What’s the deal with Phased Retirement?

by BlogRetirement EducationRetirement IncomeRetirement Income PlanningUncategorized

The day is finally here, RETIREMENT!  You wake up (when you please, although your body is probably still used to your rigid work schedule wake up), roll out of bed, brew a cup of coffee, sit down and…now what?  It seems the goal has been reached, the golden years are being redeemed, but yet, what’s the next part?  The list of things to accomplish and enjoy may be long: travel, hobbies that may have been neglected and new adventures to begin.  But what to do with the day to day?  This is where many retirees end up, not knowing how to transition from a regular 9-5 or other regular work schedule to being the boss of their own time.

The freedom and flexibility of retired life, for some, may seem scary and the confusing feeling of wanting to go back to work may creep in.  Many retirees cite that their day to day life deteriorates in some way from the lack of structure.  As human beings, we are very routine.  We get used to the safety of knowing what comes next in our day.  A lack of structure can be frightening and something that many do not expect to be a worry or fear in retirement, after all, as teenagers, don’t we yearn for the freedom away from our parents?

But alas, there is a solution.  Many retirees find that they don’t have to leave the workforce completely, but rather, they phase out their retirement.  They scale down their 40 hour work week to a few days and few hours a week.  The above situation may be one reason, but there are multiple reasons why recent retirees remain at their jobs, ranging from the need for a supplemental income to needing a purpose and routine to daily life.

Phased retirement is a program that many employers are implementing because it is also beneficial to the employer.  The benefits that the recent retiree possesses can help the transition process proceed smoothly.  In many cases, the recent retiree may serve as a mentor to the employee being trained to take over their position.  Or, they may stay on and act as an expert or advisor to the business, loaning their many years of knowledge.  For the retiree, they are able to continue to exercise their vast knowledge of their field and keep the wheels turning, both for their own mental faculty and the company.

Another added benefit to staying active during retirement (either through a hobby, volunteer work or phased retirement) is that the brain remains active.  Science has shown, that keeping mentally active helps to ward off dementia.  For example, studies have shown that those who speak multiple languages (therefore engaging various aspects of their brain) have a lower risk of Alzheimer than those who speak only one language.

Regardless, if your passion for your career continues past retirement or if you choose a new hobby to undertake, the main suggestion that studies seem to stress is to stay mentally active, to keep the wheels turning and to continue to have purpose and satisfaction in daily life.  Because as humans, we all seek self-fulfillment and purpose, which can often be lost in the free flowing world of retirement.

 

Benefiting from Reverse Mortgages responsibly during Retirement

by BlogRetirement EducationRetirement Income

Reverse mortgages have gotten somewhat of a bad reputation, often being seen as an irresponsible last option for people looking to resolve a financial situation.  But as with many things, if used correctly and with the right tools, they can actually be a good option as another source of income during retirement.  In order to qualify for a reverse mortgage, the applicant must be 62 years or older, have equity in their home, are able to pay property taxes, have homeowner’s insurance and are able to continue maintaining their home to a sufficient level.

Reverse mortgages have changed significantly in the last 10-15 years, especially since 2012.  Although complicated, reverse mortgages (with the advisement of a financial planner) can be a viable option for many entering into retirement.  Reverse mortgages (also known as the HECM program) is administered by the Housing and Urban Development Department and Federal Housing Authority.  Since 2012, an attempt has been made to make reverse mortgages a more viable option.  For example, to do away with the “irresponsible” reputation component, applicants for a reverse mortgage now have to undergo a more rigorous financial evaluation, hopefully deterring those who may be using a reverse mortgage as a desperate means.  All borrowers must also go through counseling sessions, have an appraisal on their home by the FHA and the house must be their primary residence.  After all of these qualifications have been met, the borrower may be approved for up to $625,500.  If the borrowers are unable to meet these standards (if they no longer reside in the residence) the loan must be paid back.  The approved loan is based on the value of the home, and can be paid in a lump sum, tenure payments, term payment, a line of credit or a modified tenure or term payment.  But the borrower is never held to one payment and can apply to have the payment method changed if their financial situation happens to change.

