to consider the ramifications. Hopefully shorter-term goals, such as buying a new home or taking a grand vacation, can simply be postponed. Longer-term goals, such as retirement at a certain age, can also be adjusted if needed, but hopefully your emergency cushion is large enough to keep that from being necessary.

If you need to take distributions from investments, we can help you evaluate the tax consequences and understand the impact of such actions on your goals, which may make some tough decisions a little easier and provide you peace of mind.

 

Taking a 401(k) loan or withdrawal – Sierra Butler, CFP®, CSRIC™

When you’ve stopped getting a paycheck, using some of your 401(k) assets through a loan or withdrawal might seem like an attractive choice, but here are some reasons why it should be your last resort.

Most 401(k) plans do not allow new loans after an employee has left the company. If you already have a 401(k) loan, the plan may demand an immediate repayment or a shorter repayment plan. The loan must be repaid before rolling over the balance into a new 401(k) or IRA, which would prevent you from consolidating your accounts and potentially taking advantage of superior investments in a different account.

If you instead take a withdrawal from your 401(k), or if the loan is not repaid, it will be treated as a taxable withdrawal and is subject to ordinary income tax. Additionally, you will incur an early withdrawal penalty of 10% if you are younger than age 55.

One of the biggest risks of a 401(k) loan or withdrawal is missing out on market gains should the investments do well after you take the withdrawal. I caution folks from viewing their retirement accounts as piggy banks for current spending as it can be a quick way to deplete their retirement nest egg.

 

Should I take on gig or contract work? – Frank McLaughlin, CFP®, CSRIC™

This question depends entirely on your financial situation and tradeoff preferences. Assess these by asking yourself questions like:

  • Have I saved up enough cash to weather this period between jobs?
  • Am I able to cut back on certain expenses to allow me to search for a new job without taking on a gig? Is cutting back on expenses worth it, or do I prioritize maintaining a certain lifestyle?

Note: Don’t forget to consider new potential expenses, such as healthcare costs.

  • Do I have another source of income, such as a working spouse who could temporarily pick up the additional burden for a while? Would my significant other be okay with that arrangement?

If you find yourself answering no to more than one of the assessment questions above, taking on a side gig or contract work may be a great option to explore.

 

 

Could there be a silver lining?

 

Consider retiring early, staying home with the kids, or taking a sabbatical – Lowell Parker, CFP®

After a layoff, the most common course of action is to work toward finding a new job. But that isn’t the only path available to you. Burnout is real! Maybe this is your sign to take a break if you can afford to. Can you take this opportunity to retire early or stay home with the kids for a few years? Or perhaps take advantage of the temporary break from work and go on that long trip you’ve been dreaming about, or use the time off to work on a home remodel?

The obvious and large warning for any of these options is that your financial plan must support it. Do you know what these choices would mean for your future lifestyle? This is a major decision to make, and there are many factors to consider. What retirement lifestyle are you dreaming of? Are the assets you have saved enough if you won’t continue to have an income stream from a job? It’s important to revisit your financial plan and make sure you have saved enough to make work optional, whether temporarily or permanently, throughout a variety of potential future market scenarios. If this is something you’re considering, reach out to your Wealth Advisor to see if you can make it happen.

 

Make it work to your advantage at tax time – Chris Waclawik, AFC®, CFP®

After you’ve reviewed your income sources following a layoff and you have an estimate of the tax impact of using these sources for income, you may be able to create a plan to take advantage of the situation.

The “good” news is that a layoff, especially one that happens early in the year, can potentially place you in a lower tax bracket for the year, which opens up some planning opportunities. Here are a few to consider:

First, your health insurance choice may come with tax perks. When being laid off, many employees have the choice of COBRA, to extend current health insurance, or health insurance through the Marketplace. Purchasing coverage through the Marketplace can have subsidies (provided through your tax return) that can reduce the cost of coverage by over $1,000 per month depending on age, income, and the number of family members to cover.

