1. Don’t Cash Out Retirement Plans When Changing Employment
When you leave a job, the vested benefits in your retirement plan are an enticing source of money. It may be difficult to resist the urge to take that money as cash, particularly if retirement is many years away. If you do decide to cash out, understand that you will very likely be required to pay federal income taxes, state income taxes, and a 10 percent penalty if under age 59½. This can cut into your investments significantly and negatively impact your retirement savings goals! In California, for example, with an estimated 8 percent state income tax, someone in the 28 percent federal tax bracket would lose 46 percent of the amount withdrawn. When changing jobs, you generally have three options to keep your retirement money invested – you can leave the money in your previous employer’s plan, roll it over into an IRA, or transfer the money to your new employer’s plan.
2. Take Your Time: Give Your Money More Time to Accumulate
When you give your money more time to accumulate, the earnings on your investments, and the annual compounding of those earnings can make a big difference in your final return. Consider a hypothetical investor named Chris who saved $2,000 per year for a little over eight years. Continuing to grow at 8 percent for the next 31 years, the value of the account grew to $279,781. Contrast that example with Pat, who put off saving for retirement for eight years, began to save a little in the ninth and religiously saved $2,000 per year for the next 31 years. He also earned 8 percent on his savings throughout. What is Pat’s account value at the end of 40 years? Pat ended up with the same $279,781 that Chris had accumulated, but Pat invested $63,138 to get there and Chris invested only $16,862!
3. Don’t Rely on Other Income Sources, and Don’t Count on Social Security
While politicians may talk about Social Security being protected, for anyone 50 or under it’s likely that the program will be different from its current form by the time you retire. According to the Social Security Administration, Social Security benefits represent about 34 percent of income for Americans over the age of 65. The remaining income comes predominately from pensions and investments. They also state that by 2035, the number of Americans 65 and older will increase from approximately 48 million today to over 79 million. While the dollars-and-cents result of this growth is hard to determine, it is clear that investing for retirement is a prudent course of action.
4. Consider Hiring a Financial Professional!
Historically, investors with a financial professional have tended to “stay the course”, employing a long- term investment strategy and avoiding overreaction to short-term market fluctuations. A financial professional also can help you determine your risk tolerance and assist you in selecting the investments that suit your financial needs at every stage of your life.
For more information on retirement tips, contact your financial professional.
ACR# 355767 08/20
Plexus Financial Services, LLC (“PFS”) does not provide specific investment, tax, and/or legal advice and the information referenced/provided is not specific to any company’s or individual’s circumstances. These materials are general in nature and provided for educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reputable and reliable; we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials and as a result, personal diligence should be completed before relying or acting upon the information presented. Any general information referenced/provided is not be construed as personalized investment, tax, and/or legal advice. Always consult an advisor, attorney and/or tax professional regarding your specific situation.
This communication is strictly intended for individuals residing in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin and does not provide any information regarding any offers or services directly provided by PFS. The information referenced/provided is not to be considered an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of any offer.
You may request receipt of PFS’s Form ADV, Privacy Policy Statement, Code of Ethical Behavior, and/or Conflict of interest Policy at any time by written request to communications@plexusfs.com. For additional details or questions regarding this or any information provided by or related to PFS please visit our website at www.plexusfs.com located at 21805 Field Parkway, Suite 320, Deer Park, Illinois 60010. To contact us by phone please call (847) 307-6222.
PFS is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Plexus Groupe LLC. Advisory services are offered through Plexus Financial Services LLC, a registered investment advisor with the SEC which transacts business in states where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements, member FINRA www.finra.com, and the SIPC www.sipc.com. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission nor does it indicate that the adviser has attained a particular level of skill or ability.
Retirement Plan Advisory Group (“RPAG”) is not in the business of providing legal advice with respect to ERISA or any other applicable law. The materials and information do not constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal advice. The materials are general in nature and intended for informational purposes only. All content, including any brochures or other materials designed for potential use with plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and plan participants, must be reviewed and approved by the compliance and legal department(s) of the financial professional and/or firm prior to any use to confirm that they meet the firm’s legal and compliance policies and standards. The financial professional and his/her firm are solely responsible for the use of content and any materials included herein, and for ensuring that all services provided by the financial professional conform to the firm’s legal and compliance policies and standards.