We received some good questions after last week’s article, “He Taxes Me, He Taxes Me Not.” This week we’re providing the answers.
Based on the way I’m currently investing, I have some questions about SEP IRAs and Roth IRAs. Can I open a SEP Traditional IRA and contribute to this even if I contribute to a Roth IRA? Is there any benefit to having a SEP Roth IRA (I'm not even sure this can be done)? If I can only invest in one type of IRA annually, which is the best alternative – a Roth or SEP Traditional?
-Kent in Atlanta, GA
Hi Kent,
Wow! These are some great questions! Here are some answers:
You can open a SEP IRA and continue contributing to the Roth IRA. The reason for this is that the business contributes to the SEP IRA while the individual contributes to the Roth IRA. I know that seems a little unique because in a sole proprietorship, the business is the individual, but from an IRS perspective, SEP IRA funds come from the business revenues, not the personal income of the individual.
There is no such thing as a SEP Roth IRA; as a matter of fact, the IRS pretty explicitly states that a SEP IRA cannot be in any way, shape, or form associated with a Roth IRA.
If choosing between investing in a Roth or SEP IRA, depending on your anticipated tax bracket in retirement I typically recommend the Roth IRA first, then supplementing with the SEP IRA. All signs are pointing toward higher income tax brackets in the days ahead. While we don’t know what they’ll look like 20 – 30 years from now, we do know that we can build tax free savings by going the Roth route. From a tax liability management perspective, I would always like to take a lower income tax hit today for tax free savings in the future. The SEP IRA defers the tax liability until you withdraw the funds in retirement.
Thanks for your questions, Kent!
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Showing posts with label plan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plan. Show all posts
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
He Taxes Me, He Taxes Me Not
As the economy continues to lumber along in an upward direction, Americans are throwing open the storm shelter doors. Surveys of retirement plan participants show that investors are trading out of conservative investments and back into stock mutual funds.
For many years, conventional wisdom for investing for long-term wealth building held that you should pile every penny possible in traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and other tax-deferred accounts. The assumption was that when you stopped working, you’d likely slide into a lower tax bracket. When you withdrew your funds from those investment accounts, you’d pay lower taxes on them. Conventional wisdom doesn’t always hold in unconventional times. Enter the Roth IRA.
The Roth IRA is perfect for spreading out the impact of taxes in your retirement years. With a Roth IRA, you pay your taxes upfront on the dollars you contribute. That means you pay today’s income tax rate. When you withdraw the funds in retirement, they’re completely tax free. Tax FREE!
With the tax cuts from the Bush Administration expiring soon and new taxes on the horizon, the Roth IRA may be exactly what your long-term wealth building plan needs. Many financial advisers are currently recommending a minimum of 30% of a person’s retirement portfolio be held in a Roth IRA.
Since there are tax implications for putting money in a Roth IRA, it’s important to know the rules. This year, the maximum contribution amount for individuals under age 50 is $5,000 (if over 50, you get an additional $1,000). Likewise, there are income limitations on Roth IRAs: individuals making more than $120,000 and married couples making over $176,000 aren’t able to contribute. However, in 2010 anyone will be allowed to convert existing retirement dollars to a Roth IRA without limitations.
When planning long-term investment strategies, always start with the goal of making money. From there you can protect those gains from taxes, and the Roth IRA is a great tool to help in that effort.
For many years, conventional wisdom for investing for long-term wealth building held that you should pile every penny possible in traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, and other tax-deferred accounts. The assumption was that when you stopped working, you’d likely slide into a lower tax bracket. When you withdrew your funds from those investment accounts, you’d pay lower taxes on them. Conventional wisdom doesn’t always hold in unconventional times. Enter the Roth IRA.
The Roth IRA is perfect for spreading out the impact of taxes in your retirement years. With a Roth IRA, you pay your taxes upfront on the dollars you contribute. That means you pay today’s income tax rate. When you withdraw the funds in retirement, they’re completely tax free. Tax FREE!
With the tax cuts from the Bush Administration expiring soon and new taxes on the horizon, the Roth IRA may be exactly what your long-term wealth building plan needs. Many financial advisers are currently recommending a minimum of 30% of a person’s retirement portfolio be held in a Roth IRA.
