Simply Junior » Retirement Plan

Making a Retirement Plan

admin — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:38:03 +0000

Most people worried about what they can do when they are retired. So some people begin to make their retirement planning to ensure they have enough money when they get old in bad conditions in the future. So have you ever considered about this things in your life, if you say no. Then there are some items you must to do at this moment.

First of all, you should have a general idea of when you intend to retire. You don’t need to pick the accurate time, but it will help to come up with a target such as approximately a decade, or about fifty years. Ask yourself if you continue to need to be working when you’re sixty-five. Do you expect yourself in frond of the computer at fifty-five, or still choosing what you would like to do? It will a pity view which you don’t want to see.

If you choose to retire in a beautiful villa in the suburb, and you need to think about the long term practical and taxation issues relating to the receiving of pension income. Seeking professional advice is the first step in the right direction to finding the right financial solution – it will save you time and money in the long run and reduce your cost of delay significantly!

In short, there’s no better time to start planning for your retirement than right now. Despite you’re unsure what your income will be like in the coming years, it always helps to write down what you think you’d like to be doing when you retire so that you’ll at least have an idea of how much money you’ll need. Though planning retirement can be stressful, remember that not having a plan when you’re suddenly sixty years old is far worse than doing a bit of number crunching now.

Retirement Plan Pitfalls

admin — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 03:02:57 +0000

Have you ever completed your tax return to find out that you owe the federal government thousands of dollars? If so, I expect it was because you raided your pension or retirement plan. If you haven’t learned this painful lesson yet, you should read this article so that you don’t end up owing the IRS thousands.

“NEVER TAKE MONEY OUT OF YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN!” read the sign that hung in the tax accountant’s office. I knew this was an overstatement, but understood why the accountant had such a sign in his office. Too many times did I, as a tax accountant myself, have to console crying or angry clients after explaining to them that they owed the government thousands of dollars because they withdrew money from their retirement or pension plan. The worst part is that these people that withdrew were often already facing immense financial problems – job losses, foreclosures, and bankruptcies.

If you take money out of your pension or retirement plan, you will first find out that the law requires retirement plan administrators to withhold 20 percent of your money for the federal government. Most people are upset by this news and believe withholding this amount will cover their tax bill. After all, it is a lot of money. What’s important for you to know is that it’s only the beginning.

Most taxpayers still need to worry about more federal and state taxes due. If you’re in the 28 percent tax bracket, you’ll owe the federal government another 8 percent of the amount you withdraw. Worse yet, if you’re under 591/2 years of age, you’ll most likely be penalized another 10 percent. In addition, most states will tax you 5 to 10 percent.

How will this affect your tax bill? If you withdraw $20,000, the plan administer will withhold 20 percent, leaving you with $16,000. By April 15 you’ll realize that you owe another $3,600 to the federal government and $1,500 to the state. So by taking out $20,000 of retirement savings, you end up with only $10,900. Now you’re probably beginning to understand why that tax accountant hung the sign “NEVER TAKE MONEY OUT OF YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN!”

Sure, there are exceptions. There are a number of ways to avoid the 10 percent penalty – using the retirement proceeds for tuition, medical costs, or to buy your first time home (up to $10,000). Some states don’t have an income tax. And, of course, these penalties and taxes don’t apply to ROTH Individual Retirement Accounts.

What’s important to remember is that your tax advisor will be able to explain to you the financial consequences that specifically pertain to your situation. He or she may even be able to suggest alternatives, such as taking a loan out against your retirement plan. Remember, contributing to a retirement account is a wise choice, just don’t make the very unwise choice by liquidating your account before speaking to a tax professional.

Setting Up A Retirement Plan

admin — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 19:13:59 +0000

One of the best possible things you can do to provide for your retirement years is to set up a small business. Between the tax benefits you can receive, to the fact that you can often make a tidy sum of money, owning a small part time home based business is without a doubt one of the best things you could ever do. But this letter isn’t about that specifically; we’ll get into that as the year goes on. What I do however want to suggest is a “plan” that you can set up for your retirement goals.

If you are a sole proprietor of a small business and you make less than 200K dollars a year, you can qualify for a retirement plan called a ” combo Sole owner / 401K profit sharing plan”. I know that’s a mouthful, but it’s important to realize that this thing exists. Why? Because you can dump a ton of money in it.

Although you can indeed search the web and find enough information to set one of these up yourself, any financial advisor, or even the officers at your bank should be able to set one up for you quite easily and the going rate appears to be between three and four hundred dollars. I wholeheartedly
believe you should explore this.

