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Catching Up on Retirement Saving

If you are starting at or near 50, consider these ideas.

Do you fear you are saving for retirement too late? Plan to address that anxiety with some positive financial moves. If you have little saved for retirement at age 50 (or thereabouts), there is still much you can do to generate a fund for your future and to sustain your retirement prospects.

Contribute and play catch-up. This year’s standard contribution limit for an IRA (Roth or traditional) is $5,500; common employer-sponsored retirement plans have a 2018 contribution limit of $18,500. You should try, if at all possible, to meet those limits. In fact, starting in the year you turn 50, you have a chance to contribute even more: for you, the ceiling for annual IRA contributions is $6,500; the limit on yearly contributions to workplace retirement plans, $24,500.1

Look for low-fee options. Lower fees on your retirement savings accounts mean less of your invested assets going to management expenses. An account returning 6% per year over 25 years with an annual expense ratio of 0.5% could leave you with $30,000 more in savings than an account under similar conditions and time frame charging a 2.0% annual fee.2

Focus on determining the retirement income you will need. If you are behind on saving, you may be tempted to place your money into extremely risky and speculative investments – anything to make up for lost time. That may not work out well. Rather than risk big losses you have little time to recover from, save reasonably and talk to a investment advisor about income investing. What investments could potentially produce recurring income to supplement your Social Security payments?

Consider where you could retire cheaply. When your retirement savings are less than you would prefer, this implies a compromise. Not necessarily a compromise of your dreams, but of your lifestyle. There are many areas of the country and the world that may allow you to retire with less financial pressure.

Think about retiring later. Every additional year you work is one less year of retirement to fund. Each year you refrain from drawing down your retirement accounts, you give them another year of potential growth and compounding – and compounding becomes more significant as those accounts grow larger. Working longer also lets you claim Social Security later, and that means bigger monthly retirement benefits for you.

Most members of Generation X need to save more for their futures. The median retirement savings balance for a Gen Xer, according to research from Allianz, is about $35,000. A recent survey from Comet Financial Intelligence found that 41% of Gen Xers had not yet begun to build their retirement funds. So, if you have not started or progressed much, you have company. Now is the time to plan your progress and follow through.3,4

 

Citations.
1 – irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-2018-pension-plan-limitations-401k-contribution-limit-increases-to-18500-for-2018 [10/25/18]
2 – businessinsider.com/401k-fees-devastate-retirement-2017-5 [5/10/17]
3 – fool.com/retirement/2018/02/07/heres-what-gen-xers-have-saved-for-retirement.aspx [2/7/18]
4 – entrepreneur.com/article/309746 [3/2/18]

This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. Market indices discussed are unmanaged. Investors cannot invest in unmanaged indices. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This material was prepared by MarketingLibrary.Net Inc., for Mark Lund, Mark is known as a Wealth Advisor, The 401k Advisor, Investor Coach, The Financial Advisor, The Financial Planner and author of The Effective Investor. Mark offers investment advisory services through Stonecreek Wealth Advisors, Inc. a fiduciary, independent, fee-only, Registered Investment Advisor firm providing investment and retirement planning for individuals and 401k consulting for small businesses. Cities served include but not limited to are: Park City, Salt Lake City, Murray City, West Jordan City, Sandy City, Draper City, South Jordan City, Provo City, Orem City, Lehi City, Highland City, Alpine City, and American Fork City in Utah.

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