One of the most fundamental jobs of the financial planner is to assist our clients with retirement savings. How much do you need to save? Which account types should you use? Given multiple options, where should you save your money first? The following articles discuss these and other questions relating to retirement savings.
Are you making good decisions with the money you earn and are you saving enough for retirement?
After one establishes an emergency fund, we believe their priorities should turn next to a combination of paying off debt and saving for retirement. Ideally, all debts (including a home mortgage) are paid off prior to retirement. While also considering debt payments, we recommend to clients that they save 10% – 15% of their salary towards retirement – with a preference towards 15%.
Determining a Retirement Savings Rate
What is the best order for funding retirement?
With a task as important as funding your retirement, determining which accounts to fund and in what order should not be taken lightly. Whether it’s a company plan, individual retirement account o,r taxable account, there are a lot of ways to save for retirement. So how do you decide where to put each dollar you plan to save?
Finding the Best Order for Funding Retirement
Are you balancing saving and giving?
Often, we encourage giving to family and charity, but the rationale behind the recommendation is widely varied. For some clients, it could be tax planning almost entirely based on the numbers. For other clients, it could be because we want the client to understand their ability to give and the positive impact they can afford to have on others. For those who have not developed a giving plan, we have however developed several guidelines and discussion points.
Fact or fiction?
We are consistently surprised by the myths and misconceptions clients and prospects bring to the conversation. In this article, we have listed our Top 7 Myths and Misconceptions About Retirement Savings; it is by no means a complete list but highlights the most commonly misunderstood areas in retirement planning.