Since there are tax implications for putting money in a Roth IRA, it’s important to know the rules. This year, the maximum contribution amount for individuals under age 50 is $5,000 (if over 50, you get an additional $1,000). Likewise, there are income limitations on Roth IRAs: individuals making more than $120,000 and married couples making over $176,000 aren’t able to contribute. However, in 2010 anyone will be allowed to convert existing retirement dollars to a Roth IRA without limitations.
When planning long-term investment strategies, always start with the goal of making money. From there you can protect those gains from taxes, and the Roth IRA is a great tool to help in that effort.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Resurrecting Your 401(k)
Back from the dead, for many 401(k)s are beginning to recover with the recent market uptick. The question remains, though: is my 401(k) really going to make it?
Study after study confirms that investors chase past performance, buying whatever made money for other people. These same investors also chase their own past performance, buying more of what has worked for them in the past.
Economist David Laibson of Harvard University has researched 401(k) participants and their investment behavior to find they will add significantly to the funds they already own that have gone up in value the most. “Investors expect that assets on which they personally experienced past rewards will be rewarding in the future, regardless of whether such belief is justified,” Laibson says.
Apparently this is how investors are currently making their buying decisions. In June, 401(k) participants contributed about 41% of their investment dollars to stocks. In July, as the Dow rose by 725 points, 401(k) participants increased their funding of equity investments to 42.3% of contributions. At the same time, they were dumping value preservation funds that hold bonds and cash.
In The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham wrote “the investor with a portfolio of sound stocks should expect their prices to fluctuate and should neither be concerned by sizeable declines nor become excited by sizeable advances.” Basically, to be a true investor, you must strip emotion from you decision-making process.
Ultimately, to buy more of a stock, fund, or investment simply because its value has gone up is to believe that stocks become safer as their prices rise. This type of investing belief system is what perpetuates bubbles, not unlike what we’ve recently experienced. Defining an investment objective, maintaining a disciplined approach, and regularly saving money will help you avoid bubble-vision and make the most of that 401(k).
Like it? Check out LukasCoaching.com and join the Reader's Group to get real weekly insight about money, life, and business.
Study after study confirms that investors chase past performance, buying whatever made money for other people. These same investors also chase their own past performance, buying more of what has worked for them in the past.
Economist David Laibson of Harvard University has researched 401(k) participants and their investment behavior to find they will add significantly to the funds they already own that have gone up in value the most. “Investors expect that assets on which they personally experienced past rewards will be rewarding in the future, regardless of whether such belief is justified,” Laibson says.
Apparently this is how investors are currently making their buying decisions. In June, 401(k) participants contributed about 41% of their investment dollars to stocks. In July, as the Dow rose by 725 points, 401(k) participants increased their funding of equity investments to 42.3% of contributions. At the same time, they were dumping value preservation funds that hold bonds and cash.
In The Intelligent Investor, Benjamin Graham wrote “the investor with a portfolio of sound stocks should expect their prices to fluctuate and should neither be concerned by sizeable declines nor become excited by sizeable advances.” Basically, to be a true investor, you must strip emotion from you decision-making process.
Ultimately, to buy more of a stock, fund, or investment simply because its value has gone up is to believe that stocks become safer as their prices rise. This type of investing belief system is what perpetuates bubbles, not unlike what we’ve recently experienced. Defining an investment objective, maintaining a disciplined approach, and regularly saving money will help you avoid bubble-vision and make the most of that 401(k).
Like it? Check out LukasCoaching.com and join the Reader's Group to get real weekly insight about money, life, and business.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A Nice Day for a White Wedding
The summer is upon us and the temperatures continue to rise. Welcome back to wedding season and all the spending that comes with it. We all know the folks footing the bill for a wedding these days are bearing an increasingly large financial burden. What of those who attend weddings as guests? Travel, hotel, clothing, and gift expenses add up fast. Wouldn’t everyone come out ahead if the happy couple just flew to Vegas and had Elvis marry them?
The average cost of a wedding these days is $20,398. If you figure that a typical wedding event lasts for about six hours – from ceremony through reception – that’s about $3,400 per hour! If you’re interested in discovering the cost of a typical wedding in your area, visit CostofWedding.com.
Think about the financial implications of being a guest at a wedding. How far do you have to travel? Will you fly? Are you in the wedding party? What will you spend on a gift? Is your presence present enough? Where will you stay? Are you paying for meals?