Second, it may be possible to realize long-term capital gains at a 0% rate. This is a great opportunity to diversify out of a concentrated position without incurring a huge tax burden.

Third, finding yourself temporarily in a lower tax bracket can be a good opportunity for Roth conversions. By intentionally moving some investments from an IRA to a Roth account, you may be able to reduce taxes over your lifetime.

While I think everyone agrees layoffs aren’t fun to experience, at least we may be able to take advantage of them to reduce our tax burden for that year and potentially well into the future.

 

If you are experiencing a layoff yourself, remember: Your first step should be to contact your Wealth Advisor. If you’re not already working with one, schedule a meeting today. We can take some of the stress of these decisions off your plate and help you find the silver lining.

 

 

 

 

Disclosure: All opinions expressed in this article are for general informational purposes and constitute the judgment of the author(s) as of the date of the report. These opinions are subject to change without notice and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. The material has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, however Merriman cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information presented here may have been condensed or summarized from its original source.  Merriman does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be taken as such.

Is Now the Right Time to Buy a Home?

Is Now the Right Time to Buy a Home?

by | Mar 22, 2022 | Advisors, Goal Planning, Real Estate, Sierra Butler, Tech Focus, Wealth Protection

 

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, it seems that Americans have been clamoring over one another to achieve a core component of the American dream: homeownership. And this phenomenon isn’t surprising; people have spent more time at home than ever before, and the obstacles to buying have dropped significantly. I’ve been asked more and more by my clients whether now is the right time for them to buy.

Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not a cut-and-dry yes or no. Homeownership is a commitment that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and there are multiple items to consider before making a decision.

 

Interest Rates

When I speak with potential homebuyers, one of the top reasons they feel an urgency to buy now is due to historically low interest rates. And they are not wrong. As shown in the below chart, 30-year fixed mortgage interest rates in the past year have been at their lowest ever since Freddie Mac began tracking them in 1971.

Source: https://www.macrotrends.net/2604/30-year-fixed-mortgage-rate-chart

 

While some may think that saving 1% on their mortgage rate isn’t a big deal, the truth is that it adds up quickly. Let’s say a homebuyer is comparing two 30-year fixed mortgages for a $500,000 loan amount, one with an interest rate of 3.0% and the other with an interest rate of 4.0%. At first glance, the monthly payments may not look too different: $2,108 per month for the 3.0% loan and $2,387 per month for the 4.0% loan. However, over the course of 30 years, this difference adds up. Over the life of the loan, the 3.0% rate will cost $258,887 in interest paid. Alternatively, the 4.0% rate loan will cost $359,348 in interest. That’s a difference of over $100,000 in interest paid over 30 years!

I certainly understand the concern as it relates to interest rates: How long will the rates stay this low? Since most lenders will not allow you to lock in your rate prior to your offer being accepted on a home, homebuyers are feeling the pressure to buy as quickly as possible. On March 16th, 2022, the Federal Reserve announced its first rate increase since 2018 of 0.25%, with additional interest rates increases on the horizon. While some may take this as a sign to buy a home as soon as possible, it’s important to keep in mind that the Federal Reserve is not required to raise interest rates, and there is still a possibility that they could change course.

 

Down Payment

For many homebuyers, the question of how much cash they should put toward their down payment is often top of the list. Historically, most buyers have targeted a down payment of 20% of the purchase price. Why? you may ask. Lenders have discouraged homebuyers from putting down less than 20% as it reduces the lender’s risk in case the homebuyer stops paying their mortgage.

To encourage buyers to put down at least 20% of the purchase price, most lenders charge Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) to those who do not meet the threshold. The average range for PMI can cost between 0.58% to 1.86% of the original loan amount per year, depending on the homebuyer’s down payment, loan amount, and credit score.2 To put this in dollar terms, if a homebuyer had a $500,000 mortgage and was subject to a 1.00% PMI rate, it would cost them an additional $417 per month.

