Sushi Money

When is the last time you’ve had a retirement health check-up?  There’s a lot of information out there to help answer questions we have about saving and investing for retirement (or during retirement).  But if you’re like most people, some of that information is pretty confusing.  Have you considered meeting with a professional to look at where things stand?  Research data shows that more Americans are doing something to prepare for retirement than ever before, which is very good news.   But at the same time, we’re also very concerned about our future retirement.

Concerned about the troubled economy, rising health care costs and falling home values, Americans’ confidence in being able to afford a comfortable retirement fell at a record rate over the past year, sinking to its lowest level since 2001.

”This year’s results show a very dramatic reduction in the public’s confidence about having a comfortable retirement,” said Dallas Salisbury, president of the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute, which has conducted a comprehensive Retirement Confidence Survey with the research firm Mathew Greenwald and Associates for 18 years.

“In an encouraging sign, this year’s survey found that 47 percent of workers say they or their spouses have tried to calculate how much money they will need for a comfortable retirement. That figure is up considerably from the low point of 29 percent 1996 and slightly higher than 43 percent in 2007.”

“As before, the 2008 survey found that doing a retirement savings calculation - even if it’s just a rough estimate - is particularly effective at changing behavior: 44 percent of those who calculated a savings goal changed their retirement planning, and of those, 59 percent started saving or investing more.”

“Still, savings levels are modest. Almost half (49 percent) of all workers report savings and investments of less than $50,000, and 22 percent have no savings at all, the survey found.”

So we know it’s important to keep saving and investing, and putting money away for retirement.  In fact, that’s the single biggest thing we can do to improve our retirement situation- save more money on a regular basis.

One way to do that is to open your own retirement fund.  More people are doing so than ever before,  and The New York Times takes a closer look at this too in A Stalwart of Retirement Planning: The I.R.A.

So if you’ve already got a retirement plan in place, is it something you can fall back on (i.e. borrow money from) before retirement?  Yes, that’s possible.  But it’s a risky move to borrow from your retirement plan whether that’s an IRA or your 401(k).

In my view that’s the last place you ever consider borrowing money from, and if you don’t have to, then simply don’t do it because many people never pay it back:

“Nearly one-third of adults who have prematurely withdrawn funds from their retirement products said they cannot pay them back, and 45% said they either cannot pay back the funds or have not begun to do so, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance.”

“Even among the highest income earners surveyed—making more than $75,000—more than one-quarter of respondents said they cannot pay back their premature withdrawals.”

“Those ages 45 to 54 are less likely to be able to pay back their premature withdrawals, and those ages 18 to 34 were more likely to be currently making payments.”

Retirement planning is about a lot of things, but most importantly it’s about having enough money to fund our needs when we are older. Sometimes those needs change- especially when our family situation changes. Keeping the retirement money straight can sometimes be a challenge, but it’s important to consider how marriage, divorce, death or job changes impact your retirement plan.

And with new laws, new financial products and a lot of people looking ahead at retirement, it’s no wonder that more of us turn to a financial professional for help.

“Over the last few decades, much of the responsibility - and risk - of on-the-job retirement investing has shifted to employees. Fewer workers have traditional defined benefit pensions. And while many employees still have defined contribution plans, such as matching 401(k) plans, they handle their own saving and investment decisions.”

“Here’s the problem: For most of us, do-it-yourself planning leads to needless mistakes and financial loss. That’s because most of us aren’t investment professionals, and we need expert help to reach our goals. This becomes painfully obvious in a rocky economy and stock market, like the one we’re experiencing now.”

“And there’s one other painful truth: Most people just don’t want to be bothered. Only 19 percent of 401(k) plan participants make a trade of any kind in their accounts in a given year, according to research from employee benefits consulting firm Hewitt Associates. That suggests more than 80 percent of us just aren’t paying attention.”

I’m certainly not about frequent trading inside a 401(k) plan per se, but the point is valid in that many people are not even thinking about the choices they have in their retirement plans, or making new choices when life situations change. 

