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Pros and Cons of Self-Employment

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The number of businesses that have started since the start of the pandemic has shot through the roof. People realized how short life can be and decided to take their earning potential and work-life into their own hands. Here are a few stats to illustrate the self-employment picture in the U.S.:

  • As of 2019, the self-employed section of the population accounted for nearly 30% of total employment (Source).
  • As of November of 2021, there are 9.9 million self-employed people in the United States.
  • 96% of self-employed people don’t want regular jobs (Source)

Business structures

Sole proprietorship – There is no separate business entity. You are the business entity. That means your assets and liabilities are your assets and liabilities. Banks are more hesitant to lend to sole proprietors than they are for other entity types.

Partnership (LP/LLP) – An limited partnership (LP) has one general partner with unlimited liability and all the other partners have limited liability. Creditors can come after all of the general partner’s assets including things they personally own. Limited liability partners can only lose what they put in. A limited liability partnership provides limited liability to all partners. Profits are paid through on personal tax returns, except for the general partner – they must pay self-employment taxes.

LLC – Very similar to the LLP in terms of how profits, losses, and liabilities are treated. Profits are passed through to employees on personal returns. However, members of the LLC are required to file and pay self-employment taxes. 

Retirement plan options

As a self-employed individual, you have a few options when it comes to retirement accounts – Traditional IRA and Roth IRA (available to everyone), SIMPLE IRA, Solo 410(k), and SEP IRA.

Traditional IRA and Roth IRA – Contribution limits up to $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re 50 and older). Withdrawals prior to 59 ½ are subject to a 10% tax penalty unless certain conditions are met.

SIMPLE IRA – available to employers with fewer than 100 employees. Contribution limits up to $14,000 ($17,000 if 50 or older). Employer match available.

Solo 401(k) – Contribution limit is $61,000 ($67,500 if 50 or older). Available to self-employed individuals and self-employed individuals that have their spouse as their only employee.

SEP IRA – Contribution limit is 25% of employee compensation up to $61,000.

Click here for more information about business retirement plans.

Be your own boss

You get to set your own hours and work with whoever you want to. There’s no one to tell you what to do and how to do it. For people that like to make their own schedule and like to go to the beat of their own drum, self-employment makes a lot of sense.

Earning potential

There’s no ceiling on your earning potential. You don’t have a salary range, you make what you make. You can make $10,000 or you can make $10 million. That’s a double-edged sword though, your effort determines your income. You will only make money if you work for it. Someone who isn’t a self-starter, should not be self-employed.

Costs

You have to pay for everything. Whatever the cost of business is for your sector or industry, that’s on you. Health insurance, you have to pay for that. There’s no business or employer that can foot those costs for you. Same with your retirement plan, a lot of employers offer an employee match. If you’re the business owner and the employee, ALL of your contributions are your responsibility.

Related reading:

6 Ways to Save Money When You’re Self-Employed

How to Be Self-Employed Safely and Wisely

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Finance Lessons Learned from the Pandemic

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The Covid-19 pandemic changed life for two years and there are definitely still elements of what life was in the world today. No doubt there were some terrible things that happened. People lost their lives and their jobs. But there were also positives that came out of it. We’re going to highlight the lesson we can learn from this pandemic, particularly some personal finance lessons we can learn.

Working from home

This new type of work does not apply to everyone and I don’t like leaving people out, but this needs to be talked about. Working from home and articles about it took over during the pandemic and continue to be discussed.

Working from home, at least from some of those articles and studies, appears to be a net positive for employees and employers. Let time commuting, less overhead costs, more productivity thanks to no commute, increased job satisfaction, and improved work-life balance.

Thanks to the work-from-home setup, people who were able to do that moved out of the city or rented an Airbnb for an extended amount of time. In either case, those people were, likely, able to reduce their housing costs by moving to the suburbs or giving themself a little vacation/change of scenery.

Savings rate

A lot of people saved money during the pandemic thanks to stimulus payments. In April of 2020, the personal savings rate for Americans was 33%. In March of 2021, the personal savings rate for Americans was 26.6%.

The savings rate has fallen since then but is still above 12% which is higher than it was before the pandemic (less than 10%).

