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Tag: Health Care Costs

9 Facts About Social Security

Social Security has been a fact of retirement life ever since it was established in 1935. We all think we know how it works, but how much do you really know? Here are nine things that might surprise you.

  1. The Social Security trust fund is huge. At $2.9 trillion at the end of 2018, it exceeds the gross domestic product (GDP) of every economy in the world except the ten largest: China, the European Union, the United States, India, Japan, Germany, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, and The United Kingdom.1
  2. Most workers are eligible for Social Security benefits, but not all. For example, until 1984, federal government employees were part of the Civil Service Retirement System and were not covered by Social Security.2
  3. You don’t have to work long to be eligible. If you were born in 1929 or later, you need to work for 10 or more years to be eligible for benefits.3
  4. Benefits are based on an individual’s average earnings during a lifetime of work under the Social Security system. The calculation is based on the 35 highest years of earnings. If an individual has years of low earnings or no earnings, Social Security may count those years to bring the total years to 35.4
  5. There has not always been cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) in Social Security benefits. Before 1975, increasing benefits required an act of Congress; now increases happen automatically, based on the Consumer Price Index. There was a COLA increase of 2.9% in 2019, but there was only an increase of 2% in 2018.5
  6. Social Security is a major source of retirement income for 67% of current retirees.6
  7. Social Security benefits are subject to federal income taxes — but it was not always that way. In 1983, Amendments to the Social Security Act made benefits taxable, starting with the 1984 tax year.7
  8. Social Security recipients received a single lump-sum payment from 1937 until 1940. One-time payments were considered “payback” to those people who contributed to the program. Social Security administrators believed these people would not participate long enough to be vested for monthly benefits.8
  9. In January 1937, Earnest Ackerman became the first person in the U.S. to receive a Social Security benefit—a lump sum of 17 cents.9

To learn more about CapSouth and the services we provide, contact our office at 800.929.1001 or visit our website at www.capsouthwm.com

CapSouth Wealth Management – Dothan, AL, McDonough, GA, Charlotte, NC

1. Social Security Administration, 2018; CIA World Factbook, 2018
2-5, 7-9. Social Security Administration, 2019
6. Employee Benefit Research Institute, 2018

The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. This material was developed and produced by FMG Suite to provide information on a topic that may be of interest. FMG, LLC, is not affiliated with CapSouth Wealth Management. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Copyright 2020 FMG Suite.

CapSouth Partners, Inc., dba CapSouth Wealth Management, is an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm. CapSouth does not offer tax, accounting or legal advice. Consult your tax or legal advisors for all issues that may have tax or legal consequences.

Health Care Costs Interrupts Retirement Preparations

You may have seen this statistic before or one resembling it: the average 65-year-old retiring couple can now expect to pay more than $250,000 in health care expenses during the rest of their lives.

In fact, Fidelity Investments now projects this cost at $285,000. The effort to prepare for these potential expenses is changing the big picture of retirement strategy.[i]

Individual retirement savings strategies have been altered. How many people retire with a dedicated account or lump sum meant to address future health costs? Probably very few. Many retirees end up winging it, paying their out-of-pocket costs from their incomes, Social Security benefits, and savings.

While couples can save together, individuals also have considerable health care costs as well. Fidelity estimates the costs as $150,000 for women and $135,000 for men. The costs can potentially take up a considerable amount of a retiree’s income – 9% to 14%, according to Fidelity. Per year, out-of-pocket costs, including dental and vision, could run from $3,000 to $8,000 during an average year.[ii]

While households have begun adjusting their retirement expectations, considering their projected health care expenses, businesses have also quietly made some changes. If you can take advantage of employer matching contributions to your workplace retirement account, take advantage of that benefit.

There is no easy answer for retirees preparing to address future health care costs.

Staying active and fit may lead to health care savings over the long run, but some baby boomers and Gen Xers already have physical ailments. Barring some sort of unusual economic phenomenon or public policy shift, the question of how to pay for hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical and drug expenses after 65 will confound many of us.

To learn more about CapSouth and the retirement services we offer, visit our website at www.capsouthwm.com or call our office at 800.929.1001.

Investment advisory services are offered through CapSouth Partners, Inc., dba CapSouth Wealth Management, an independent registered Investment Advisory firm. Information provided by sources deemed to be reliable.  CapSouth does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information.  This material has been prepared for planning purposes only and is not intended as specific tax or legal advice.  Tax and legal laws are often complex and frequently change.  Please consult your tax or legal advisor to discuss your specific situation before making any decisions that may have tax or legal consequences.

This article contains external links to third party content (content hosted on sites unaffiliated with CapSouth Partners). The policies and procedures governing these third-party sites may differ from those effective on the CapSouth company website, as outlined in these Disclaimers. As such, CapSouth makes no representations whatsoever regarding any third-party content/sites that may be accessible directly or indirectly from the CapSouth website. Linking to these third-party sites in no way implies an endorsement or affiliation of any kind between CapSouth and any third party, including legal authorization to use any trademark, trade name, logo, or copyrighted materials belonging to either entity.

[i] https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/12/07/these-5-factors-will-tell-you-how-much-you-really.aspx

[ii] https://www.plansponsor.com/estimates-health-care-costs-retirement-continue-rise/

What to Know About Flexible Spending Accounts at the End of Year

 

Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are savings accounts reserved for out-of-pocket health care costs. They are offered through an employee benefit plan and allow you to use pretax dollars to pay for medical costs that insurance might not cover.

 

FSAs can save you money because they are funded with pretax dollars, but they are “use it or lose it,” meaning that if you don’t use the funds by the end of the year, they don’t roll over into the next. There is some flexibility, and employers may extend the deadline to use funds until March 15, but participants might want to aim for the end-of-year deadline to be safe. That means, by December, you should have a plan of how to maximize your FSA funds.

 

Not sure how to spend your remaining FSA dollars? FSA Store has thousands of items that are eligible, including first aid items, travel essentials, pain relief items, and much more.

 

To learn more about CapSouth Wealth Management and the services we provide, call our office at 800.929.1001 or visit our website at www.capsouthwm.com.

 

* This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax advice. We suggest that you discuss your specific tax issues with a qualified tax professional.

 

Tip adapted from TurboTax[i]

[i] https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/health-care/flexible-spending-accounts-a-once-a-year-tax-break/L8hwzKu7r

 

Investment advisory services are offered through CapSouth Partners, Inc., dba CapSouth Wealth Management, an independent registered Investment Advisory firm. Information provided by sources deemed to be reliable.  CapSouth does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information.  This material has been prepared for planning purposes only and is not intended as specific tax or legal advice.  Tax and legal laws are often complex and frequently change.  Please consult your tax or legal advisor to discuss your specific situation before making any decisions that may have tax or legal consequences.

 

This article contains external links to third party content (content hosted on sites unaffiliated with CapSouth Partners). The policies and procedures governing these third-party sites may differ from those effective on the CapSouth company website, as outlined in these Disclaimers. As such, CapSouth makes no representations whatsoever regarding any third-party content/sites that may be accessible directly or indirectly from the CapSouth website. Linking to these third-party sites in no way implies an endorsement or affiliation of any kind between CapSouth and any third party, including legal authorization to use any trademark, trade name, logo, or copyrighted materials belonging to either entity.

 

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