As with anything else, the best place to start is with a budget. As you learn of a couple’s pending nuptials a few months in advance of the wedding, begin preparing your plan by totaling your anticipated expenses. The costs of travel, lodging, gift, and food must be included. Take that total and divide the amount by the number of months remaining until the wedding. If you save that dollar amount each month, you’ll be in great shape to enjoy the ceremony, do the Macarena at the reception, and not have to drag the couple’s commemorative sachet bag of personalized M&Ms home along with a bulging credit card bill.
What if there isn’t as much advance notice? Then it’s decision time. We can either decide to spend a little extra on a gift because we choose not to attend or vice versa. Or we could plan to attend while keeping lodging, food, and gift costs to a minimum. On a tight gift budget? If you find out where the happy couple is registered, buy all the serving utensils or dish towels you can; you can fill a gift box with items like this for less than $20.
Marriage is supposed to be the union of a man and woman committing their lives to each other in front of all their loved ones. With a little forethought, you’ll enjoy supporting the newlyweds without breaking the bank.
The average cost of a wedding these days is $20,398. If you figure that a typical wedding event lasts for about six hours – from ceremony through reception – that’s about $3,400 per hour! If you’re interested in discovering the cost of a typical wedding in your area, visit CostofWedding.com.
Think about the financial implications of being a guest at a wedding. How far do you have to travel? Will you fly? Are you in the wedding party? What will you spend on a gift? Is your presence present enough? Where will you stay? Are you paying for meals?
As with anything else, the best place to start is with a budget. As you learn of a couple’s pending nuptials a few months in advance of the wedding, begin preparing your plan by totaling your anticipated expenses. The costs of travel, lodging, gift, and food must be included. Take that total and divide the amount by the number of months remaining until the wedding. If you save that dollar amount each month, you’ll be in great shape to enjoy the ceremony, do the Macarena at the reception, and not have to drag the couple’s commemorative sachet bag of personalized M&Ms home along with a bulging credit card bill.
What if there isn’t as much advance notice? Then it’s decision time. We can either decide to spend a little extra on a gift because we choose not to attend or vice versa. Or we could plan to attend while keeping lodging, food, and gift costs to a minimum. On a tight gift budget? If you find out where the happy couple is registered, buy all the serving utensils or dish towels you can; you can fill a gift box with items like this for less than $20.
Marriage is supposed to be the union of a man and woman committing their lives to each other in front of all their loved ones. With a little forethought, you’ll enjoy supporting the newlyweds without breaking the bank.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Want to Save some Money?
In this week’s Sunday edition of The Wall Street Journal, Brett Arends wrote a short article about saving $5,000, fast. Before we begin saving any money, though, we have to make a choice. Making a choice means taking responsibility.
There are three uses of money: we give it, save it, and spend it (the average American was brought into this world already knowing how to do the latter). In order to give or save any money, we must create a margin in our lives. Creating a margin requires that we live on less money than we make; this is the choice we make. Novel idea, I know, but when 70% of the country lives paycheck-to-paycheck, we have to lay this foundation first.
So what can you do to save some money? First, create a spending plan – or budget – you must know where every dollar is going in order to allocate more toward savings. Likewise, with a budget you’ll know exactly where each of those saved dollars is going so they don’t vanish. The vast majority of those who create a spending plan – and execute on it – feel like they get a raise because each dollar is accounted for and has a purpose.
Look at your grocery and eating out spending categories. Our rule-of-thumb is budgeting $150 per person per month in the household. Consider great resources like Angel Food Ministries to get groceries for more than 50% off. Pass on one restaurant meal each month and you’ll save around $600 a year.
If you’ve gone for more than two years without having your insurance policies re-quoted, it’s time to make some phone calls. If you have a solid emergency fund in place, increase your deductibles. Auto, homeowner’s, and life premiums are constantly being evaluated and updated. Just because you’ve been loyal to one provider doesn’t mean you’re getting the best rates. Consider contacting an independent agent who can find the best rates at a variety of providers. Don’t be surprised if doing this saves you anywhere from $300 to $1,500 in premiums this year.
Once you get the ball rolling, you’ll find plenty of other categories in your budget to generate savings. Look at your cable and cell phone packages, estimate savings by packing a lunch, and try brewing your own coffee at home instead of buying it on the run. Craigslist and eBay are your friends; sell what you know you don’t need and generate some cash.
All of these lifestyle and financial changes require a choice. Having a few thousand extra dollars in the bank would be sweet affirmation of a choice well made.
