Category Archives: Couples without children

Caregiving for a Parent or Elder Can be Rewarding

Posted on by
Reply

As I read the latest survey which found Americans unprepared for the complex and unpredictable realities of longevity and caregiving, I thought about my own experience. In my case, planning with parents for their wishes has allowed for open and frank conversations that helped to develop trust and understanding. It provided a chance to resolve and express unspoken sentiments and a time to see parents/in-laws as peers. It was also a time for them to share life enriching experiences. In the process of helping them plan for their lifestyle choices and care, I learned something more about them, myself and my family. In my situation it allowed me to recognize how much value I place on having intellectual and meaningful activities.

It was interesting to read, in the survey of caregivers, (called C.A.R.E.—Costs, Accountabilities, Realities, and Expectations) that 60% said caring for two aging parents can be more demanding than caring for two children (ages 3-5). It also found that 66% said that the extra costs involved would have a large financial impact on them, and, perhaps more significantly, 38% said they had not planned for these costs. Most respondents believe the shortfall would be offset from cuts to discretionary living expenses, retirement savings, or from another source of income.

This survey is particularly worthwhile because it reveals a disconnect between the perception and the reality of caring for an elder. The perception is that caregiving is mostly about grocery shopping, cooking and laundry. Whereas, experienced caregivers know that although chores and emotional support play a large part, it is financial support and personal hygiene that are the most stressful and anxiety building aspects of caregiving. The lesson here is that you can best assist your parent or elder by pointing out this disconnect—help with chores is fine and may be necessary, but thinking through how caregiving will be financed and how their physical needs will be met is paramount to avoiding serious challenges.

As they plan their caregiving you should encourage them to agree on the signs that will be used to indicate it is time to seek further assistance with their finances and physical care. It is during these caring conversations about their wishes that you can volunteer ways in which you are willing and able to be of help (but only after you’ve examined your own retirement plan).

As the off-spring of a parent that raised a family, that may have managed a firm and made countless complicated decisions during their careers, it can be difficult to envision your mother or father sometime down the road when logging onto the Internet or even frying an egg seem onerous tasks. A key ingredient to helping them along is to examine honestly what lies ahead and plan accordingly. Encourage them to remain connected to family (they will benefit from increased meaningful contact with a loved one) and to build a fiduciary team for their physical, mental and financial wellbeing. With the right type of built-in support along the way, their retirement can truly be the “golden years,” an immensely satisfying and productive time.

Edi Alvarez, CFP®
BS, BEd, MS

www.aikapa.com

Fixed Annuities – apply them with care

Posted on by
Reply

Fixed Annuities
– A limited but essential role in some retirement plans

Fixed annuities represent a contract between an individual and an insurance company. Annuities provide a contractual way for an individual to guarantee that he or she receives income for life or for a set period of time. Other liquid financial products like equities, can pay dividends that can be used as retirement income the income is not guaranteed. A fixed annuity will guarantee an individual a stream of income as long as he or she lives or for a set number of years.

Sometimes you can start with Deferred Fixed Annuities

Like all annuities, except those that are immediate, deferred fixed annuities have two phases. The first phase is the accumulation phase. During this phase, which can be as short as a few years or as long as several decades, the annuity owner makes regular deposits into the account. These deposits are known as premiums.

All premiums contributed to a deferred annuity grow tax-deferred which means that the growth income received at retirement will be taxed as ordinary income.

When an annuity owner, who is known as the “annuitant”, decides to have distributions start, the annuity is “annuitized”. This is a critical process that converts it to an immediate annuity and you begin receiving payouts. The distributions can be paid monthly, quarterly or annually, depending on the preferences of the annuitant. An annuitant should think about his or her distribution schedule very carefully, because once it starts, it cannot be changed. An insurance company will also typically let the annuitant choose the length of time over which the distributions are paid. Guaranteed payments can be taken for life or for a specific number of years. This selection will affect the amount of each payment.  Life annuities are the only ones that will give the promised guarantee life long income.  Consider that life long income may not support your current lifestyle particularly in high inflationary periods.

Under current federal tax law, an annuity owner cannot begin taking payouts on a tax-deferred annuity prior to age 59 ½ without incurring a 10% penalty. Any tax-deferred annuity must begin in the year in which the annuitant turns age 70 ½.

What are Immediate Fixed Annuities?