Right off the bat you are allowed to put up to 12K dollars in your 401K plan. That’s a very healthy chunk right there, but wait it gets better. You are also allowed to donate up to 20% of your income into this thing under the profit sharing side of the equation. So as you can see, if you claimed say 60K dollars worth of income, you could put the upwards of 24K dollars a year into this plan. That’s right off the top, dollar for dollar donations folks.

For those of you who own your own small business, this is one of the most aggressive plans I’ve ever seen, and if you need a good vehicle to shelter some tax money, I can’t think of much better.

401(K) Retirement Plan Explained

admin — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:35:46 +0000

Well, ready or not, here we come!

The 401(k) plan makes it easy and convenient for you to save money for retirement. Once you enroll, your contributions are automatically deducted from your paycheck before you even get to see it. This forces a strict savings discipline on you usually an absolute necessity if you’re not good at looking to the future. Since you are planning to pass through the retirement stage of your life in style instead of as a pauper (and it’s hard to foresee this and save when you receive a full pay-check), this is a real advantage that will help make your retirement as comfortable as possible. If you’re using this plan, you may even retire at age 55 and gain full access to your money, penalty-free! This, in part, is a semblance of the sheer beauty of the plan. Aren’t we poetic?!

Do remember that your contributions deducted from the paycheck are tax-deferred, thereby decreasing your current income tax. (That news calls for a pat on our back!) However, there is a limit to how much you may contribute to a 401(k). This limit is set by the Congress and set forth in the Internal Revenue Code. Your employer, too, may limit your contributions to a percentage of your salary, depending on how much he really likes you. Additionally, he may also choose to match all or a part of your contribution. (Yes, it’s time for you to go through your company’s policies regarding the plan if you haven’t already!) It’s also time to polish those rusty apple polishing skills – pun intended!

Most 401(k) plans provide you with a range of investment options, including stock funds, bond funds, balanced funds, international funds, and company stock. You may decide (on your own) how your contributions are distributed among the plan’s offerings by considering your long-term financial objectives, your tolerance for risk, and how close you are to retirement age. We do not advise you to fear risky investments since those are the ones making the greatest amount of money. Others may think differently and suggest that a more conservative allocation strategy is ideal as you get older. Don’t pay too much attention to those behind the times financial advisors; they’re all ageist!

Regardless of your allocation strategy, it is critical to closely monitor the progress of your 401(k) plan. The plan is required by law to provide you with an annual statement in order to assist you with the management. Many plans will also provide you with quarterly statements, online access, and toll-free numbers offering 24/7 access to your current balance.

Each 401(k) plan also specifies when and how often you can make changes to your investments. While some plans permit you to make daily changes, others allow a limited number of transactions per year. At any rate, you are responsible for checking up on your plan’s performance and making allocation changes whenever deemed appropriate. Please make sure you’re not smashed on the day you decide to make those changes!

Certain 401(k) plans also allow you to access your savings in case of a financial emergency before reaching the age of eligibility. This access may come through a loan (with interest) or a hardship withdrawal. In case of a hardship withdrawal you will have to pay ordinary income tax on the amount withdrawn and pay a 10% penalty to the government if you don’t meet one of the following exceptions: (1) purchasing a principal residence; (2) avoiding eviction from your present residence; (3) paying tuition for yourself, your spouse, children or dependents; (4) funeral expenses for a family member; and (5) medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of your AGI.

Oh and we lied when we said that the 401(k) plan always permits you to make penalty-free withdrawals if you retire at age 55. While it is true that you may make such withdrawals at this particular age, it is also correct that certain 401(k) plans only allow you penalty-free access to your savings at age 59.5 years. Again, it is for you to choose the plan that meets your needs. Just remember that by April 1 following the year in which you turn 70.5 years old or retire (whichever is later), it is obligatory to begin withdrawing from your 401(k). So let’s hope you will have so much money coming in that you won’t have to withdraw before turning 70.5! Yes, were also finding it a little odd that we have to refer to ages in decimals (who says seventy point five ?!)- But that’s how it goes, my friend!

Retirement Plan – Don’t Count on Social Security For Your Retirement Plan

admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 04:16:54 +0000

There are big headlines on the internet about Social Security being in the red this year. They are paying out MORE than they are getting in this very year. Did you catch that? Not running out of funds in 10 years or 5 years or 2 years, but this very year!

The Congressional Budget Office had issued a report saying that would happen in 2016. WRONG! Between the early retirees and job losses, both due to the downturn in the economy the last few years, there are fewer people paying into the system and more folks receiving benefits.