Some of the choices in 401(k) plans are limited, and some plans have too many choices to understand easily.  But some plans do offer a more flexible target retirement option that rebalances automatically based on age.  Do you know what your options are within your 401(k) plan?  Do you know how your retirement funds are allocated?  If you’ve been at your employer for 15 years, is it time to rebalance the investments within your 401(k)? 

So by not paying attention, the article indicates that we might need to make some active choices over the years for how our money is managed within the 401(k) plan.  Can you do that yourself?  Sure, it’s possible.  But if you are counting on that 401(k) plan to be your primary income or supplement during retirement, then maybe it’s worth it to consult with a professional.  A good financial planner or investment professional can help simplify the process and validate the best choices out of the options available.  When it comes to our retirement, that’s a pretty good idea.  After all, most of us get an annual check-up with a doctor.  Why should our financial health be any different?

Do you worry about how your IRA is doing these days? If so you’re not alone, but what exactly you do about that is an entirely different question. Walter Updegrave discusses one reader’s concerns about this very issue in IRA freefall: Cash out or hold pat? .

Basically the reader’s question showed that he/she really had no idea about what their IRA was even invested in, or what strategy they had for investing in the first place. This is not uncommon, especially for most people who begin an IRA without the help of a professional advisor. For many of us, the IRA is the second place we save money for retirement after the employer’s retirement plan at work. Because it is a retirement fund though, we often worry about how it’s doing. It’s not very much fun to get statements in the mail showing the IRA value has declined over several months, especially if you’re close to retirement.

Do You Really Want the Money Now? There are many better options than to simply liquidate the IRA, take the money and plunk it in a bank or CD account. Doing that could be a very costly mistake, and result in a bundle in taxes and penalties with the IRS next year if it’s a traditional, deductible IRA. First, if it’s not a qualified withdrawal or rollover, you’ll have to pay a 10% penalty on the amount withdrawn if you’re younger than age 59 1/2, and then you’ll have to pay taxes on the withdrawal amount as well. Depending upon the size of your account, that could be a lot of money, could set you back years, and basically you may be starting all over with far less than you had if you had just left things alone.

If it’s a Roth IRA, you should be able to take out tax-free distributions anytime, as long as you are only withdrawing contributions that you have made to the account. This is not true for a traditional, deductible IRA. But even with a Roth IRA, if you take out excess contributions or earnings, you may be taking an unqualified distribution, and may owe taxes or penalties. But the beauty of the Roth IRA is that you can take out money that you have put in just about any time you want. You just cannot take out any earnings or gains on the money you have deposited over time.

* If you are considering closing your Roth IRA or taking out earnings, there are special rules for distributions. And the distribution rules for Traditional (deductible) IRAs are different.

But I Want My Money! In either case, let’s say you became really worried and closed your IRA account- within the last 60 days. In that case you may be in luck- you’re entitled to one rollover each year, as long as you do so within 60 days. So yes, technically, you can take out all of your IRA money, look around for a good long while, and then re-deposit it in a new account in less than 60 days and you won’t owe any taxes or penalties. Some folks even do this as a short-term loan. But you better make sure to get that money back in a new account in less than 60 days!

But guess what? If you close your IRA outright, financial institutions are normally required to deduct 20% automatically for federal taxes. And if you get busy and don’t find or receive the new IRA paperwork in time to get that money back in a new account within 60 days, you just may have taken an unqualified distribution, and won’t be able to complete a rollover. But at least a good chunk of the taxes are paid already, right? Ugh. That’s a less than ideal way to loan yourself money or try to keep it from losing value in the market. And you just started over- while you do have most of the money, your IRA is gone. You’ll have to start a new one if you want another IRA.

What’s a rollover really for? Usually a rollover is used to move retirement money from an employer’s plan into your own IRA. Or from one compan’s retirement plan, to your IRA and then to a new company’s retirement plan. It can also be used if you are moving IRA money from one institution to a new IRA at another institution to develop a new or different portfolio and investing strategy. Keep in mind that IRA rollovers are reportable transactions for IRS tax purposes, and you can only do this once per year. Some professionals believe that employers retirement plans may offer better options than an IRA over the long term. But it’s too easy to say that one is better than another outright. If you are comfortable with your employer’s plan, that’s great. Just make sure it is diversified over time. I like the option of spreading the wealth around, and having my own IRA at another institution such as Vanguard. Plus if you have your own IRA established, it can serve as a transfer vehicle if you move from one job to another throughout your career.