An immediate fixed annuity is funded with a single premium. The premium is typically after-tax money paid as one lump sum. You can also set this up from a mandatory distributions taken on a qualified account. The distributions made by the life insurance company begin immediately, typically within 12 months of the start of the contract.

Immediate Fixed Annuities Pros and Cons

The return % paid on fixed annuity is always fixed. It could change year over year, but once it’s set for the year it will not change regardless of stock market fluctuations. This can be of great help to those on a tight retirement budget unless the market rises and therefore inflation rises. The advantage will be that you’ll know exactly the amount of each payment that will be made. While the rate paid on a fixed annuity could vary from year to year, most insurance companies will guarantee a rate of between 3% and 5%. It’s important to note, however, this guaranteed amount might not be enough to offset any cost of living increase. Inflation is a real and significant threat to retirement savings.  It is best to do immediate annuities when interest rates are high.

You could purchase a COLA (cost of living adjustment) rider that adjusts with inflation to retain some of your future purchasing power. The COLA rider is a costly component of  a fixed annuity contract, but it will increase the amount of money that is paid out each year. The amount should be enough to counteract measured inflationary pressures.  If you can afford the COLA you might consider it or consider leaving a portion of your assets in an equity portfolio so that it growth with the economy and provides a real inflation hedge.

For some, another risk factor associated with a fixed annuity is the premature death of the contract owner. If an annuitant dies before he or she has been repaid the amount he or she paid in premiums, the insurance company will keep the balance. To offset this, most insurance companies now give a guarantee of some sort on the premium.  For example, if the annuitant has an annuity worth $300,000 and dies after having only received $50,000 back, the beneficiary will receive the remaining $250,000. Or, the annuitant can choose an option called “period certain”. If he or she chooses a period of 20 years but dies during year 10, the beneficiary will receive payouts for the remaining 10 years.

I only consider premature death an important risk factor if you have beneficiaries or a legacy you want funded.  Even so, there are other ways to cover this risk factor than to purchase this type of rider – particularly if you still qualify for life insurance.

Who Should Buy Fixed Annuities?

Retired investors who need to guarantee income for life or for a set amount of time are often advised to consider a fixed annuity. Retirees who rely on equity dividends for most of their income may also want to consider a fixed immediate annuity. Dividends can provide substantial income but are not guaranteed. They can be cancelled by the company at any time should it need to conserve cash.

A retired investor may also fear that he or she will outlive the money he or she has saved. An immediate fixed annuity will also provide financial security. The payouts will be guaranteed for as long as the annuitant is alive, regardless of the amount of the premium. Even when the amount of the payouts exceeds the premium, the insurance company is obligated to make the payouts. For those in good health with few liquid assets, a fixed annuity could make a difference in their standard of living BUT they are extremely costly and impossible to exit gracefully if your situation changes.

A fixed annuity investor should always make sure he or she has enough cash for emergencies. As outlined earlier, an annuity contract cannot be cancelled except under the extreme circumstances. Once the contract is signed, the only way an investor can receive his or her money is through the payouts.

Consumers are strongly encouraged to purchase annuities only after a thorough analysis by a NON annuity sales financial professional.  This is a major investment that once signed can’t be undone – read the fine print and understand the nuances and their impact on your entire retirement before you sign.

Edi Alvarez, CFP®
BS, BEd, MS

www.aikapa.com

Social Security – Have a plan

Posted on by
Reply

Maximize your inflation protected pension plan
– Couples must have a Social Security strategy

According to a recent survey (1) married couples nearing retirement do not maximize their social security benefits.  The vast majority of people are unaware of strategies that could increase their lifetime Social Security benefit by $40,000 or more. Only those with high net-worth or higher income appear aware that couples should have a social security implementation strategy.

Seventy-four percent of people with household income exceeding $200,000 expect to receive advice on Social Security benefit options from a financial planner, compared to only 48 percent of those with household incomes less than $50,000.

Most (77 percent) felt that the best advice to maximize their Social Security retirement benefits would be the Social Security Administration. Unfortunately, SSA personnel are not trained to provide more information than monthly benefit amounts at different election ages, and the SSA prohibits its representatives from dispensing advice.

If you are approaching your full retirement age or are planning on enrolling to receive social security make the investment to evaluate your social security implementation strategy with a qualified financial planner.