Several myths have also been dismissed about reverse mortgages, such as that a spouse who was not on the mortgage may be kicked out of the residence upon the death of the mortgage holder or that the owner of the mortgage loses the title to the home when they sign on the dotted line.

What is not a myth though, is that high costs are still an issue.  But as with many financial tools, shopping around to get a better rate can save the applicant money, as the initial costs for a reverse mortgage ranges anywhere from $2000 to $10,000.

A reverse mortgage is a non-recourse loan that is secured by collateral, which is usually property. If the borrower defaults or when the loan does eventually come due, the issuer can seize the collateral but cannot seek out the borrower for any further compensation, even if the collateral does not cover the full value of the defaulted amount.

So when is it ideal and responsible to use a reverse mortgage?  There are four situations which come to mind:

  1. Using a reverse mortgage so that a retirement portfolio can continue growing.
  2. Using a reverse mortgage line of credit once their retirement portfolio is no longer available.
  3. Using a reverse mortgage to pay off an existing mortgage or to pay for necessary renovations (either because of the age of the house or need for more accessible accommodations).
  4. Borrowers can also use a reverse mortgage to help supplement retirement income, i.e. using the reverse mortgage tenure payment option instead of annuities to help delay Social Security benefits or to help pay off taxes (in the case of Roth conversions) or to fund long-term care insurance premiums.

 

As with most financial decisions, it is important to consult a competent financial advisor to see if this is a route that is worth taking and also to consider your own unique personal situation.  Having all the tools in front of you, educating yourself and understanding your different options, is the best way to make sure that you are getting the most out of your retirement income.

 

 

blog-nestegg

A Soon-to-Be Retiree’s Guide to a Crazy Market

by Investment PortfolioRetirement Income

Nearing retirement? When the stock market tanks … Do. Not. Panic. according to this CNN Money article…

You’ve heard that before. But it’s hard to sit tight during a market freakout if you’re closing in on retirement. Losing a big chunk of your savings now could be devastating.

Retirees should avoid drawing from investments (in other words, selling stocks) when the market is down. It’s the same golden rule you’ve followed all along, but it gets trickier once you need to use the money in your nest egg — and have fewer years for your investments to bounce back. Read more…

Once you’ve read the article, contact us for a complimentary consultation with one of our affiliate retirement specialists. He/she can review your portfolio and allocations to make sure you’re in the strongest position possible in any market. Even if you have an advisor, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion.

When Is 6% Versus 7% a Better Rate of Return???

by Income DistributionIncome PlanningRetirement IncomeRetirement Income Planning

When utilizing proper Gamma retirement planning strategies an investor can experience significant positive effect when taking income from their retirement portfolio.  Most advisors today don’t employ a Gamma-Optimized strategy

“When it comes to generating retirement income, investors arguably spend most time and effort on selecting ‘good’ investment fund/managers – the so called Alpha decision – as well as the asset allocation, or Beta decision. However, Alpha and Beta are just two elements of a myriad of important financial planning decisions for the average investor, many of which can have a far more significant impact on retirement income.”  -David Blanchette, CFA, CFP , Head of Retirement Research at Morningstar Investment Management and Paul Kaplan , Ph.D., CFA, director of research for Morningstar Canada

A research report written by David Blanchette, CFA, CFP, head of retirement research at Morningstar Investment Management and Paul Kaplan , Ph.D., CFA, director of research for Morningstar Canada entitled;  Alpha, Beta, and Now …Gamma, explains that most retirees and their advisors are still focused on Alpha and Beta planning strategies which focus solely on investment management decisions when developing a retirement income plan. Both Alpha and Beta are statistical portfolio measurements. Alpha (negative or positive) measures manager effect within the portfolio, while Beta measures the risk or volatility of an investment portfolio versus a representative benchmark. Their research and paper concluded that utilizing a new statistical measurement they call Gamma (the effect that different retirement planning variables have on a retirement income plan) can now be confidently utilized for retirement income planning. As they explain, “We estimate a retiree can expect to generate 22.6% more in certainty equivalent income utilizing a Gamma-Efficient retirement income strategy when compared to our base scenario (traditional investment strategy only: Alpha/Beta planning). This addition in certainty-equivalent income has the same impact on expected utility as an annual arithmetic return increase of 1.59%”.