We’ve all known it was coming, so it shouldn’t be a big surprise, right? But it is one of those huge, major type, awful things that you don’t want to see happen, so you try not to think about it or dwell on it. Humph! And I am hoping to retire within the next 5 years. Guess that will be up in the air. How about you?

It is not all terrible news, but maybe this should serve as THE wake-up call for all of us. There is a surplus which the government has in trust funds. This is currently estimated to last until 2037, although that number will surely be adjusted in the future. The main issue with the trust funds is that the government has borrowed from them to pay for other programs and things they couldn’t pay. So the majority of the funds now reside in IOU’s which will have to be paid back somehow by some other funds from somewhere else. Does this sound promising to you?

Even if they do, by some miracle, find the money to pay back the IOU’s, it is still only estimated to last until 2037. What happens to us when that runs out? What happens to our children when they reach our age? And our children’s children?

What are our options? What are our children’s options? What will work when we all need to retire and still have money to live on? Very few companies still maintain a retirement account for their employees. And let’s face it, who works for the same company for their whole life anymore? That is much more of the rarity than it is the common place. So where will the money come from?

I believe we need to stop thinking the government is going to care for us in our ripe old age. The only ones we can truly depend on to take care of us is ourselves, and maybe other family members. Have we all saved enough money? Woefully, no. By far, the vast majority of people do not have enough money in retirement accounts or savings. So where does that leave us? What can we do?

We need to start up our own retirement funds. How can we do that when we already need most of, or all of, the money to live on? We need to find and capitalize on second jobs or work from home and internet opportunities which do 2 things: pay for themselves and grow a residual income. And since many are short on extra funds, the opportunities need to be cheap. Very cheap.

Would you do something to build a residual “retirement fund” for yourself and your family if it only cost – - let’s say, only cost the price of one dinner in a local restaurant? Or the price of 2 cups of specialty coffee? Or less than the price of 2 movie tickets? And what if it paid for your investment in 1-3 months?

But you don’t think you have the time. You aren’t a salesperson. You don’t want to have to do anything to make money. Well, there are lots of opportunities out there. You just need to find the right one for you. One which costs very little money, takes very little time, sells itself, and can grow a wonderful residual income which you can use for your retirement plan.

Crucial Items In Your Retirement Plan

admin — Sun, 29 May 2011 12:57:27 +0000

There are countless retirement schemes available for the bulk of populace. Examples include the 401(k) and IRA plans. Those who desire a welcoming and promising life upon their retirement should keep up with a good plan. If you had not the slightest idea about how to manage your financial affairs stretch the planning up to your golden days, you are advised to seek the help of a planner. A good planner will assist you in organizing your current finance, investment and properties to ensure that you do not collapse with nothing after you retire. Besides, it is also the planner’s job to warn you should there be any errors in your retirement plan.

It is undeniable that retirement planners are imperative, especially in the modernized world where people have plenty of properties and investments issues to handle yet not having sufficient time to ponder deeply about retirement. In fact, with the working stress and hectic schedule it never crosses the mind of common community about the need of a good future plan. Furthermore, time passes as quickly as people do not realize and without them being aware of it, their retirement approaches and that is when they start to worry what to do after they retire. Most people have a blank mind coming to a sudden halt of working days, having no specific direction to head hence explaining the significance of a preparation for the retirement.

Several trivial items that you cannot afford to neglect from your retirement scheme include the emergency plan. Because humans have no magical powers to foresee the future, you can never predict when you will encounter shiny or rainy days. But never forget to prepare for emergency days. Anytime beyond your expectation, there might be occurrences of death, injuries or other money-demanding situations where you need to fork out your savings to address those matters. Without a good financial planning, you can never have extra figures in your account to feed during emergencies. But with an organized plan and proper savings, you can avoid panic and aggravation when anything unexpected happens.

From there, you should be able to mark the importance of retirement planners. Although some working companies might offer you some retirement plan, it is preferable to have your own planning considering you are dealing with something of utmost privacy. To look for a good and trustworthy planner, you will need to conduct some research. Try to begin your plan as early as possibly to ensure that you have enjoyment and relaxation being the prevailing elements upon your retirement.

How to Find the Best Retirement Plans? Here’s How

admin — Tue, 24 May 2011 11:08:19 +0000

People think it is really hard to find the best retirement plans. Actually, the truth is, it is not hard at all. It is very easy. A good retirement plan is something that ensures financial security. It is as simple as that. How do you define financial security? By the time you retire, you should have built quit a nest egg that you don’t have to depend on either your friends or the government for your daily needs. Sounds simple, right?