Stimulus payments

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), most Americans either saved or paid down debt with the majority of their stimulus payments. 40% of the stimulus payment was spent, 30% was saved and another 30% was used to pay down debt.

Personal finance lessons

I think there were a lot of personal finance lessons that can be learned from the pandemic. Here’s a list of them below:

People saved more money

The future was very uncertain so people were more conservative with their spending and less conservative with their savings. That mindset shouldn’t change. The future, in principle, is uncertain. We do not know what tomorrow holds, so saving for a rainy day/goals/retirement is very important.

You don’t need to spend money to have fun

At the very beginning of the pandemic, you couldn’t go anywhere. Quarantine and lockdown orders came in right away. Instead of getting together in person, people utilized Facetime, phone calls, and Zoom. I, personally, had group Zooms with family members where we played and had conversations like we would if we were in person.

Diversification is important

Early in the pandemic, the market tanked. We lost over 30% in six weeks. Granted, it came right back up not long after, but that might not always be the case. If you don’t have time to ride out the ebbs and flows of the market, it’s important you get your asset allocation right. Talk with your adviser to make sure your investment matches your time horizon and risk tolerance.

Get rid of debt

You never know when your job and your ability to earn can be taken from you. Some people lost their jobs, some people were furloughed, and some people just weren’t able to go to work. If you don’t have an income, the only other part of the balance sheet you can affect is your expenses. Get rid of your debt. That’ll help you reduce your expenses in case that happens (you can also save more).

Protect your loved ones

Get life insurance. A lot of people passed away during the pandemic. If you contribute income to your household, you need to make sure you financially protect the people that rely on your income.

Related reading:

5 Personal Finance Tips from the Pandemic

How to Regain Control of Your Finances Amid the Pandemic

How to Save Money on Your Post Pandemic Vacation

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Want to Retire Now-Here’s How (5 Tips You Can Actually Use)

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want to retire now

Most people have a set plan for when they will retire. However, as we age, there’s also a chance we’ll want to accelerate that timeline at the last minute. While retiring immediately can be difficult if that wasn’t your initial plan, it may also be doable depending on your age, retirement savings, and more. If you want to retire now, here are five tips to help make that possible.

1. Review Your Income Potential

If you want to pull the trigger on retirement earlier than you originally planned, you need to take a close look at all of your potential income sources. That way, you can make sure that you could financially support yourself before you leave the workforce or, at least, your current career.

In most cases, you want to explore traditional and unconventional options. For example, if you’re at least 62, you could see if starting your Social Security benefits early makes sense. If you’re 59 ½ or older, you can also tap into your other retirement savings accounts without a penalty.

Do the math to see if fully retiring now is an option. If it isn’t, then you can expand your analysis. For instance, you could see if a part-time or freelance job could give you enough to make ends meet.

Another unconventional choice for homeowners could be renting out their house. If you could bring in more than your monthly mortgage payment (including insurance and property taxes) and could move into a rental in your area that costs less than your current mortgage, it’s worth considering. You could come out financially ahead, potentially making retirement more viable.

Alternatively, you could get a roommate, giving you an extra person to help cover household expenses. If you’re in a tourist area, you could also explore turning a room in your home into a short-term rental. Often, the latter option works best if there is a bedroom with its own bathroom near a semi-private entrance into your home.

However, you could turn your entire house into a short-term rental if that has more earning potential than a long-term arrangement. While you’d still end up moving out, it could mean generating more cash and avoiding the constraints of a traditional landlord-tenant agreement.

2. Cut Expenses Ruthlessly

If retiring now is genuinely a priority, you may need to be ruthless about cutting expenses. While small changes like ditching cable and limiting dining out can help, you may have to think bigger if your available retirement income wouldn’t make your current lifestyle possible.

Look at every possible opportunity to cut back. For instance, you may want to consider downsizing your home. Along with reducing your monthly mortgage or rental payment, you may be able to bring down the cost of some utilities that way. Additionally, if you’re a homeowner, you may be able to sell, giving yourself a small nest egg to support your semi-spontaneous retirement.

When it comes to food spending, consider how you could use your time during retirement to limit that cost. For instance, you could commit to cooking fully from scratch, such as making your own bread and pasta. You could also start a vegetable and herb garden and learn to preserve or can.