If you are just trying to move your IRA from one place to another, there’s a better way. Simply work with the new institution first, and you can transfer your IRA to a different bank, brokerage company or other financial institution.  An IRA transfer is different from an IRA rollover. With a transfer you are simply moving some or all of your money to a different institution. This is often called a trustee-to-trustee transfer. You can make unlimited transfers each year, and a transfer is a non-reportable transaction for income tax purposes. The new institution will simply help you fill out the required forms and paperwork to transfer your IRA directly to a new account, and you will never see the money personally.  A little paperwork and you’re done!

What Can I Do With My IRA?  So back to our original discussion: Why do people transfer IRAs and what else can we do with them? Even though IRAs have been around for many years, many people are just now realizing the power of an IRA. Your IRA can hold just about any type of assets in it. It’s just an account- and what you keep inside of it is up to you. You can have a money market fund for your IRA, or a mutual fund, or a basket of stocks. Your IRA can be with a bank, or a mutual fund company or as a brokerage account. Just because you opened the IRA with the bank down the street doesn’t mean you have to keep it there. You can move and re-establish that IRA with a new financial institution, and develop an entirely new strategy for investing for retirement.

Let’s say you completed the paperwork for the transfer- it may take a few weeks to get to the new institution. But once your money is in the new account, you can begin to implement your new goals and strategy.  For example, you may have transferred an IRA from a bank to a mutual fund company like Vanguard.  You can choose the type of mutual fund you want your money transfered to when you open the new account.  After the money is in that account, you can also re-allocate or direct some of that money to new mutual funds.

That’s basically how I approach it.  I prefer a well diversified portfolio of mutual funds in my IRA, along with a money market fund- what I call my Super Charged IRA. Why? Each year when I make my IRA contribution, it goes right into that money market fund. Then I can decide when and where I want the money in that money market fund to go. Then I divide it, or allocate that money into different mutual funds. All within my one single IRA. If I want to, I can even move money from the more aggressive stock mutual funds back into the money market fund. Normally I work on finding the right mutual funds, allocate the money, and then leave it alone. I try not to worry about the ups and downs of the market. It’s a strategy that works for me.

And that’s an important aspect of the article cited above: Implement an IRA strategy that builds upon a portfolio of diversified investments over time. And then leave it there to grow. As you get closer to retirement, that portfolio of stocks, mutual funds, etc, can be adjusted to fit your risk tolerance and other needs. Setting it up takes a little paperwork at first, but that’s about it.

What’s the hardest part? Having the patience and discipline to stick with it over time. Especially when the markets show the IRA as losing value. But if you’re having a hard time sleeping at night, that might tell you to think about changing your strategy, or maybe that you really don’t have a strategy to begin with and need one. You’re not alone- just read a few of the comments on that article. Most importantly however, it’s never too late to start.

* Investopedia has a great IRA information center for reference. There are countless different situations involving IRAs and retirement planning. If you are considering moving a lot of money around with IRAs, be sure to consult with your financial planner and tax professional. It might just save you a ton of money in taxes!

* Here’s a short review of some Common IRA Rollover Mistakes to avoid.

* Are you inheriting an IRA from someone? There are special rules for that too, and it may be time to sit down with a professional to review the best option for your situation.

* Here are some FAQ’s from the IRS regarding IRAs and Retirement Plans.

So where might we see excess today? Maybe commodities, or prescious metals? Natural resources and energy? I think every one of those areas are seeing heightened speculation and excess, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it, especially if you’re making money. And it may continue for a long time. Or not. At some point it will be time to change and find a new trend. I wish I was better at that, but it’s one thing to look at future change and quite another to time financial decisions with that change to make money.

