Category Archives: Retirement Planning

By Rob Snell
Your employer-sponsored retirement plan is a valuable asset. But sometimes things happen that can affect the status of your plan. So, for example, if you work for a hospital that changes ownership, and you have been participating in a 403(b), 457(b) or 401(k) retirement plan, what should you do with it now?
Basically, you have four options:
Cash out your plan. You can simply cash out your plan and take the money, but you’ll have to pay taxes on it, and possibly penalties as well. So, unless you really need the funds and you have no other alternative, you may want to avoid liquidating your account.
Roll your account into your new employer’s plan. If it’s allowed, you can roll over your old 403(b), 457(b) or 401(k) plan into your new employer’s plan. Before making this move, you’ll want to look at the new plan’s investment options (which should be numerous) and fees (which should be low). If you move the money directly to the new plan, you won’t be taxed at the time of the transfer, and your funds can continue to grow tax-deferred.
Leave your plan with your old employer. If your account balance is above a certain level, you may be able to leave your plan with your old employer’s plan administrator. You won’t be able to contribute any more money to the plan, but if you like the investment options you’ve chosen, keeping the money in your old plan might be a viable choice.

By Stephen Kyne, CFP
The end of another year is rapidly approaching, and just as you cross items off your checklist and prepare your home for the winter, it’s also important to complete maintenance items to prepare your finances to close out 2020.
The first piece of financial housekeeping will be to begin to gather documents you’ll be needing just after the new year to prepare your taxes. Compile receipts for medical bills, tuition payments, child care and charitable contributions, among others.
While many of us will no longer be able to itemize deductions due to recent tax law changes, there are credits for things like child care and education expenses which you may still be eligible for. For those with large medical bills, mortgage interest, or who have been particularly philanthropic this year, you may still be able to itemize, so it is important to have those receipts handy.
When it comes to planning for your retirement, this is the perfect time to evaluate your contribution levels to your retirement plans at work. If you have the ability, and you’re not yet contributing to the maximum levels allowed, consider topping these accounts off to take advantage of the possible tax deduction this year, as well as the ability to simply squirrel as much away for the future as possible.
Even if you can’t contribute to the maximum, be sure to at least contribute enough to take advantage of any employer matching contributions.
You may not be aware, but once you reach age 50, you are eligible for higher contribution levels than in prior years. So, if you’ve turned 50 this year, consider increasing your contributions. For 401(k) and 403(b) plans, you can contribute an additional $6,000 to a max of $25,500 from $19,500 for those under 50. For SIMPLE plans, you get to contribute an additional $3,000, up to a new max of $16,500. Take advantage of this opportunity to catch-up on contributions you may not have been able to make when you were younger.

By Susan Elise Campbell
Retirement plan holders went on a historic roller coaster ride this past year, but to their credit they held on tight, said local investment professionals.
“Fortunately no one panicked in March,” said Mark Wells, CFP, co-founder of Three Buckets Wealth Management serving clients out of Fort Covington and Glens Falls.“In all aspects of life, when things are up in the air it’s easier to act irrationally.”
Uncertainty is what no one wants, said Wells.
The Three Buckets formula is to determine guaranteed income sources such as Social Security and pension, then calculate the gap between that amount and what the client wants to live on in their retired years, he said.
With a comprehensive plan and short, intermediate and long-term investment buckets in place, Wells said “clients understood how unexpected market swings can affect their overall goals and therefore did not act emotionally” when COVID-19 drove down the stock market.
“Who could know how the pandemic would play out?” said Conor Boyd, managing partner of Thoroughbred Advisors, which has a Queensbury office. “But we were prepared by being positioned in such a way that we could take advantage of opportunities.”
Boyd highlighted the need for a strong liquidity position in any portfolio, through cash equivalents and a guaranteed portion, which is traditionally fulfilled by insurance products.

By David L. Cumming
As we move through our career, we often accumulate a number of different retirement accounts: A traditional IRA here, a rollover IRA there, and two or three scattered 401(k) accounts left in the plans of former employers.
As the accounts add up, it can become difficult to get a clear picture of your overall retirement preparedness.
Consolidating your retirement accounts into one central account can help you make sure your retirement assets are invested appropriately for your overall goals, better track the performance of your holdings and, in some cases, discover more investment choices and potentially incur lower fees.

By Stephan Scribner

If you’re asking this question, you probably have a 401(k) or other retirement plan through a former employer. The short answer is yes—most retirement plans allow you to roll your plan funds over into an IRA after you’ve left your employer’s service. However, there is more than one way to do a rollover, and how you do it can be critical.

In most cases, your best strategy is to do a direct rollover. This is a direct transfer of funds from your employer-sponsored plan to your IRA. The administrator of your employer-sponsored plan may send the check right to the trustee of the IRA you have selected. That way, the money never passes through your hands. 

Alternatively, the plan administrator may give the check to you to deliver to the IRA trustee. This also qualifies as a direct rollover as long as the check isn’t made payable to you. Instead, it should be made payable to the IRA trustee for your benefit. A direct rollover will avoid tax consequences and penalties.

You can also do an indirect rollover, but it’s rarely a good idea. Here, the check is made payable to you. When you receive the check, you cash it and deposit the funds in the new IRA within 60 days. 

By Susan E. Campbell

December is  good time for business people  to meet with investment, accounting and tax professionals to look at the year behind and the one ahead.

At Paul Dowen’s office, Whittemore Dowen and Riccaiardelli, LLP in Queensbury, the team is working to manage retirement accounts in a way that maximizes deductions and minimizes tax liabilities under the new rules.

Even though all individual tax brackets, except the 10 percent bracket, are lower because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the experts can offer some tried-and-true tips for managing the tax burden.

“The biggest jump in the new tax tables is from the 12 percent bracket to 22 percent, so the challenge is how we keep more income at the 12 percent rate,” said Dowen. “The first step is to make sure the maximum amount allowed has been contributed to the company’s 401(k) plan.”

These plans must be funded by salary deductions before year-end, so time is running out to play catch-up.

“An employee who maxes out his 401(k) right now might have a zero paycheck, but will have taken advantage of a provision for reducing taxable income,” said Anthony Capobianco of Capobianco Financial Advisors in Clifton Park.