Though PMI is clearly a cost to be mindful of, recent years have shown more buyers opting to put less than 20% down. From 2017 to 2020, 33.6% of 30-year mortgages carried PMI. This is a sizable increase compared to the share of PMI mortgages from 2011 to 2016 at 25.5%.2

It is also important to keep in mind that a homeowner is not obligated to pay PMI for the life of their mortgage. Once their equity in the home is over 20%, the homeowner can work with their lender to have the PMI cost removed. Equity ownership in a home is not just linked to the amount paid, though. If a homebuyer purchased a home for $500,000 and the home appreciated in value to $550,000, they will have an additional 9% in equity compared to where they started.

Why should someone take out a mortgage with PMI? One of the top reasons is to maintain enough cash in emergency savings. Once the home purchase closes, the buyer is responsible for all maintenance costs—emergency or otherwise. If one must choose between paying PMI and having a sufficient emergency fund, I will almost always recommend prioritizing the emergency fund. Having enough cash on hand to support unexpected costs serves as the foundation (pun intended) for all prudent financial plans.

 

Competition

From speaking with your friends or listening to the news, you may think that everyone has bought a house in the past two years. Your intuition isn’t completely off-base; data from the US Census shows that homebuying peaked at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021.

Source: https://www.census.gov/construction/nrs/index.html > Current Press Release (Full Report and Tables)

The increase in homebuying in recent history has unsurprisingly led to increased competition and sales prices. According to Redfin, in July 2021, the average home sold for over 102% of the list price.3 This was the height of sale-price-to-list-price ratios since the beginning of 2020. More recently, January 2022 has started off with the average house selling for 100.3% of the list price.

While this is a promising sign that competition has slowed down from its height, the housing market is still quite competitive. This often leaves homebuyers feeling the pressure to make a quick decision and offer over the asking price.

 

Conclusion

In addition to the factors mentioned thus far, there are other considerations to keep in mind when purchasing a home. Do you intend to live in the house for at least five years? Do you have enough cash outside of your emergency fund to pay for routine and unexpected maintenance? Are you ready for the responsibility that comes with owning a home? If not, maybe renting a house is a better option for you.

At the end of the day, choosing to buy a home is a significant financial decision that impacts many facets of your life. If you are left wondering where a home fits into your financial plan, our advisors at Merriman is happy to help you assess your options. Additionally, if you are a first-time homebuyer, please check out our Guide to the Homebuying Process.

 

Sources:
1 https://www.wsj.com/articles/fed-minutes-reflect-growing-unease-over-high-inflation-11641409628
2 https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/104503/mortgage-insurance-data-at-a-glance-2021.pdf
3https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-inventory-falls-below-500000/

Disclosure: The material is presented solely for information purposes and has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable; however, Merriman cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information presented here may have been condensed or summarized from its original source. Merriman does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be relied upon as such.

Should I Set Up a Traditional 401k for My Business?

Should I Set Up a Traditional 401k for My Business?

by | Mar 23, 2021 | 401k, Preparing for Retirement, Sierra Butler, Tech Focus, Wealth Preservation

 

Whether you recently transitioned to being self-employed or have been a business owner for years, you may have wondered what the best way is to save for retirement. While it is commonplace for established companies to offer a retirement plan to their employees, many self-employed individuals may not realize the potential for significant retirement savings by establishing their own plan.

However, the decision as to which type of plan to choose is far from simple. There are a multitude of questions a business owner must ask themselves before they can identify the best fit for their goals and preferences. To assist in this decision, the following flowchart poses the most pertinent of these questions.

 

 

Whether you are considering a SIMPLE IRA or are curious how a defined benefit plan can help you achieve your savings goals, Merriman’s team of knowledgeable advisors are here to help you make the most optimal selection. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about your unique situation.

 

 

 

Disclosure: The material is presented solely for information purposes and has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, however Merriman cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information presented here may have been condensed or summarized from its original source. Merriman does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be relied upon as such.