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Tag: Wealth Management

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/

Measuring the Value of a Financial Advisor

What is a relationship with a financial advisor worth to an investor? A 2019 study by Vanguard, one of the world’s largest money managers, attempts to answer that question.

Vanguard’s whitepaper concludes that when an investor worked with an advisor and received professional investment advice, they saw a net portfolio return about 3% higher over time.[i]

How did this study arrive at that conclusion?

By comparing self-directed investor accounts to an advisor model, Vanguard found that the potential return relative to the average investor experience was higher for individuals who had financial advisors.1

Vanguard analyzed three key services that an advisor may provide: portfolio construction, wealth management, and behavioral coaching. It estimated that portfolio construction advice (e.g., asset allocation, asset location) could have added up to 1.2% in additional return, while wealth management (e.g., rebalancing, drawdown strategies) may have contributed over 1% in additional return.1

The biggest opportunity to add value was in behavioral coaching, which was estimated to be worth about 1.5% in additional return. Financial advisors can use their insight to guide clients away from poor decisions, such as panic selling or accepting excessive risk in a portfolio. Indeed, the greatest value of a financial advisor may be in helping individuals adhere to an agreed-upon financial and investment strategy.1

Of course, financial advisors can account for additional value not studied by Vanguard, such as helping clients implement wealth protection strategies, which protect against the financial consequences of loss of income and coordinating with other financial professionals on tax management and estate strategies.

After years of working with a financial advisor, the value of a relationship may be measured in both tangible and intangible ways. Many such investors are grateful they are not “going it alone.”

Past performance does not guarantee future results. This study provided feedback and estimates based on customer experience. The value of advice is not a guarantee of performance. Actual returns will fluctuate.

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

[i] https://advisors.vanguard.com/iwe/pdf/ISGQVAA.pdf

Your Changing Definition of Risk in Retirement

 

During your accumulation years, you may have categorized your risk as “conservative,” “moderate,” or “aggressive,” and that guided how your portfolio was built. Maybe you concerned yourself with trying to find the “best-performing funds.”

 

What occurs with many retirees is a change in mindset – it’s less about finding the “best-performing fund” and more about consistent performance. It may be less about a risk continuum – that stretches from conservative to aggressive – and more about balancing the objectives of maximizing your income and sustaining it for a lifetime.

 

You may even find yourself willing to forgo return potential for steady income.

 

A change in your mindset may drive changes in how you shape your portfolio and the investments you choose to fill it.

 

Let’s examine how this might look at an individual level.

 

Still Believe. During your working years, you understood the short-term volatility of the stock market, but accepted it for its growth potential over longer time periods. You’re now in retirement and still believe in that concept. In fact, you know stocks remain important to your financial strategy over a 30-year or more retirement period.

 

But you’ve also come to understand that withdrawals from your investment portfolio have the potential to accelerate the depletion of your assets when investment values are declining. How you define your risk tolerance may not have changed, but you understand the new risks introduced by retirement. Consequently, it’s not so much about managing your exposure to stocks but considering new strategies that adapt to this new landscape.

 

Shift the Risk. For instance, it may mean that you hold more cash than you ever did when you were earning a paycheck. It also may mean that you consider investments that shift the risk of market uncertainty to another party, such as an insurance company. Many retirees choose annuities for just that reason.

 

The march of time affords us ever-changing perspectives on life, and that is never more true than during retirement.

 

The guarantees of an annuity contract depend on the issuing company’s claims-paying ability. Annuities have contract limitations, fees, and charges, including account and administrative fees, underlying investment management fees, mortality and expense fees, and charges for optional benefits. Most annuities have surrender fees that are usually highest if you take out the money in the initial years of the annuity contract. Withdrawals and income payments are normally taxed as ordinary income. If a withdrawal is made prior to age 59½, a 10% federal income tax penalty may apply (unless an exception applies).

 

To further discuss the level of risk that is suitable for you and your plan, contact a CapSouth advisor at 800.929.1001 or visit our website at https://capsouthwm.com/contact/

 

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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