September 23, 2020
Retirement and wealth strategies expert Matt Sommer digs deeper into the Joe Biden tax plan with a synopsis of the plan’s proposal to equalize tax treatment for retirement plan contributions.
September 11, 2020
Evaluating the best options for tax-efficient–and automatic–savings outside of a company retirement plan.
September 2, 2020
By John Rekenthaler’s count, there are four primary varieties of “income”. They are growth, presevation, erosion, and exit.
August 21, 2020
Many younger investors may be financially unable – or emotionally unready – to invest large sums of money in the market all at once. Retirement Director Ben Rizzuto explains how dollar-cost averaging can provide a useful approach.
August 5, 2020
Do 401(k) Plans Still Make Sense? Yes, but perhaps the system requires additional support.
July 23, 2020
July 7, 2020
Retirement Director Ben Rizzuto explains how the recently introduced IRS Notice 2020-15 provides relief for these individuals by allowing them to roll the funds back into a retirement account.
June 26, 2020
A longtime adage among fund providers is that retail investors are more desirable than institutions, as not only will retail investors pay higher fees, but they also provide relatively “sticky” assets that will stay with funds through long periods of mediocre performance. Once again, everyday shareholders are heterogeneous.
June 19, 2020
To my surprise, private equity fund executives convinced the Department of Labor to issue a letter, dated June 3, 2020, approving the use of private equity investments within 401(k) plans. If the private equity funds are selected judiciously and used appropriately, wrote the Department, plan sponsors will not “violate the fiduciary’s duties under section 403 and 404 of ERISA.”
June 11, 2020
With state and local budgets under pressure because of the coronavirus, taxes from these entities may become a front-burner issue if they’re not already.
June 4, 2020
401(k) matching is often one of the first things on the chopping block, and the 401(k) matching rules are clear. Unless the matching is part of a union contract, companies have the right to slash or eliminate matching, even mid year. This applies to both traditional 01k plans and the safe harbor 401(k) plans more popular with small businesses.
May 27, 2020
As the economic fallout from COVID-19 threatens peoples’ livelihoods and erodes their short-term savings, it follows that their long-term financial security is also at-risk. What does it all mean for retirement savings and what steps can we take to build a more resilient system?
May 5, 2020
The Roth IRA — its cousin being the Roth 401(k) — can be thought of as the mirror image of the traditional IRA or 401(k) plan.
April 30, 2020
The CARES Act waives RMD requirements for this year. So, if you don’t need to take an RMD this year because you have liquid savings in a bank account or regular taxable brokerage account you can live on, it’s really better if you don’t.
April 21, 2020
If you’re near or in retirement, it might be closer to 50%. Figure out what sounds right for you, and set that as your baseline. You don’t have to get there tomorrow. But, in my opinion, this at least gets you a road map.
April 9, 2020
The Vanguard Real Estate Index ETF (VNQ), a popular way to track the sector as a whole, was down 44% at the lows. That’s bad, but individual stories get so much worse.
April 3, 2020
Have you been meaning to enroll in your company’s 401(k) but keep putting it off? You’re not alone. Many people need a friendly nudge to start saving or increase their savings rate.
April 3, 2020
Ben Rizzuto outlines some of the key retirement-related provisions included in the recently passed CARES Act stimulus package, including changes to plan distribution requirements and a temporary waiver of required minimum distributions.
April 2, 2020
This conversation will highlight key aspects of the recently passed $2 trillion stimulus package and more. What do they mean to investors?
March 27, 2020
Stimulus bill includes provision that suspends required minimum distributions for retirement accounts.Congress will soon pass a major relief bill to help workers, retirees, and businesses cope with the coronavirus-caused economic slowdown.
March 27, 2020
February 28, 2020
February 26, 2020
My advice today is only relevant if you’re over 40 and earn a high income of at least a couple hundred thousand dollars as a business owner. If that’s not you, don’t fret. Simply maxing out your 401(k) every year will get you well on your way to financial freedom.
January 31, 2020
Should the federal government mandate retirement planning? I will not answer that question, as it is for politicians, not investment researchers. However, I can sketch out the possibilities and show how defined-contribution schemes (including my NARP proposal) would fit into whichever framework the politicians adopt.
January 10, 2020
That statement is, to an extent, a confession. The 401(k) structure is deeply unpopular with most investment writers, who regard it as a patchwork scheme that permits companies to foist their retirement-income risks onto employees.
January 3, 2020
A sweeping piece of legislation affecting how individuals save and invest for their retirement, known as the “SECURE Act,” has recently been signed into law. Our investment professionals talk about the implications of the Act, and how it can enhance the retirement security of millions of Americans.
January 3, 2020
Signed into legislation in late 2019, the SECURE Act offers individuals and business owners an opportunity to reassess their college, personal retirement and employer retirement plans heading into 2020. Retirement and wealth strategies expert Matt Sommer outlines some of the Act’s key provisions and their implications for retirement plan sponsors and plan participants.
December 27, 2019
The IRS has proposed new actuarial tables for calculating required minimum distributions. Here’s the timeline and the key takeaways. Good news–the IRS is giving us all a little more life expectancy. The IRS has just issued revised life expectancy tables for use in calculating required minimum distributions.