There are three uses of money: we give it, save it, and spend it (the average American was brought into this world already knowing how to do the latter). In order to give or save any money, we must create a margin in our lives. Creating a margin requires that we live on less money than we make; this is the choice we make. Novel idea, I know, but when 70% of the country lives paycheck-to-paycheck, we have to lay this foundation first.
So what can you do to save some money? First, create a spending plan – or budget – you must know where every dollar is going in order to allocate more toward savings. Likewise, with a budget you’ll know exactly where each of those saved dollars is going so they don’t vanish. The vast majority of those who create a spending plan – and execute on it – feel like they get a raise because each dollar is accounted for and has a purpose.
Look at your grocery and eating out spending categories. Our rule-of-thumb is budgeting $150 per person per month in the household. Consider great resources like Angel Food Ministries to get groceries for more than 50% off. Pass on one restaurant meal each month and you’ll save around $600 a year.
If you’ve gone for more than two years without having your insurance policies re-quoted, it’s time to make some phone calls. If you have a solid emergency fund in place, increase your deductibles. Auto, homeowner’s, and life premiums are constantly being evaluated and updated. Just because you’ve been loyal to one provider doesn’t mean you’re getting the best rates. Consider contacting an independent agent who can find the best rates at a variety of providers. Don’t be surprised if doing this saves you anywhere from $300 to $1,500 in premiums this year.
Once you get the ball rolling, you’ll find plenty of other categories in your budget to generate savings. Look at your cable and cell phone packages, estimate savings by packing a lunch, and try brewing your own coffee at home instead of buying it on the run. Craigslist and eBay are your friends; sell what you know you don’t need and generate some cash.
All of these lifestyle and financial changes require a choice. Having a few thousand extra dollars in the bank would be sweet affirmation of a choice well made.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The Tax Man Cometh and... Giveth?
April showers bring May flowers – so they say – which gives us something to look forward to. April also ushers in the annual deadline we all love bumping up against. It’s tax time again.
Many of us will receive tax refunds this year. I’m not a huge fan of refunds simply because I want that money in my pocket throughout the year rather than sitting in the government coffers as an interest-free loan. Please recognize that if you divide your refund by 12, that’s how much more you could’ve been bringing home each month last year. We can’t change the past, though, just the future. So what is the best use of those refunds anyway?
Given the pervasive attitude of fear in the economy right now, I imagine some are viewing their refunds as an unexpected boon – kind of like finding a $20 bill in a pants’ pocket that you completely forgot about. Fear is a terrible motivator – often times causing us to make brash decisions without a solid basis in reality. The reality is that we can’t control everything around us, but we must have a plan for what we do have authority over.
Start with a budget for your refund. Of course, you definitely need a monthly budget – where every dollar is spent with purpose before each month begins. Now we’ll create a plan specifically for the tax refund. Take a look at the Seven Financial Freedom Steps.
Do you have a beginner emergency fund? If you don’t have around $1,000 in a savings or money market account, then use your tax refund to open and fund an account like this. There’s no sense in throwing caution to the wind – unexpected expenses happen all the time, it’s called life. Money Magazine tells us that 78% of Americans will have a major negative financial event in any given ten-year period; that’s plenty of reason to be prepared. Likewise, if we’re going to get out of debt for good, we have to stop going into debt for these expenses, which aren't really "unexpected" after all.
Are you aggressively paying off your debt? After you’ve gotten your beginner emergency fund in place, go ahead and pay something off with your tax refund. Believe me, it’s going to feel really good! Use the debt snowball process: list all your debts from smallest to largest, pay minimums on everything except the smallest – throw as much at that one until it’s paid off. After that, move on to the next one and repeat until free of consumer debt.
If you’ve already dumped your consumer debt, find a creative way to give a portion of your refund to help someone else. Use the rest to top off your full emergency fund of three to six months’ expenses, invest toward retirement and your kids’ college, or pay down the principal on your house. The most important thing is to have a plan for this money; without one it’ll sprout legs and wander out the door.
To estimate your 2009 taxes, visit the IRS Withholding Calculator.
Many of us will receive tax refunds this year. I’m not a huge fan of refunds simply because I want that money in my pocket throughout the year rather than sitting in the government coffers as an interest-free loan. Please recognize that if you divide your refund by 12, that’s how much more you could’ve been bringing home each month last year. We can’t change the past, though, just the future. So what is the best use of those refunds anyway?