Before we discuss further about retirement plans, I need to ask you a question. Are you in charge of your money? Do you have the freedom to invest your money wherever you want or are you still dependant on your employer to make all these decisions? The answer to these questions decides how your post retirement life will be.

Unfortunately, a lot of people do not put their retirement funds to good use. The funds remain dormant in their traditional accounts due to two important reasons. Here they are.

1. A lot of people are unaware of the fact that they can do something with their retirement funds. You can actually opt for a self directed IRA (individual retirement account) and invest your retirement funds whichever way you want and make lots of profit. A lot of people are not aware of this at all.

2. People think that they lack the financial acumen to be able to make the right investment decisions. They think of options like the stock market and they are wary of the fact that they could lose their money by the thousands by investing in a volatile market. So, they decide to play safe by earning a tiny little interest on their retirement funds.

Like I already said, the best retirement plans are the ones that give you financial freedom. How do you get financial freedom? Simple – by getting higher returns on your investment, you can safely build a nest egg for your post retirement life. How do you get higher returns? Again, the answer is simple – by investing wisely. How do you invest wisely? Now, this is a very important question. Let us take a detailed look at the answer now.

To invest wisely and to pick the right retirement plans, you need to have freedom. In other words, you should be in charge of your own money, not your employer. With traditional retirement accounts like 401Ks, you are always dependent on your employer.

Whatever money you have in your account continues to give you very small returns. To change all this and to get higher returns, you should opt for self directed IRA (individual retirement account). Why should you do that? Let us see.

A self directed IRA, as the name suggests, is truly self directed. You are in charge of your retirement money and you have plenty of investment options as well. Some of the options include stocks, real estate, mortgages, franchises, and partnerships.

If you are knowledgeable about the stock market, you can invest your money there, if you have good business acumen, you can get a franchise, or if you want steady returns, you can go for real estate as well. Of late, a lot of people have invested in real estate as it is both safe and gives high returns.

Now that you know all these details, choosing the best retirement plans does not look like that big a deal, does it?

So, get started today and plan your retirement life the right way.

Pick the right investment option, get steady returns, and enjoy complete financial freedom in your post retirement life.

Don’t delay. Visit my website today to discover investment opportunities.

Safe Retirement Plan Even If the Stock Market Loses Half Its Value

admin — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:19:24 +0000

For generations, Americans have been told they would have financial stability in their ‘golden’ years with social security. In addition, we were told to invest money in the stock market for a positive growth. Conventional wisdom now tells us that social security will not be there even for the Baby Boomers. Will the stock market be a good alternative?

On January 14, 2000, the stock market closed at 11,723 points. Ten years later, in the summer of 2010, the stock market is right around 10,000 points, meaning that if you had invested 10 years ago, you’ve lost money in the market. But what is the future of the stock market?

From CNBC.com: “The Dow Jones Industrial Average will lose about half of its value over the next couple of years as it follows a Nikkei-like pattern of several sharp rallies in an overall decline”, according to Charles Nenner, founder and president of Charles Nenner research. “Stocks are currently in a bear-market rally, and looking at charts and past trends, unemployment and leading indicators suggest the Dow will drop to 5,000 in the next two to two-and-a-half years”, Nenner told CNBC in an e-mail.

Deflation will arrive, along with a sharp double-dip recession, pushing the Dow lower, although, like the Japanese market, stocks will see several jumps of 30 percent to 40 percent, he said. “Things look really bad for the next 10 years,” Nenner said.”

The bottom line is that no one really knows what the stock market is going to do during the next ten year though indicators point towards a decline. Gold is hot right now, but will it continue to grow during periods of inflation? Given the uncertainty of the market, why would anyone invest in stocks anytime soon?

The answer is to invest your retirement account in a safe Savings Account that offers you a guaranteed interest rate. A Safe Savings Account is similar to a bank CD or a Annuity in that you safely invest money for a guaranteed interest rate. It is better than a CD or Annuity in that Safe Savings Accounts offer a higher interest rates than CD, TBills, or Mutual Funds without all the money gobbling fees of an Annuity.

You cannot create a financial plan unless you have a guaranteed interest rate. A safe Savings Account is the only retirement vehicle that will allow you to calculate your earnings to the penny! Anything else is just financial guessing; and in these uncertain times, taking chances just doesn’t make any sense.

