Personal Finance
4 Ways To Get Your Retirement Plans Back On Track
Whether you are nearing retirement or already enjoying your golden years, the recent market correction – and subsequent rally – has millions of Americans reconsidering their retirement plans.
If you’ve found that your retirement accounts aren’t quite where you would like them to be, don’t worry, there’s still time – and steps you can take – to improve your financial situation.
Play “Catch Up” In Your Retirement Accounts
If your nest egg isn’t as sizable as you had hoped it would be by this stage, there is some good news. If you are over the age of 50, you can make what are called “catch-up contributions to your retirement accounts. These allow you to put more money into your retirement account each year than is permissible for those under the age of 50.
For example, the 401(k) contribution limit for those 50-and-under in 2020 is $19,500. But for those over 50 years of age, you can contribute an extra $6,500 this year as a “catch-up” contribution, for a total of of $26,000.
The same thing goes for a traditional IRA. The typical limit for 2020 is $6,000 per person. But for those over 50, you can contribute an additional $1,000 to catch up, for a total of $7,000.
Convert Your IRA To a Roth IRA
As Suze Orman recommended a few weeks ago, if you have a traditional IRA, it might make sense to convert over to a Roth IRA this year. With a traditional IRA, your money is invested pre-tax and you don’t pay any taxes until you start withdrawals.
With a Roth IRA, your deposits are after-tax, so you don’t pay any taxes when you withdraw money in retirement. Given the massive budget deficits our country is running, there’s a very strong likelihood that taxes will be much higher in the future than they are today.
So while it may be appealing to let your money grow tax-deferred in a traditional IRA, you could end up paying a higher tax rate in the future. If you convert your IRA to a Roth IRA, you would pay your taxes in the year you convert. This could be extra-beneficial if you will fall into a lower tax bracket this year due to job losses or retirement. Pay the taxes this year at a lower tax rate and let the money grow tax-free going forward.
Review Your Social Security Blanket
Social Security is a major part of every retiree’s monthly income. Fortunately, that monthly income won't ever decrease, and is automatically adjusted for inflation every year. So it makes the decision of when to start collecting Social Security very important.
You can start collecting as early as age 62, but your benefits will be permanently reduced as much as 30%. If you were born between 1943 and 1954, your full retirement age is 66, and for those born between 1955 and 1960 the full retirement age is 67 – and is also 67 for everyone born after 1960.
Here’s where some patience can pay off: if you can afford to wait until age 70 to collect your benefits, your monthly checks will be 8% larger for every year you delay claiming your benefits.
Pay Off Loans Against Your Retirement Savings As Soon As You Can
Pay off any 401(k) loans as soon as possible. A loan against your 401(k) is counter to your goal of saving for retirement. inadequately funded.
Also, the money you are paying your loan back with has already been taxed, so you are paying back pre-tax money with after-tax money. To further frustrate you about taking out the loan, when you eventually retire and start withdrawing from your 401(k) you will be taxed again.
So you will end up paying taxes twice. It’s better to not take a loan against your 401(k). Although, if you must, pay it back as soon as you can.
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