Given the pervasive attitude of fear in the economy right now, I imagine some are viewing their refunds as an unexpected boon – kind of like finding a $20 bill in a pants’ pocket that you completely forgot about. Fear is a terrible motivator – often times causing us to make brash decisions without a solid basis in reality. The reality is that we can’t control everything around us, but we must have a plan for what we do have authority over.
Start with a budget for your refund. Of course, you definitely need a monthly budget – where every dollar is spent with purpose before each month begins. Now we’ll create a plan specifically for the tax refund. Take a look at the Seven Financial Freedom Steps.
Do you have a beginner emergency fund? If you don’t have around $1,000 in a savings or money market account, then use your tax refund to open and fund an account like this. There’s no sense in throwing caution to the wind – unexpected expenses happen all the time, it’s called life. Money Magazine tells us that 78% of Americans will have a major negative financial event in any given ten-year period; that’s plenty of reason to be prepared. Likewise, if we’re going to get out of debt for good, we have to stop going into debt for these expenses, which aren't really "unexpected" after all.
Are you aggressively paying off your debt? After you’ve gotten your beginner emergency fund in place, go ahead and pay something off with your tax refund. Believe me, it’s going to feel really good! Use the debt snowball process: list all your debts from smallest to largest, pay minimums on everything except the smallest – throw as much at that one until it’s paid off. After that, move on to the next one and repeat until free of consumer debt.
If you’ve already dumped your consumer debt, find a creative way to give a portion of your refund to help someone else. Use the rest to top off your full emergency fund of three to six months’ expenses, invest toward retirement and your kids’ college, or pay down the principal on your house. The most important thing is to have a plan for this money; without one it’ll sprout legs and wander out the door.
To estimate your 2009 taxes, visit the IRS Withholding Calculator.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
My Life Insurance is Killing Me!
Have you ever purchased a life insurance policy? Did you squirm as much as I did when you were filling out the paperwork? Life insurance – like estate planning – forces us to confront our own mortality.
From a sales pitch perspective, life insurance can be a veritable minefield. Imagine a smooth dude in a snappy suit ushering forth a slick line like, “what will your family do if something unexpected happens to you?” Or, “you don’t really want your wife and children to wonder how they’ll make ends meet, do you?” Talk like that can make your skin crawl! Of course we don’t want our families to wonder where their next meal is coming from after we’re gone!
The problem is that many of us make an emotional decision when we buy life insurance and we miss the financial implications. Make no mistake, caring for your family by purchasing good level term life insurance is absolutely essential. However, one of the greatest myths handed down through the insurance world is that the need for life insurance is permanent. From a financial perspective, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Insurance is a financial tool that allows us to transfer risk. We transfer the risk only while we cannot afford to assume the risk ourselves.
Many insurance salespeople encourage life insurance products that have a cash value savings account built into them. They go by names like whole life, universal life, variable life, and so on. They’re an easy sell because we like the idea of having some of our premiums saved for us to use down the road – you’ll see these policies called “investments.”
Unfortunately, these cash value life insurance policies are very expensive for the consumer. The commissions are huge on these products and the returns on the savings accounts are depressingly low. To make matters worse, because of the expense related to these policies most policy owners don’t realize they’re underinsured. And should they kick the bucket, the beneficiaries only receive the policy’s death benefit – all the saved up cash value is kept by the insurance company.
Good thing we have an alternative! Term life insurance is purchased for a specific period of time. There isn’t a savings account built into the policy and the premiums are kept level throughout the duration of the term. As a result, we get the coverage we need without any of the fees, lackluster savings, and fluff we don’t, so the premiums are super affordable. If we die during the term of that policy the beneficiaries receive exactly what we paid for.
I recommend buying ten times your annual income in good level term life insurance – typically a 20-year term will do. This way, when your beneficiaries invest the death benefit at an average return of 10%, the annual interest will be equivalent to your former annual income. You’ve been replaced…financially speaking.
I’m currently working with a couple who have about $350,000 in universal life insurance coverage. They’re paying around $250 each month in premiums. The problem is that they really need about $650,000 in coverage to be adequately insured. I ran a quote for them to discover they could get two 20-year term policies with the increased coverage for – between both of them – $50 a month. That’s a $200 difference each month! In 20 years, the cash value of their current policy would grow to around $55,000. But if they invested their $200 per month difference over 20 years, they’d have over $173,000! By now the picture is very clear.
