Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
Elderly clients should have measures in place to protect their retirement plan from a market downturn, according to this article from The Wall Street Journal. To do this, they should create a cash reserve or a fixed-income asset to close the gap between their income and expenses, and invest in safer investments, such as cash, bank certificates of deposit and short-term bonds. They should also put their equity allocation under control by rebalancing their portfolio. Reducing spending and avoiding borrowing can also help seniors keep their finances secure during a market correction.
Regular workers under the age of 50 are allowed to make up to $5,500 in contributions to a Roth IRA this year, according to this article from Kiplinger. Those who are 50 and above can make additional $1,000 in catch-up contributions. Unlike in a traditional IRA, they won't face an upfront tax deduction for their Roth contributions, but the distributions will not be subject to taxes. Workers can contribute the maximum amount if their modified adjusted gross income is lower than $118,000 (singles) or $186,000 (joint filers), making partial contributions once their income exceeds the threshold.
Although the stock market's annualized returns are 8% every rolling 30-year period, there are years when the returns could be far below that, posing a risk for retirees who depend mainly on their portfolio for income, according to this Q-and-A article from the Los Angeles Times. "The money they withdraw doesn't have the chance to benefit from the inevitable rebound when stock prices recover," states the article. "Bad markets, particularly at the beginning of someone's retirement, can dramatically increase the odds of running out of money."
Clients can still go on with their retirement plans even if they have a limited nest egg, according to this article on personal finance website Motley Fool. They can retire with minimal savings by moving to a smaller home and earn more money by running a small business. Retiring with a smaller nest egg is possible if they dine out less and strive to reduce their healthcare costs.