That’s why for most of us I believe in steady, disciplined investing over 20-30 years or more. You don’t need to worry about market timing over the long term. You do need to think about asset allocation and diversification, especially when nearing retirement. But even while we invest patiently for retirement it doesn’t mean we can’t look at the trends and make some other decisions about where we might invest our time, energy and even money. I set aside a little “investing money” that I use to do just that- invest in trends and ideas.

So what’s going to be “The Next Big Excess?” What’s the next big thing that thousands of consumers are going to plunge into for a few years, hoping to secure their fortune? Will there be one? Will it be another bubble? Is there something that will result in mass change or adoption? I wish I knew!

I think we can look ahead and pick out some themes of change that will affect our lives in the future. See if you feel the same way, or have different ideas:

Here are 10 Themes of Change I see over the next decade and beyond:

1. Boomer Retirement: The Boomer generation has begun retirement, and thousands of people will continue to do so every day for the next 20-30 years. Add another 20-30 years on to that for millions of older Americans that will have money to spend on services and support needs. There are many new business and franchise ventures focusing on services for older adults, and this demographic bonanza will continue for decades.

2. Health care services: Health care is an essential aspect of future services and business growth for the same reason as # 1: Millions of older adults will need health care services and products over the next several decades. Biotech may be struggling right now, but think of the potential for these markets in the years ahead.

3. Education and Job-retraining: With change comes the requirement to adapt and grow. Growth is based on learning, or at least a willingness to learn. There are enormous opportunities for businesses, consultants and industry in education and training, and we’ll continue to see that growth in the future. Older adults are also returning to the classroom and may prove critical to continued economic growth and fulfilling job needs within the community. Community college growth is expanding, and vocational-technical schools are serving an essential role as well.

4. Communication and Navigation: We’re going to know where we are and talk with anyone no matter our location in the years ahead. Oh wait, we pretty much already do that right? But it’s going to be increasingly simpler and more available. With GPS navigation and satellite and cellular technology advances, the world is changing fast. Garmin will have a mobile phone out this year where a friend sends you a pic and you push “Go!” and it tells you how to navigate to where they are. Imagine using Google Earth or Panoramio and picking out a cool tourist photo… then your gps can navigate you to that site.
5. Business coaching and consulting: Providing competent advice and counsel in response to complexity will grow by leaps and bounds. Related to many areas above, but coaching, consulting, advising and teaching emerges in response to the complexity of many aspects of our lives, especially with technology. If you have expertise and can help others improve their lives and function better amidst the complexity we face- then you have a marketable skill that others will pay for.

6. Engineering and technology development: Do we have growth at all if not for highly skilled knowledge workers who develop the hardware, software and networked applications to leverage technological advance? No. IT expertise continues to be in demand and companies reach across international boundaries because they don’t find enough skilled workers here in the U.S. Steve Rubel explains that what we see now as “the web” is not where the web is going. We see a reflection of web services, and service integration will grow by leaps and bounds.

7. Alternative energy services and the Green Movement: Could this be the “next big thing” we see? It’s already huge and growing by leaps and bounds. Several states are leading the way already but we’re going to see an explosion of interest in alternative energy development such as solar. California offers tremendous rebates and assistance with solar development and installation compared to many other states.

• Now that fuel prices have exceeded $3 per gallon of gas nationwide, people really grumble. But what happens when we start paying $4 or $5 a gallon? Gas prices are already changing the way we live. Families are going to be challenged as never before as those costs influence how we drive and consume food and other resources.
• Water use and scarcity may influence many changs in the future. Drought effects of the past two years were severe across the nation, with far reaching changes in water use and regulations. With increased population growth, water needs will continue to rise, and resource depletion may become a real threat over time.

In a society where we spend more money and resources to develop a product (ethanol) that raises the cost of production for other fuel and the food products we need (corn, soybeans, etc), then it’s time to look at a wider array of alternative resources. Solar energy will make an enormous difference as the barriers to entry (cost and physical size) continue to decrease. Many of us would put a solar array on our homes tomorrow if it wasn’t so expensive or difficult. Equally, more people recognize that the human footprint within the enviroment must not tread so heavily. We can focus on stewardship and resource use balanced with human needs. The Green movement continues to make a difference in pulling us in that direction.