3. Adjust Your Portfolio

Traditional advice is to reduce the risk in your portfolio as you age, ensuring you don’t run the risk of losing value during retirement. However, if you want to retire faster than you originally planned, being a bit more aggressive could be a necessity.

With a more aggressive approach, you boost your earnings potential in exchange for more risk. It’s important to note that losses may be more likely, but like earnings, they aren’t guaranteed either. Exactly how this unfolds depends on where you position those investments. As a result, you may want to speak with a financial advisor about your goals and get insights about potential changes to your current allocations, ensuring you can balance risk with reward potential.

4. Consider Moving to a New City or State

While moving can cost a bit, heading to a new city or state may make an immediate retirement more viable. The cost of living varies by location. If you’re in a high-cost area, going to one that’s more affordable can make retiring sooner rather than later a genuine option.

Similarly, not all states tax retirement income the same way. If you choose a state without an income tax or one that doesn’t tax Social Security or other kinds of retirement income (or has a generous exemption that covers most or all of your income), you might find that retiring now doesn’t mean you can’t be comfortable.

5. Become an Expat

Not wholly unlike the option above, becoming an expatriate (expat) and moving to a different country could allow you to retire now without any financial issues. There are plenty of countries with significantly lower costs of living. While a dramatic lifestyle change may also come with the territory, it’s worth considering if retiring immediately is legitimately a priority.

Before you go this route, you’ll need to do a significant amount of research. Along with focusing on budget-friendly countries, taking safety into consideration is also essential.

You’ll have to review laws and rules regarding moving to the country as a non-immigrant, too, as they can vary. See what kind of visa may be required, whether there are limits on property ownership, if you’ll need to take steps to access healthcare locally, and more. That way, you can get a comprehensive picture of what you’ll need to do to transition successfully while remaining on the right side of the law.

Did you spontaneously retire ahead of your original schedule? If so, do you want to let others know how you got financially prepared for retirement? Do you have any other tips that can help someone retire as soon as possible? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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What To Do With Your Old 401k

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When you leave your job and you have a 401k, there are a few things you can do with it. You can leave it there, you can cash it out, you can roll it into an IRA, or you can roll it into a retirement plan with your new employer. So what should you do with your old 401k?

Theoretically, you have four options.

Withdrawing your funds

If you are under the age of 59 ½ and you withdraw the money, you’ll have to pay a tax penalty on it. UNLESS, you meet some of the exceptions: medical expenses, your first, primary residence (up to $10,000), health insurance premiums while unemployed, distributions from an inherited IRA, pay off an IRS tax levy, higher education expenses, as well as a few others.

If you don’t meet any of those criteria and you’re under 59 ½, you’ll have to pay that penalty. It’s not worth it. UNLESS you’re using that money to pay off a credit card. Credit card interest rates are usually well above 10%. So if you’re saving yourself from paying a 27% interest rate, theoretically, you’re making a 17% return on your money (27–10=17). But this calculation doesn’t account for taxes so you might come out even, or behind.

95% of the time, it makes the most sense to pursue other options.

Keep it where it is

Some people will leave their old 401k with their previous employer. I think a lot of that has to do with laziness, but it could be a good, rational decision as well. The primary factor has to do with cost. What are the expenses of the 401k? Typically, if it’s a large employer and/or a large plan with a lot of assets, the fees are going to be low.

That might be a good reason to leave it. The plan might also have good investment options. If the fees are reasonable, or at least average, then the investment options might be reason enough to stay.

Roll it to your new employer

Nine times out of ten, I’ll have people roll their old 401k into their new one. If they’re able to. Some employers don’t allow income transfers. Having everything with one firm makes managing it so much easier.

The only time I don’t think it would be appropriate is if the new firm has high fees, but it’s also important to compare the new fees to the fees of the alternative. That alternative is rolling it into an IRA at a separate firm.

Roll it into an IRA

As an independent financial advisor, this option is best for me, but not typically best for the client. If you take a standard fee for a financial advisor (1.00 %) and compare it to the standard expense paid by a 401k participant. Employers with 2,000 employees pay below 1% and employers with 50 or fewer employees pay 1.25%. Here’s some more info on that.

