Retirement planning can be complicated — client portfolios shouldn’t

Welcome to Retirement Scan, our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be talking about.

Events

The MarketCounsel Summit

December 9-12, 2019, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Miami | A neutral zone of sorts allowing the profession’s leadership to convene and join in the conversation, engaging dialogue and civilized debate, all with the objective of elevating the role of the independent investment advisor.

Events

In|Vest West Conference

December 5-6, 2019 | San Francisco, CA The digital transformation of the wealth management industry is happening quickly. The industry’s largest players are swiftly adapting to meet ever-increasing customer expectations, and the rest of the field striving to keep pace. Behind the scenes, many firms are increasing technology investments and increasing headcount in an effort to drive growth, but margins remain under pressure. In|Vest West will explore all the dynamics at play—from front to back office—and the technologies that are shaping the future of the firm.

Events

Schwab IMPACT

November 4-7, 2019, San Diego Convention Center | Thousands of advisors, experts, and solution providers come together to find the best strategies for continuing to elevate client service and firm success.

Retirement planning can be complicated — client portfolios shouldn’t be
Although planning for retirement can be complicated, seniors are advised to keep their investment portfolios as simple as possible, writes Morningstar’s Christine Benz. For example, clients should combine multiple tax-deferred retirement accounts such as traditional IRAs and 401(k)s into a single account, she writes. “Employing a single provider for all of these accounts can also greatly simplify your oversight and record-keeping responsibilities,” according to Benz.

Why clients need a sustainable distribution strategy
While saving for retirement is necessary to secure retirement, creating a sustainable distribution strategy is just as important, a Forbes contributor writes. “The decisions you make as you enter retirement are key and can make or break your retirement success,” the expert writes, adding that one reason is clients “no longer will have earned income and the safety of getting a paycheck every couple of weeks” deposited into their accounts.

How will clients’ Social Security benefits be taxed in retirement?
Seniors can expect a portion of their Social Security benefits to be subject to federal income taxes if their combined income exceeds a certain threshold, according to an article from Motley Fool. The combined income is their annual earnings plus 50% of their retirement benefits. For example, half of the benefits will be taxed if the combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000 for individuals, or between $32,000 and $44,000 for joint filers.

Retirement planning

The 10 best states for clients to retire

Virginia and Colorado are among the most-appealing locations for retirees to spend their golden years, due in part to top scores in affordability, health-related factors and overall quality of life.

By Nick Otto

February 11

Why annuities should be part of clients’ retirement pension
Holding annuities as part of the retirement income strategy can be a smart strategy for clients to secure their stability in retirement, writes an expert in MarketWatch. These products “often get a bad rap for high fees, surrender charges, and complexity, but certain kinds of annuities can give you steady, pension-like income or insure against your running out of money if you wind up living longer than you expect,” according to the expert.