8. Frugality and Living Simpler:

• What would the world of personal finance and blogging be without themes of frugality? Many of us are learning that it pays economically to live a more frugal lifestyle. Sure we appreciate good things and fine living, but the meaning, definitions and cost of doing so is changing. Realistically, we are finding that our future economic well-being is in our own hands. We can create the financial future we desire through sound strategies of saving and investing. And being frugal is an important theme for economic cost-beneifit analysis and increasing savings while decreasing spending.
• As we age, many people are choosing a simpler way of life. Downsizing to smaller homes, or homes with caretaking services for landscaping and other needs. Even for those not downsizing per se, there is movement towards the simpler, more carefree aspects in living. Making things simpler for others is a theme that works and, ironically, folks will spend a lot of money to find a simpler lifestyle.

9. Charitable Giving and Micro Finance: As we grow and technology enables choice and opportunity, I think we are becoming more action-oriented towards charitable causes. Whether that be with cash donations or though giving our time volunteering, people want to become involved in helping other people improve their lives. Micro finance lending sites such as Kiva.com are doing just that.

10.Biotech, Nanotech, Robotics, Astrosciences: Well, maybe the promise of the future is a bit early, but the gains being made in bioengineering and nanotechnology are amazing. Of course some people think none of this will really matter anyway because the world’s going to end in 2012. Or if it doesn’t the internet’s going to end in 2038! Who knows… I think we have enough threats already in the world via fanatical extremists and natural resource depletion to keep us occupied for a good many years.

I love thinking about the future, but sometimes it’s easier to stay naively optimistic. There are countless ideas and creative applications out there “whose time has come” but have yet to reach the masses. I hope to capitalize on some of these themes both in terms of investments and personal focus. And maybe we’ll even make decisions that influence our career based on future change. Do you see anything else coming down the road? Any career or technology aspects that will be important to think about?

Awoke to a cold spring morning today with blue skies and sunshine. It would be nice if it were all blue skies for the economy and markets, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty out there. Does it seem like we’re reading more and more about recession paranoia in the media these days? Maybe recession-speak is now fashionable, but perhaps also because of the election cycle. As some economists observe, one way to create a recession is to just keep talking about it. Hmmm, interesting observation about sex there…

Many American consumers are feeling pinched these days. The Fed has aggressively cut rates in the face of many economic challenges, yet some investors are worried about the Fed causing more inflation. The inflation argument may be valid down the road, but it doesn’t sit well when we’re trying to tackle the other economic problems first. Seems like you slay the dragon in front of you before worrying about the one coming next.

All I know is I can bring more certainty to our own life through doing more things that improve financial stability, and doing less things that reduce it. Stuff like increased savings, reduced spending and debt, and becoming more knowledgeable about financial matters. Honestly I can control very little except the conduct of my own life, and even that is arguable at times.

Yet because most of us care about the nature of our life situation in the future, we do something about it. We modify behavior in the present in order to cause change for the future. Or at least we try to do that. Sometimes we fool ourselves for quite a few years, going through the motions, but not really being serious about it.

And then it hits. Some event, realization or dynamic in our lives that induces enough reflection to become aware of our mortality. For many of us it’s hitting the age of 40. Maybe like that keystone analogy and the poll results that shows how people take retirement planning the most seriously around the ages of 40-49.

It’s the realization that says,

“Half my life might be over, and I have very little to show for it!”

If you haven’t yet been hit with that realization, it will come. It’s kind of like presbyopia. “Presby what?!” Well, let’s just say “old people’s eyes.” Somewhere between 40-45 years old, most people are going to have a tough time reading things up close. And you’ll need reading glasses. Just a fact of life. And it’s a humbling experience that I’ve just gone through the past few years. I think reading glasses should come with a financial “how-to” book that helps people understand retirement planning. Because that’s about the same timeframe that most people start really planning for retirement.

