Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
Retirement savers may consider rolling over their 401(k) assets to an IRA if they want to consolidate their retirement accounts and have an easier time to manage their savings, according to this article on Forbes. A rollover is also a good option if clients will have broader investment options and better rules for beneficiaries, reduce fees and expenses, and intend to retire early. Rolling over 401(k) money to an IRA can be a smart move for clients who want protect their assets from creditors and judgments, plan to continue working in their advance age, and want lower taxes on company stock. Forbes
The percentage of household heads who are at least 55 years old and have debts to pay increased to 65.4% from 53.8% in 1992, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Also 9.2% of seniors who are heads of families are using at least 40% of their earnings to pay their debts, according to EBRI. "It's a two-fold story of higher prevalence of debt, and an uptick in those with a very high level of debt," says Craig Copeland, the institute's senior research associate. Time Money
The first thing that people can do to prevent their medical expenses from hurting their retirement savings is to estimate the costs and select the level of Medicare coverage that suits their circumstances, according to an article on CNBC. The next thing they can do is to invest their savings in financial products that guarantee growth or take advantage of a health savings account. Workers are also advised to defer their Social Security benefits, while a reverse mortgage is an option although it can be costly. CNBC
As retirement savers are scrambling to beat the April 15 deadline for IRA contributions to qualify for deductions for the 2014 tax year, financial-services firms are offering bonuses those who open an IRA with them, according to this article in The Wall Street Journal. However, clients need not make the move just for the sake of receiving an incentive, according to experts. "This is a decision that you are making with a lifetime of savings," says Ed Slott, an IRA expert. The Wall Street Journal
Retirement investors who hold multiple IRAs are advised to put together all these assets in one account so they will have an easier time to manage their portfolio and account for taxes to pay, according to this article on Kiplinger. Such a move will also reduce the costs as well as the risk of overlooking Required Minimum Distributions if they have numerous IRAs, experts say. Updating the beneficiaries will also be much easier if clients only have one IRA, experts add. Kiplinger
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