See, in 20 years, this couple’s children will be grown and gone. Because they got serious today about developing a plan for success, they will be debt free and will have invested at least 15% of their income for retirement. In 20 years, they’ll have about $650,000 in investable assets. Now, if something happens to the primary income earner those funds can be invested and the surviving spouse can live off the interest. They’ve become self-insured and don’t need life insurance anymore.
For those that currently have cash value policies, don’t run and dump them right away. Be sure to purchase a good term policy first. If for some reason you’re uninsurable, you’ll still have some life insurance available – cash value policies are not ideal, but they’re better than nothing at all.
If all this insurance talk is making your head spin, recognize that by not understanding your policies you could be paying hundreds of dollars every year in unnecessary premiums. On March 24th, we’re holding a Past Due: Insurance eCoaching event covering seven different insurance areas – homeowner’s/renter’s, auto, health, disability, long-term care, identity theft protection, and life. We guarantee you’ll save at least $300 – $800 a year in premiums when you apply what you learn during this program to your current insurance plan. Visit BeyondPastDue.com to register today!
From a sales pitch perspective, life insurance can be a veritable minefield. Imagine a smooth dude in a snappy suit ushering forth a slick line like, “what will your family do if something unexpected happens to you?” Or, “you don’t really want your wife and children to wonder how they’ll make ends meet, do you?” Talk like that can make your skin crawl! Of course we don’t want our families to wonder where their next meal is coming from after we’re gone!
The problem is that many of us make an emotional decision when we buy life insurance and we miss the financial implications. Make no mistake, caring for your family by purchasing good level term life insurance is absolutely essential. However, one of the greatest myths handed down through the insurance world is that the need for life insurance is permanent. From a financial perspective, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Insurance is a financial tool that allows us to transfer risk. We transfer the risk only while we cannot afford to assume the risk ourselves.
Many insurance salespeople encourage life insurance products that have a cash value savings account built into them. They go by names like whole life, universal life, variable life, and so on. They’re an easy sell because we like the idea of having some of our premiums saved for us to use down the road – you’ll see these policies called “investments.”
Unfortunately, these cash value life insurance policies are very expensive for the consumer. The commissions are huge on these products and the returns on the savings accounts are depressingly low. To make matters worse, because of the expense related to these policies most policy owners don’t realize they’re underinsured. And should they kick the bucket, the beneficiaries only receive the policy’s death benefit – all the saved up cash value is kept by the insurance company.
Good thing we have an alternative! Term life insurance is purchased for a specific period of time. There isn’t a savings account built into the policy and the premiums are kept level throughout the duration of the term. As a result, we get the coverage we need without any of the fees, lackluster savings, and fluff we don’t, so the premiums are super affordable. If we die during the term of that policy the beneficiaries receive exactly what we paid for.
I recommend buying ten times your annual income in good level term life insurance – typically a 20-year term will do. This way, when your beneficiaries invest the death benefit at an average return of 10%, the annual interest will be equivalent to your former annual income. You’ve been replaced…financially speaking.
I’m currently working with a couple who have about $350,000 in universal life insurance coverage. They’re paying around $250 each month in premiums. The problem is that they really need about $650,000 in coverage to be adequately insured. I ran a quote for them to discover they could get two 20-year term policies with the increased coverage for – between both of them – $50 a month. That’s a $200 difference each month! In 20 years, the cash value of their current policy would grow to around $55,000. But if they invested their $200 per month difference over 20 years, they’d have over $173,000! By now the picture is very clear.
See, in 20 years, this couple’s children will be grown and gone. Because they got serious today about developing a plan for success, they will be debt free and will have invested at least 15% of their income for retirement. In 20 years, they’ll have about $650,000 in investable assets. Now, if something happens to the primary income earner those funds can be invested and the surviving spouse can live off the interest. They’ve become self-insured and don’t need life insurance anymore.
For those that currently have cash value policies, don’t run and dump them right away. Be sure to purchase a good term policy first. If for some reason you’re uninsurable, you’ll still have some life insurance available – cash value policies are not ideal, but they’re better than nothing at all.
If all this insurance talk is making your head spin, recognize that by not understanding your policies you could be paying hundreds of dollars every year in unnecessary premiums. On March 24th, we’re holding a Past Due: Insurance eCoaching event covering seven different insurance areas – homeowner’s/renter’s, auto, health, disability, long-term care, identity theft protection, and life. We guarantee you’ll save at least $300 – $800 a year in premiums when you apply what you learn during this program to your current insurance plan. Visit BeyondPastDue.com to register today!
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