That might be the case if it’s a small plan. The large plans, however, can have ALL IN fees of around .5%.

As is the case with a lot of things in the finance world, the answer is not black and white. You need to compare and contrast your options and then make a decision. Here are things to consider: cost, investment options, ease of management, and customer service. How do the fees compare? What are the investment options? Do you have everything in one place and is it easy to make changes? Can you get in touch with someone if you have problems/questions?

Related reading:

7 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your 401k v/s Pension

401k Withdrawal Taxes and Penalties

Is your 401k Hurting you or Helping you?

How 401k Fees Impact Your Retirement

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

How to Increase Your Net Worth

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Your net worth is a benchmark for your financial success. Notice that I said financial success and not just success. That was intentional because money doesn’t define your success. Money can afford you freedom, but I believe real success doesn’t involve money. That was free of charge, now let’s talk about how to increase your net worth.

What is net worth?

Net worth is assets minus liabilities. How much wealth do you have after you subtract what you owe versus what you have? It’s typically used to gauge your progress in your financial life. If you have debt, then when you pay it down, your net worth goes up. The same happens when you increase your savings.

How to increase your assets

Honestly, the only way to increase your assets is to save money. At least, that’s where it all starts. The more you save, the more you have to work with.

How do you save money? Decrease your expenses and/or make more money. That’s what it comes down to. Figure out what’s important – in terms of your budget and spending. Everything else that doesn’t fit on that list needs to either be removed or reduced.

Once you have money saved, then you can put it to work. Invest it in securities or assets that have a chance to increase in value. What kinds of things have a chance to increase in value? Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, precious metals, real estate, certificates of deposit (CDs), and cryptocurrency/NFTs (though I would tread carefully here).

Growing your assets will help you increase your net worth.

How to decrease your liabilities

Pay down your debts. That’s it. Obviously, it’s more challenging than that. Ideally, what you’d want to do is pay down your debts before you focus on the saving aspect of it. If you have debts with high-interest rates, like credit cards, those should be your first priority.

We’ve gone into detail about the repayment methods before so we’ll only touch on them briefly, but what’s important is decreasing your expenses so you can make larger, more regular payments towards your debts.

The next step is developing a repayment strategy. The two we’ve talked about before are the debt avalanche and the debt snowball. The debt avalanche – you pay the debt with the highest interest rate off first before moving to the next one. The debt snowball – you pay the debt with the smallest balance off before moving on to the next one.

Paying down your debts will really help you increase your net worth.

Is there a net worth number you should hit?

At the end of the day, your net worth number is really a reflection of what you’ve saved for retirement. Ideally, you will not have any debts, including your mortgage. So there’s no math that needs to be done. What are your assets? Primary home, any rental properties, and then your retirement savings, with primary home and retirement savings being the two most common for everyone.

So the question becomes, how much should you save for retirement? Thankfully, we’ve created a guide for you to help answer that question (see below).

Related reading:

How much do I need to save for retirement?

Diving Deep Into Debt

3 ways to responsibly save money

Gig economy financial security

Johnny Depp Net Worth

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

What’s a Thrift Savings Plan?

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A thrift savings plan is a retirement plan available to federal employees and members of the uniformed services. 

Real quick…Uniformed services are bodies of people in the employment of a state who wear a distinct uniform that differentiates them from the general public. Their purpose is to maintain the peace, security, safety, and health of the public they serve.

Back to it. A thrift savings plan is a defined contribution plan, like a 401k, that offers federal employees the same benefits as people who work in the private sector.

In this article, we learn about what a thrift savings plan is, as well as the rules and regulations.

What is it?

As mentioned in the introduction, a thrift savings plan (TSP) is a defined contribution retirement plan for federal employees.

A TSP includes deferred contributions from employees and can include matching contributions from the federal agencies. The employee also has the option of contributing pre-tax to a Traditional TSP, or post-tax to a Roth TSP.

If applicable, you can rollover a previous 401k or IRA into a TSP, and vice versa if you retire or move back into the private sector.

