Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
The full retirement age for clients born in and after 1960 is 67, but they may be better off filing for their Social Security benefits before reaching this age if they have other income sources available, according to this article on Motley Fool. Although filing at full retirement age means higher benefits than when clients start collecting the benefit before reaching 67, filing before may give them additional resources to pursue intentional activities while they still can. Research shows that these activities; such as volunteering, staying fit and cultivating strong bonds with family and friends, are a big factor in determining a person's happiness in retirement.
Retirement investors may want to elect Net Unrealized Appreciation treatment upon distribution of employer stock in their retirement plan, according to this article on MarketWatch. Under a NUA treatment, the distribution will not be treated as ordinary income and will be taxed at a lower long-term capital gain rate. However, the NUA is not recommended if there is no substantial difference between the applicable capital-gains and the ordinary income tax rates.
Clients should start investing as early as they can to experience how the power of compounding can allow their investments to grow over time, according to an expert on CNBC. "The magic of compounding works best the younger you are, because that means you have more time for your money to grow," an expert says. "All you have to do after you initially save that money is let it sit on the sidelines, ideally in a 401(k) plan or an IRA so that you don't have to pay capital gains or dividend taxes on your gains."
Most of the millennials polled by Merrill Edge say they want to continue working in the golden years to get extra earnings, to keep themselves occupied, or to pursue a hobby or interest, according to this article on Money. Nearly 20% of the respondents say they should win in a lottery to be able to have a comfortable retirement, the report says. While younger workers start saving earlier and appreciate employer-sponsored retirement plan more than their older counterparts, three in four millennials think that they will need only $1 million to secure their retirement, Merrill Edge notes.
While rising interest rates could hurt homebuyers, businesses, and student loan borrowers, the trend should be good news to baby boomer investors, according to this article on Forbes. To make the most of the interest rate increases, baby boomers should get the right exposure to fixed-income, consider an annuity product for guaranteed retirement income, and get into peer-to-peer lending. Checking their latest retirement income number using an online tool allows baby boomers to see the positive impact of rising interest rates on their retirement assets.
