Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
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Do you think you're in the will? Well, guess again
Retirees are increasingly giving to charity or bequeathing assets to grandchildren instead of their own children, according to CNBC. Also, more retirees are using more of their money to maintain a standard of living. Retirees facing expenses due to longer life also skip their children and make their grandchildren as heirs. -- CNBC
How to avoid a seductive trap: the 401(k) loan
Clients should avoid taking 401(k) loans, especially if they are near retirement or have other ways to get the money they need. While 401(k) loans may initially seem like a good idea, loan repayment does not offer any flexibility and does have an interest component that the borrower essentially pays to himself as he repays money into the 401(k) account. But that interest rate could be lower than returns and earnings on investments in the plan during a rising market, which can cause lower balances at retirement, according to this Forbes article. Voluntarily leaving a job or suddenly getting laid-off would also lead to immediate payment of the remaining loan balance. -- Forbes
Why ETFs are part of a balanced retirement strategy
Exchange-traded funds are a good source of income but retirees are usually put off by the fees they charge. ETFs can, however, easily offset the fee because they allow retirees to make a bond allocation of any account size, they can be sold quickly and they offer varied asset allocation. -- MarketWatch
9 false moves that could derail your retirement
Not saving or giving too much financial support to adult children are some ways people can compromise their retirement, according to Time. Other bad moves that shouldn't be done are making unplanned Roth IRA withdrawals, using your home equity when you are short on cash, co-signing for relatives, committing poor investment choices, failing to plan for illness, claiming Social Security benefits too soon and not keeping accounts organized. -- Time
Another death-triggered tax event to worry about
Death can lead to some big tax costs and some strategies to minimize taxes that are triggered when one dies, according to the Wall Street Journal. Retirees can choose to keep taxable account investments first to offset the step-up in cost based upon a retiree's passing, traditional retirement accounts can be converted to a Roth IRA and retirees can give their IRA money to charity. The Wall Street Journal
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