Investing

Currently, Blackrock is providing the investment products used in the Federal TSP. The investment options include:

  • The Government Securities Investment (G) Fund
  • The Fixed-Income Index Investment (F) Fund
  • The Common-Stock Index Investment (C) Fund
  • The Small-Capitalization Stock Index Investment (S) Fund
  • The International-Stock Index Investment (I) Fund
  • Specific lifecycle (L) funds designed to include a mix of securities held in each of the other five individual funds

Rules and Regulations

Not only is it a retirement plan, but it’s also a government-sponsored retirement plan. Obviously, there are going to be some regulations that accompany it.

The TSP contribution limit for 2022 is $20,500. The government has a sliding scale match, starting at 1% and topping out at 5%. The match is available even if you don’t contribute, though it is at the 1% base amount. It’s a percentage for a percentage match. If you contribute 2%, the match is 2%. If you contribute 5%, the match is 5%.

Fees are considerably lower with TSPs, usually .05%. Like IRAs, TSPs also have required minimum distributions that must start at 72. IRAs have an early withdrawal penalty of 10% if you pull money before 59 ½ years of age. TSPs will waive that 10% penalty if you retire at 55 or older.

Related reading:

Business Retirement Plan Guide

Ways to Increase Your Wealth

Retirement Costs to Consider

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Retirement Costs to Consider

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Retirement Costs to Consider

You save for years and years…decades and decades. When you’re saving for retirement, an important consideration to keep in mind when you set your nest egg goal is your retirement costs.

When determining and estimating retirement costs, you need to consider what the average expenses are in general and for the retired folks in your area/state. Once you figure out the generalities, you must adapt them to your situation.

Some items to consider:

  • Travel – Will you stay in your current home? Will you move to a warmer state or a state without an income tax? Do you have family spread around the country? Will you take vacations on an annual basis? If you’re planning on traveling every year, possibly multiple times a year, it’s important to factor those costs into your monthly/annual budget – so you can save for it.
  • Healthcare costs – When you get older, your body doesn’t typically work as it has in the past. You are also more susceptible to illness (as we’ve seen over the past two years). As a result, your healthcare costs go up.
  • Housing – There are a few things to consider when determining your housing costs. Will you stay put or will you move? If you move, will you downsize? If you move, will you move to a different state? Does that state have income taxes? What do you anticipate energy costs will be?

Typical retirement costs

People 65 and older have spent an average of $4,847. On average, utilities, public services, and fuel cost an additional $3,743.

On average, Americans spend $10,160 per year on transportation. Retirees spend a little less. Anywhere between $4,963 and $6,618.

The general American population spends $5,204 on healthcare. Retirees spend between $6,792 and $6,619.

American retirees spend $6,303 on food. They also spend, on average, $2,282 on entertainment.

Expect to spend between 55%-80% of current expenses in retirement.

There are 9 states without a state income tax – Alaska, Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

These are the states with the cheapest monthly utilities – Idaho ($343.71), Utah ($350.17), Montana ($359.03), Washington ($369.18), and Nevada ($3376.93).

Conversely, here are the top 5 most expensive ones – Hawaii ($730.86), Alaska ($527.96), Rhode Island ($521.98), Connecticut ($496.07), and New York ($477.31).

Related reading:

Managing High Inflation in Retirement

5 Solutions for Managing Money After Retirement

Retiring Out of State

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Managing High Inflation in Retirement

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Managing High Inflation in Retirement

Inflation is high. We all know that. I’ve been writing about it for months and it appears that it’s here to stay. With all of that said, I saw a question the other day about how to manage the high inflation when you’re in retirement, and I thought it was a good topic to talk about today. So we’re going to discuss high inflation in retirement, how it’s impacting retirees, budgeting strategies, investment strategy changes, and if inflation will be an ongoing concern for retirees.

Inflation right now

It’s high…no surprise to anyone. In January it was 1.4%, in April it was 4.2%, in July it was 5.4%, in October it was 6.8%, and in December it was 5.9%. That’s historically high. The highest it’s been in 40 years. Will that stay, only time will tell and we’ll get into that later.

How is it impacting retirees?

Things are getting expensive, so when you set a budget at the beginning of your retirement you account for the current price of the things you need. You should also account for increased costs of items as time goes on because there can be big or small increases…either way, prices costs will go up.