About Small Business Retirement Plan

admin — Sun, 15 May 2011 09:05:32 +0000

The small business retirement plan is something that gives the owner something to look forward to in the future. The plans offer some security, and the family can find some relief from funeral, and related experiences after your death. Since each plan is different, it pays to examine the plans closely before signing papers.

One of the best ways to learn about small business plans is by searching the Internet. You can use the search tools online to search through the many providers, plans, prices, and other related subjects. Small businesses can open business accounts online that offer them tools for managing their finances, including their retirement monies. Another alternative is the Simplified Employee Pensions. These plans are the most effective and have the lowest fees on plans. Employees have a few advantages with this plan.

Joint Ventures, independent contractors and sole proprietors, etc, can choose the SEPS plans. This simplified plan has Secretarial fees that are commonly lower than some of the IRA plans. That Is the individual retirement accounts. There is minimal recording keep with these plans.
SEP give employers’ larger contribution options, some people prefer the Uni-K plans if they are sole proprietors. SEP has some disadvantages. One of the disadvantages is that the plans are complex for business owners with employees.

Some of the basic Uni-K plans include the 401k solo, single, personal, individual, and the plans available for special practitioners. Home workers may prefer this plan as well. SEP contributions put into an account goes into a 100% vest right away. Tax deferments grow on employees’ SEP account, which builds up from the contributions. The employees do not need to worry about tax owed to the IRS. There aren’t any taxes on the dividends, gains from capital, or interest incurred. Once the employee begins to make withdraws from the account however, then they will have to pay taxes.

With the small business retirement plan, the employees must deduct funds from the account after he or she turns 70 1/2. The employers can make contributes up until then. If anyone “59 1/2″ draws funds from the account, they may have to pay up to 10% on penalties. There is a maximum limit on contributions, which are subject to change each year.

You can set more money aside on the Simplified plans than you can on typically individual retirement accounts. Moreover, employers can enjoy deductibles on taxes. The taxes are excluded from salary as well, since it is not considered a recompense or reimbursement.

Small business owners before did not have many retirement options available. Today, because so many people are getting into small business, there are plenty of insurance plans available. If you are searching for small business retirement plan then go online and do some research. It pays to read all the details on a given plan and compare the plan with other small business plans to ensure you get the most coverage for the best price possible.

Why Roth IRA and Not Traditional Retirement Plan?

admin — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:06:40 +0000

Life is all about planning. Mundane it may seem but evolution comes from compartmentalizing the things. Man has evolved from the wild because he learnt to classify, derive and plan. If you need to grow you therefore definitely need to classify or categorizes your life. If you were to plan your finance, you would plan ¾ of your life. Financial literacy is fast gaining momentum. Start early and catch the bus.

There are multiple retirement plans available in the market for retirement. Roth IRA comes as the smartest retirement plan. It is a win- win situation all the way. I wouldn’t be joking if I said if you invested in Roth IRA you would be having your cake and eating it too. Here are some of the factors of why Roth IRA over other investment plans.

1) Flexibility: As compared to other investment plans you get the flexibility of investing in any sector bonds, mutual funds, stocks or real estate. Depending on your risk taking capacity. If you are really financially literate there is a chance you would make more money after your retirement by careful and consistent investment. You can make shifts in your investment options from year to year. This is flexibility at its best, not offered by the traditional investment plans.

2) Tax saving: If you were not to invest in any retirement plan you would be paying tax for that amount. An amount of say $5000, in the IRA would help you save tax for that amount. Do you pay tax on retirement withdrawal? There is good news, no you don’t. The entire drawing is tax free. The tax money, whole your life you could use for some self pampering while planning for your old age. This is what we call having your cake and eating it too.

3) Premature withdrawal of part amount: Traditional retirement plans like 401 (k) would want you to return the amount in a short duration and that too with a penalty. Ouch it hurts! Not Roth IRA. You can withdraw some amount after 5 years of your starting the account. But letting the amount being invested is always better.

4) You can withdraw some amount for buying your house may be ¼ of the amount. Your money always comes handy especially for every American’s dream of owning house. This facility is unavailable in traditional retirement plan.

5) You could withdraw money for junior’s education. Again unavailable in traditional plan of 401(k).

6) You can invest in Roth IRA only if you are earning or salaried. The prerequisite of the investment is a calculator. So you cannot invest from your pocket money as a student.

You can begin with an amount as little as $50 and go up to $5000. Maximum slab up to which you can invest is decided by various factors such as your age, tax rebate etc. You can download the calculator of your maximum investment option from the net. You can save maximum in the older age group so that you get a better pay off in a short duration after retirement. Invest in Roth IRA and live a richer, satisfied life.