Insurance & Alternative Solutions, LLC.
Retirement Income Strategies
How many sources is too much?
Our Comprehensive Approach Includes All Potential Sources of Income
There are three main areas that will provide your total income at retirement. Think of it as a three legged stool and each leg represents a retirement income sources. Just like sitting on a stool for 20-40 years, you would want each leg to be as strong and sturdy as possible where failure would not be an option.
Leg 1 - Public/Private Pensions
Leg 2 - Social Security & Medicare
Leg 3 - Long Term Savings & Investments
Public/Private Pension
Pensions are financial tools that a business, non-profit or government agency may have as a benefit for their employees. Typically providing a guarantee income amount to replace a percentage of the employee's working income. Typically, pension will have various income options to be chosen before retirement and will begin on a certain date. These options should be well understood long before you retire in order to be in position to choose the most appropriate choice for your circumstance. We can explain and assist this choice in coordination with your other assets and income choices.
Social Security & Medicare*
Social Security is part of the retirement plan for almost every American worker. It provides replacement income for qualified retirees and their families. Social Security replaces a percentage of your pre-retirement income based on their lifetime earnings.
The portion of your pre-retirement wages that Social Security replaces is based on your highest 35 years of earnings and varies depending on how much you earn and when you choose to start benefits.When you work, you pay taxes into Social Security.
We use the tax money to pay benefits to:
People who have already retired.
People who are disabled.
Survivors of workers who have died.
Dependents of beneficiaries.
The money you pay in taxes isn’t held in a personal account for you to use when you get benefits. Your taxes are used to pay people who are getting benefits right now.
Any unused money goes to the Social Security trust fund that pays monthly benefits to you and your family when you start receiving retirement benefits.Choosing when to start receiving retirement benefits is a personal decision. If you choose to retire and begin receiving benefits when you reach your full retirement age, you’ll receive your full benefit amount. A reduction in your benefit amount will occur if you decide to start benefits before reaching full retirement
To make an informed choice, consider the following factors as you think about when to start your Social Security benefits.
What Age Should You Start To Receive Benefits?
The age you begin receiving your retirement benefit affects how much your monthly benefits will be. There are three important things to know about age when thinking about when to start your benefits.
Full Retirement Age
Full retirement age is the age when you can start receiving your full retirement benefit amount. The full retirement age is 66 if you were born from 1943 to 1954. The full retirement age increases gradually if you were born from 1955 to 1960, until it reaches 67. For anyone born 1960 or later, full retirement benefits are payable at age 67. You can find your full retirement age by birth year in the full retirement age chart.
Early Retirement Age
You can get Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62. However, we’ll reduce your benefit if you start receiving benefits before your full retirement age.
Delayed Retirement Age
When you delay benefits beyond your full retirement age, the amount of your retirement benefit will continue to increase up until age 70. There is no incentive to delay claiming after age 70.
Here are some questions that may cross your mind.
When should I take social security?
What happens to my social security when I pass?
Is social security taxable?
Can I work and collect social security?
To find out which is suitable for your potential situation, ask one of our professionals to use our Optimizing Social Security tool to help you decide which age may be the best to elect distribution from Social Security.
For more information go to www.ssa.gov.
What is Medicare?
Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older. You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Some people get Medicare automatically, others have to actively sign up -- it depends if you start getting retirement or disability benefits from Social Security before you turn 65.
Before you turn age 65:
If you apply to start getting retirement benefits from Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you’ll automatically get Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) when you turn 65.
You’ll still need to make important decisions about how you get your coverage, including adding drug coverage.
If you want to get Medicare when you turn 65, but aren’t planning to take retirement benefits at that time, you’ll need to sign up for Medicare.
After you turn age 65:
You’ll have to contact Social Security when you’re ready to sign up for Medicare.
Depending on your work situation and if you have health coverage through your employer, you may want to wait to sign up for Medicare.
If you want to get Medicare when you turn 65 but aren’t planning to take retirement benefits at that time, you’ll need to sign up for Medicare.
For more information go to www.medicare.gov.
Medicare Means Testing affecting High-income retirees.
High-income retirees are often unaware of IRMAA, commonly called Medicare "surcharges". These are adjustments begin when modified adjustment gross income exceeds $85,000 for singles or $170,000 for couples. These surcharges are determined by means testing. Based on income bracket the surcharge could increase Medicare costs between 23% - 138%. (For information only).
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FwdThink Insurance & Alternative Solutions, LLC provides a Resource Program with its strategic partner to provide expertise to Medicare Plans and Health Insurance. Find out more by clicking here: Resource Program.
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Long-Term Savings and Investments:
The One Economic Power® Vs. Two Economic Powers®
Which of my income sources are or can be guaranteed?
How should my investments be managed since I am not taking out for income?
How aggressive or conservative should my investments be during retirement?
We employ and compare probability-based versus macroeconomic approaches when addressing our clients’ financial planning strategies. Our process is different from the traditional linear or probability approach that focuses on “needs.” The problem this approach is that when a goal or need is met, it often changes or in other words is not as flexible to absorb those uncontrollable changes.
Unlike probability-based, macroeconomic approach accounts for these changes and gives you more options to address those uncontrollable but real variables.
Here are some questions that are typically asked and we assist our clients in answering.
Did you know you may be able to increase your income in retirement by 30 percent to 50 percent — without saving any more money?
Wealth Building Cornerstones™, also called WBC, offers individuals and families a simple, easy-to-understand and powerful system to help maximize their money, build wealth and protect it.
Whether you’re a pre-retirees or retirees, the WBC approach begins with the purpose in mind. Think of it like this: An engineer can’t begin to design a building without first knowing what the project should look like at the end. A surgeon doesn’t go into surgery without having a clear understanding of the ideal outcome. This very same concept applies to personal finance.
Suppose you asked typical pre-retirees on the street why they’re saving money long term. Many would simply say, “for retirement.” But if you followed up with, “That’s great. Can you tell me how retirement income streams work?” Very few could give you a good answer. The real reason people save money, and how retirement income streams work, define how retirement savings should be allocated efficiently in the pre-retirement years. With the WBC system, we help pre-retirees understand how retirement income streams work so they can efficiently allocate their retirement savings in pre-retirement. The “begin-with-the purpose-in-mind” approach is imperative – yet many people haven’t had the opportunity to consider their retirement from this perspective. Our process gives you a personalized road map that helps balance the two economic powers to achieve much higher income results. In many cases 30-50% more income is achievable. WBC allows us to better understand the Two Economic Powers® which are the accumulation rate and the distribution rates.
Learn about how systematic withdrawals works by using only The One Economic Power®. which may put you at risk of having 30-50% LESS income at retirement.
The WBC process takes into account stocks, bonds, 401k, IRA, Roth IRA, annuities, savings, CDs, real estate etc. that you currently have and may have by the time you get to retirement.
Watch The Retirement Savings Dilemma.
Emotional Investmenting - More Worried About Avoiding Losses or Missing Out on Gains?
Click on the video to see how we help our clients manage emotional investing.
Office: 661.368.5296
Fax: 661.554.6551
28338 Constellation Road
Suite 900
Valencia, CA
91355
CA Insurance #0E77552, AZ, NV, ID, FL
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information, and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.
*This website is not associated with a broker/dealer and therefore does not advertise, promote, manage, or sell registered investment products that would be done through a broker/dealer or RIA. Any material on this website that references registered investment products is for information only. This website is for educational purpose and is not intended to provide any specific recommendation to anyone specifically.
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