Groceries and energy are two prime examples of things that have gotten more expensive recently. So when those things went up in price, it probably pinched people’s budgets, and/or pushed forward costs that probably weren’t expected for several years. Odds are, they’re spending more money now on food and energy than they anticipated. Hopefully, people have been able to make adjustments already.

Budgeting Strategies

There really aren’t a lot of tips I can give you. The best thing I can really say is to cut costs where it makes sense to account for things that are now more expensive. The other tip, though this is more of a gamble, is to not make any changes now and make changes in the future when inflation comes down.

Investment Strategies

With your investment, you’ll need to reallocate some assets. I wouldn’t take any money out of stocks. What I would do is take some money out of your bond investments and put it into precious metals. The FED said that they plan on hiking rates three times in 2022. Bond prices will go down when interest rates go up. Increasing your stock allocation or putting some money in precious metals could be a good way to combat inflation.

High inflation here to stay?

No, I do think it will be here until the FED hikes rates, but my reasoning for that has to do with what happened in 2018. If the FED can raise rates without putting a cork in the recovery, then I think there’s a possibility that inflation and the federal funds rate will stay elevated until the bubble pops.

Related reading:

Why Asset Allocation Matters

The Factors Causing Inflation

How to Beat Inflation with Investment

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Financial Resolutions: Debt, Savings, Investing, Real Estate, and Crypto

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financial-resolutions

The new year is right around the corner so I thought it fitting to layout some resolutions for a few different financial topics. Here are financial resolutions for crypto, investing, real estate, savings, and debt.

Debt

Pay down or pay off your debt. If you have credit card debt, make it a goal for next year to pay it off completely. The interest rates that credit card companies charge are so brutal. Getting rid of credit card debt would relieve a lot of stress and save you a lot of money that you’re wasting on interest. Not to mention, whatever you’re currently paying towards your credit card can be used for something way more productive.

If all you have is a mortgage, make extra payments. If you have no debt, congratulations! Try and save more so there’s no chance of you going into debt again.

Savings

Would you like to buy a house next year? Save for your down payment. The bigger your down payment is the smaller your responsibility will be; in terms of monthly payments and in terms of total money owed. Especially if your down payment is 20% or more. If that’s the case, you don’t have to pay mortgage insurance (AKA PMI).

If a down payment isn’t something you need to save for, increase your savings rate for retirement. Or set yourself up to cover some unexpected expenses by creating an emergency fund. Do some math, establish a goal number (emergencies, down payment, retirement savings), and then create a plan to save and hit that number.

Investing

For the most part, investing will take place in your retirement account. And for most people, the amount of time you have until retirement is a couple of decades. With that said, you can be a little more aggressive with your investments.

If this description doesn’t fit you, then figure out what works for you. Determine your time horizon, risk tolerance, and what you’d be able to tolerate in terms of short-term losses. If you’d like to get a good idea about what your preference is, take our risk tolerance quiz.

Real Estate

This one is a little challenging because it’s not like you’re going to move once per year. Also, investing in real estate isn’t for everyone. So I’m going to try and hit a few groups with this one.

Buy a new home. If you need more space for your growing family, you got a new job that requires relocation, you want to be closer to your church or family members, then make a move.

Make improvements to your current home to increase the value of your home or to make better use of the space. It can also improve tax credits especially if you use sustainable materials like solar panels. Either way, the improvement has a positive effect on your living situation.

Most people can invest in real estate, they just do it differently. Some people are going to invest in physical properties and some can invest in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT). Either way, you need to be picky (like all investments) so you get a good return on your money.

Crypto

This applies to everything in this post, but especially here…do your homework. I like crypto. I think there are investment opportunities, but I also think there’s a possibility it all collapses. I like the technology it’s created on, but I don’t know how it’ll transform and what the adoptability will be. Invest only what you can afford to lose is my best advice. With all that said, make financial resolutions to get more educated about cryptocurrencies and the blockchain.