I think it helps to remember what’s important, even in the face of a recession and that,

“If it takes change to make our lives better, then we better change!”

There are tons of resources out there of course. Learning from the experience of others can be a valuable source of new knowledge. In the blogosphere an excellent source of insight is the Carnival of Personal Finance hosted this week by Million Dollar Journey.

With an eclectic mix of personal financial advice and interesting stories, there’s something there for everyone. PennyMine talks about Teaching Kids the Importance of a Dollar. Dividends4Life finds Dividend Gold in a Down Market. The Honest Dollar shows us 11 Ways to Trigger an IRS Audit. And The Financial Engineer writes with the economy tanking it’s no time to increase foreign aid by $845 billion dollars. Not really time to increase taxes either…

There we have it. A place to find a beginning, and make a start or new commitment in our own lives. This week I’m committed to finishing our taxes. Now where did I put those reading glasses…

“Keystone: … a central building block; a central cohesive source of support and stability.”

We can use the keystone analogy to think of retirement and the need for a structured financial plan in the years ahead. With a growing retirement keystone in place, we have the ability to achieve our financial goals and shape the direction of our lives.

Social Security is that keystone for many people, but a recent Wall Street Journal/Harris Personal Finance Poll indicates that Fewer Americans Plan to Rely on Social Security in Retirement. That’s good news because it implies that more people think Social Security will simply not be enough and are doing something about it.

Fewer doesn’t mean a majority however:

• 60% of all income and education levels are still planning on Social Security as the primary source of income in retirement.

Lots of folks haven’t even started yet:

• Of all age groups, an average of 24% have not started retirement planning. The number stating they have not started retirement planning is highest for 18-34 year olds at 47%, dropping to 5% for 55 year olds.

A common theme:

• Based on age and marital status, more people indicated they started planning for retirement between ages 40-49.

It’s an excellent article that reveals some interesting generalizations. Pensions, IRA’s, savings, investments and yes, Social Security- all can serve as that retirement keystone. But how many of us really take retirement planning seriously in our early years?

  It’s hard to pay attention to a stock market that opens several hundred points down and keeps plunging, only to recover most of the drop on breaking news of a 3/4 point Fed Funds Rate cut.  But it does get one’s attention.  If you’re not out of the stock market right now it’s a little late to start.  I’m still riding the tumultuous volatility, and holding on with a firm look toward the distant horizon.  One that I won’t reach for 10-15 years or more.  Besides, this is a pretty darn good time to invest for the long-term.  The average P/E ratio for the S&P 500 is right around the historical average of 15.  That’s pretty fair valuation for a long-term investor.  Doesn’t mean there won’t be tough times ahead though- we face a lot of other challenges that a Fed Fund’s Rate cut may have little impact upon.

But lately the market reminds me of the Big Bad Wolf.  If you haven’t seen the 1933 Walt Disney short cartoon of the Three Little Pigs, it’s definitely worth it.  This 9 minute cartoon captured the nation’s attention during the Great Depression.   It’s a wonderful cartoon and musical combination that perhaps found resonance among the nation for the simple morals that hard work and planning ahead can protect you in the face of adversity. 

That’s something to consider as we save and invest.  The stock market’s recent volatility shows us that asset allocation and diversification provide a measure of strength over time.  When the market loses hundreds of points in a day however, it’s hard to find any shelter in the storm.  Yet these are, after all, moments in time.  Moments that can wreak havoc on a portfolio, no question. But for those who have time, hold on and keep investing steadily, these events will simply be a footnote. 

Am I afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?  Not in the form of the stock market.  Right now I feel like I’m missing out actually… I’d love to have a little more funds to invest.  And honestly- there’s little I can do about it anyway, so I try not to let it get to me.  I don’t mean to minimize the financial losses and stress that anyone faces, especially for those close to retirement.  But I think there are a lot of other “wolves” out there to be afraid of that I can actually do something about- namely building up an emergency fund of cash, my health, our family well-being and what goes on around us each day.   And as for saving and investing for retirement?  I think with committment and disciplined patience, we can slowly build a growing, diversified portfolio in the form of dividend paying stocks, bonds, mutual funds and tax-advantaged accounts.  And maybe that ‘ole stock market wolf won’t bother us as much.   He’ll be back to be sure, but like “Practical Pig” I’m building a strong financial house. 