(1) survey source form socialsecuritytiming.com

Edi Alvarez, CFP®
BS, BEd, MS

www.aikapa.com

Readings: Two is Enough

Posted on by
Reply

Edi’s Book Readings
Two is Enough
by Laura S Scott

I was fortunate to share an evening with seven wonderful women who had read and wanted to discuss this book.  We shared a drink and our thoughts.

I want to share and recommend this book for you to read or scan as a general education for everyone to understand different groups in our society.  I think it is particularly a good read for anyone starting or considering having children.  Children are a wonderful addition to a family that welcomes and is prepared to provide for them.  All agreed that having children should be a very conscious thoughtful decision for every couple.

What persists with me even today is that 20% of couples may be childless – sounds like a fairly large group. Do the individuals share enough in common?  They do if we consider their financial and retirement planning needs.

In the US singles and couples without children are not usually addressed as a group and I thought this book did a good job at educating all of us on why couples choose or don’t choose to have children.  For me it was enlightening to see that we’re past the idea that having children is a requirement to have a life well lived.

If you get a chance to read it  – let me know your thoughts.

Edi

Edi Alvarez, CFP®
BS, BEd, MS

www.aikapa.com

Financial Planning if you don’t have children

Posted on by
Reply

Financial Planning & Retirement Planning for Singles & Couples

Financial planning is often addressed by couples when they plan or have their first child.  In our society this is part of becoming responsible parents.  In turn this process brings parents closer together and forces them to review short and long term goals like cash flow & retirement planning.  In many cases, the process can help parents deal with their own emotions about money and bring about personal growth and a greater maturity that strengthens their relationship.

I’ve addressed financial and retirement planning for parents through presentations and workshops and would like to share some highlights for non-parent couples and singles.

Child-free couples and individuals should consider that often children serve as an important support for a parent’s retirement plan.  Their children and grandchildren often serve as a social and sometimes financial support network that is not available to those without children.  I propose that without children growing older requires more, not less, financial planning to ensure that a plan and a support network are created.

Think about your current network.  Do you have individual(s) that could be your advocate(s) and help you or make for you medical and financial decisions?  You’ll need to identify and empower advocate(s) that will care for you if you are hurt and unable to communicate your wishes.  Your advocate may need to answer questions regarding your quality of life and make critical financial decisions in your stead.  For example: Who will file your taxes or sign your insurance claims?  Who will pay your bills? Who will decide if it is time for you to sell your home and move to a more appropriate care facility?  Who will decide the level of care you want and can afford?

Couples can often depend on each other but sometimes you may want to choose a medical advocate whose beliefs are the same as yours – that may or may not be your current partner.

Planning the financial support network is particularly important for those without children.  Saving maximally for retirement is critical since you’ll likely need more financial income to retain your independence during retirement.  Singles need to plan earlier since they may have even more expenses.

Finally, once you are gone your loved ones will need clear direction on how you want your assets distributed. Don’t leave the courts to decide or your hard earned assets may go to a cause (or individual) you would not want supported.

A financial and retirement plan should help you understand yourself and your behavior around money – through understanding you can better work with your loved ones and make lasting joint retirement decisions.

Seek independent advice and explore the actions that you need to implement today to have your finances support your future wishes.  The time is now.

Edi Alvarez, CFP®
BS, BEd, MS

www.aikapa.com

Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA)

Posted on by
Reply

Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA)
(source: The State Bar of California information)

DPOA documents are meant to provide a trusted person to act in your stead.  There are two types of DPOAs that you need to include to care of your needs when you are unable or unwilling to do so.

The Health Care Directive should include the name of an agent or attorney-in-fact who you know will advocate for your health care needs.  This individual needs to be an advocate to ensure that your wishes (not theirs) will be respected and followed.

The DPOA for property (or finances) will handle day-to-day financial transactions that you normally handle; such as, paying bills or signing your taxes if you’re not able.  In addition, if you have a Revocable Trust it is the attorney-in-fact that will transfer non-trust assets to your trust if appropriate.

Know that your DPOAs are only valid while you’re alive.

If you don’t have a DPOA and you are unable to make decisions a court will appoint a professional conservator for you and pay them from your estate.  The court does supervise your conservator but it is often more expensive and cumbersome if your conservator does not know or follow your wishes.

Act now, you never know when you might need assistance to direct your financial or your health decisions.  You can get templates from the State of California or contact an Estate attorney or call us for an internal referral.

*** This blog is provided as information to encourage individuals to make available documents that are legally important in their lives ***

Edi Alvarez, CFP®
BS, BEd, MS

www.aikapa.com