Related reading:

8 Ways to Improve Your Retirement Savings in 2018

Diving Deep into Debt

Worthy Goals to Set and Crush

How to Invest in Cryptocurrency: A Guide for Beginners

Relocating Without A Job? Here Are 10 Tips

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

7 Tips to Get The Most Out Of Your 401k v/s Pension

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7 Tips to Get The Most Out Of Your 401k vs Pension

When it comes to company-sponsored retirement plans, 401(k)s are likely the most common offering. While pensions were once fairly widely used, that isn’t the case any longer. For some professionals, this is incredibly frustrating. Pensions – also called defined benefit plans – come with a level of stability and predictability that you don’t always find with a 401(k). Investment returns can be volatile, and some earnings may be eaten away by fees and other costs. However, that doesn’t mean the results in a pension vs 401k calculator can’t come out in favor of the latter. If you want to know how to pull that off, here are seven tips that can help.

1. Contribute Early and Consistently

With 401(k)s, compound interest is your friend. By contributing at a younger age and continuing to do so for as long as you are eligible, you’re allowing the magic of compound interest to work for you.

Additionally, by making regular contributions, you can offset some of the impacts of volatility. While some of your money will be invested when the market is strong, you also get to invest when prices in the market are low. In the end, this often balances your investing out over time, which does work in your favor.

2. Contribute the Maximum Amount Every Year

Each year, the IRS sets a maximum contribution limit for 401(k)s. Ideally, you want to contribute up to that amount, ensuring you can stash away as much money as possible.

For 2021, the employee 401(k) contribution limit is $19,500. For individuals who are 50 years old or older, they can also add in catch-up contributions up to an additional $6,500.

It’s important to note that employer contributions aren’t counted toward that limit. Only what you save is used to determine if you’ve hit the limit, so employer contributions can send you above and beyond those amounts.

Ultimately, contributing the maximum amount gives you the best chance of coming out ahead in the pension vs. 401(k) debate.

3. Capture Your Full Employer Match

In many ways, employer matches are like free money. They add to your savings without impacting your income, but only if you’re actively contributing enough to qualify for the match.

If you’re contributing the maximum amount each year, you save more than enough to get the full match. However, if you can’t set aside the maximum amount, work to dedicate enough of your funds to receive your full employer match. That way, you get as much free money as possible, increasing your odds of having enough in savings to have your 401(k) perform at least as strongly as a pension.

4. Aim for 15 to 20 Percent

Another option for winning the pension vs. 401(k) game is to make sure you are stashing away at least 15 to 20 percent of your income. Now, this can include your employer match. So, if your employer will match up 3 percent, that means you need to dedicate 12 to 18 percent to hit that mark.

Precisely how much you need to set aside may vary on either your current income level or your target retirement annual income amount. Some professionals may be able to get by saving less if they tend toward frugality, plan to retire in a low-cost area, or have outside investments or retirement income sources that will bolster their financial security during their golden years.

However, it typically doesn’t hurt to over-save a bit. Worst case, your retirement will be more comfortable than you initially hoped, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

5. Diversify Your Portfolio

While diversifying your portfolio won’t automatically lead to gains, it can help protect the value of your 401(k). Typically, when markets shift, some sectors are affected more than others.

By diversifying, you create a level of stability by ensuring you don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket. Usually, when some of your investments are trending downwards, others aren’t. You end up better equipped to ride out normal market fluctuations, ensuring your portfolio as a whole is heading in the right direction no matter what a portion of your individual investments is doing.

6. Reconsider Your Risk Level

The risk level represented in your 401(k) plays a role in how much your savings may grow over time. Higher-risk investments typically have the potential to yield greater growth. However, there’s also a chance for more significant losses.

If your portfolio is diverse, you can often afford to take on additional risk. This is especially true for younger professionals who have enough time to ride out a degree of volatility.

While you don’t want to take on so much risk as to keep yourself up at night worrying about your 401(k), consider being as aggressive as you can while still feeling comfortable about your choice. That way, you’re giving your portfolio a chance to grow.

7. Reevaluate Your Portfolio Annually

Investment decisions you make when you first start with a 401(k) may not be ideal down the road. Economic conditions change, sectors shifts, and the value of various investments will move around.

If you want to make the most of your 401(k), review your portfolio annually. See if your allocations still make sense or if making an adjustment is a smart move. Not only can this allow you to alter your strategy based on economic shifts, but it also gives you a chance to reassess your risk level and portfolio composition. You can make changes to make sure you are diversified and that your risk level feels appropriate based on your life stage.

Do you have any other tips that can help someone get the most out of their 401(k) vs. pension? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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