Realistically, it’s hard to say how long or how severe the economic challenges we face will take to turn around. All the people that are supposed to be doing something are working on measures that can point us in a stronger direction.  As  many economists have noted, the Fed’s action today is “not an instant fix.”  But it’s a start, and they’ll probably lower rates again next week.  I’m curious to see what the President and Congress put together for a stimulus.  Whatever it is, they need to get it done. 

    Over the past few years it has become apparent that most Americans need to save a lot more for their retirement than they think.  And that most Americans are not well prepared and not saving enough to ensure a financially secure retirement.  But we’ve also seen where some have questioned if the metrics and numbers that most financial planners say we need are too high- and unreachable for many of us.   Even still, it’s hard to argue with the viewpoint that saving too little may be far more damaging than saving too much.  But how much is enough?  That’s were a good financial planner comes in with a great deal of analysis. 

      So is there a right answer?  As far as a specific amount of retirement savings, probably not in general.  It’s an answer unique to every individual and family.   The statistics are somewhat amazing really, and some say we’ll need 10-12 times our pre-retirement salary put up to fund our retirement.  Historically, many planners have advocated that we anticipate an income replacement ratio in retirement of 60% to 80% of our pre-retirement income.  Those numbers assume a great deal…  empty-nesters with no children at home, mortgage paid off, spending patterns reduced, etc.  Are they right?  It all depends, and many people argue that we should plan for spending 100% of our pre-retirement income in retirement!  There’s a crucial consideration however…

What kind of lifestyle do you want to live in retirement!?  That, my friends, is the real question.

     Money magazine online has written about a couple in their fifties who are Investing in the Home Stretch to Retirement.  Based on the information provided, this couple has done a pretty solid job of preparing for their retirement.  They make over $100,000 per year with a house paid off, and have savings of over $500,000.  

If their money keeps growing at 7 percent a year for the next eight years, the Paines will have nearly $1 million. At a 4 percent withdrawal rate, the couple can safely tap $40,000 a year, says Cincinnati financial planner Erik Christman. Even with Social Security, their income would be only two-thirds what they’re making now. “They are going to be challenged to retire, even in eight years,” Christman says.

     So let me understand this… here’s a couple that may have over $1 million dollars saved and can work with a conservative 4% withdrawal rate, achieving at least $40,000 annual income, plus social security… and they’re going to be challenged to retire?   I think it means they’re going to be challenged to retire to the lifestyle they believe they want to maintain.   And I have to say it bothers me when journalists and planners put it that way because most Americans would be lucky, and very thankful, to be in that situation when they retire.  I’m not trying to be disrespectful to this couple either- they’ve worked very hard and should rightfully be proud of their accomplishments.   But being challenged to retire?    There’s a lot of folks in the country that will be challenged to retire, and it’s not this couple.  They’ll have income, choices and opportunity.  They may be limited  in their choices based on their retirement income… but they will  have choices, and money to use.

So in general, we may be challenged in retirement to fund certain goals based on our lifestyle choices.  For me it then boils down to two primary questions:

• What kind of retirement lifestyle do we want to have?

• How are we going to save enough money to fund that retirement lifestyle we want?

   Answering those questions can help establish a foundation that we work with throughout our career and lives.  If we have some idea or goal for where we are going, then we can move foward to get there.  We need to take some specific actions to do so… and keep working on them!   For many people, it means we need to take a realistic assessment of where we are, how much we can save, and how much we may accumulate to spend annually in retirement.  Sometimes that’s a sobering assessment.  An excellent article makes the point that this won’t be our parent’s retirement!  Most of us save, and have saved, far too little rather than too much. There’s a lot of unknowns out there, especially with healthcare costs and longevity.  But I’d rather have some idea of what the future’s going to look like so I’m better prepared to make resolutions along the way, and realistic choices when I get close to retirement.