This is certainly an eye opening conclusion to an extremely thorough and riveting research report on Retirement Income Planning that absolutely validates why Her Retirement’s pragmatic and research based approach to retirement income planning works so well. The difference is that Her Retirement has looked at the  research of Blanchette, Kaplan, Finke, Phau, and Milevsky, as well as many others over the years, and developed a pragmatic approach that incorporates many of the same principles and strategies for maximizing a retirees’ retirement outcome.

Volatility and Sequence of Return Risk Must Be Part of the Equation

As a quick reference, recent research has indicated that when a retiree begins to take income from their portfolio it’s imperative to reduce volatility in the portfolio in order to increase the portfolio’s survival rate. The evidence concludes that for any stated rate of return, the portfolio with the lowest volatility will survive the longest when taking income from the portfolio. On the converse, the portfolio with the highest volatility will suffer portfolio failure the quickest.  With this knowledge, we constructed a portfolio to statistically reduce risk, to the greatest extent possible, while offering the highest return for that risk. Our recommendation was to utilize a moderate portfolio consisting of 50% diversified stocks and a 50% position in Equity Index Annuities (EIAs) linked to various globally diversified indexes.

In addition, a major risk that must be calculated to assess its effect on a retirement projection is Sequence of Return Risk. This is the risk that a portfolio will suffer major losses in the early years of retirement. This event would be known as “negative” Sequence of Return Risk and would have a negative effect on the survival rate of the portfolio (i.e. the portfolio would have a much shorter lifespan and a retiree would run out of money far sooner). On the converse, there is “positive” Sequence of Return Risk where the portfolio has tremendous upside growth in the early years or retirement. In a positive sequence of return environment a retirement portfolio would experience much greater potential portfolio survival (i.e. the portfolio would last much longer while taking income from the portfolio).

An “average” Sequence of Return Risk is a market environment where there is average or lower overall volatility in the portfolio which would give the portfolio moderate survival ability while taking income from the portfolio.

In summary, depending on the market environment (negative, positive or average) what the retiree experiences early in their income phase will have a direct effect on the portfolio survival rate…even with identical portfolio returns over the long term.  A retirement income projection analysis must calculate the effect Sequence of Return Risk has on the long term survivability of a retirement portfolio. This will assure the highest probability of portfolio survival based upon the income strategy employed.

Based upon the below retirement projection, one can see how the practical application and effect  of a Gamma-Efficient retirement income strategy can have greater impact on income when compared to a traditional Alpha Beta strategy that is employed by most retirees and advisors today.  In this recently completed retirement projection for a new client we found the following:

After projecting the client’s traditional Alpha Beta retirement strategy (the “before” scenario), we reallocated the client’s current 80% diversified stock and 20% diversified bond portfolio to a more conservative allocation that would offer less return, but would dramatically reduce the portfolio’s volatility, while also offering reasonable growth potential.  The client’s retirement projection variable was reset to the “new” reallocated portfolio and the results of the “before and after” are quite compelling.

The Results Speak for Themselves

The retirement projection assumptions utilized for this analysis were as follows:

Rate of Return Estimates –
Global Stock Portfolio @ 8% net
Global Bond Portfolio @ 3% net
Equity Index Annuity @ 4% net

Current Portfolio at 80% global stocks and 20% bonds = 7% melded return estimate (net)
Proposed Portfolio at 50% global stocks and 50% EIAs = 6% melded return estimate (net)

Additional Assumptions –

The client is currently 53 years old and preparing to retire at age 62 with a net retirement income need of $5,000 per month. We inflated her income needs at a 3% adjustment per year beginning immediately in the projection.  Her current portfolio is valued at $450,107. She also has a small pension that will begin at age 65 paying her $11,124 annually. As well, the client will begin taking Social Security income at age 62 in the amount of $2,473 per month with a 2% cost of living pay increase per year. The client also has $25,000 per year rental income. We increased the rental property income at 1% cost of living adjustment. The analysis will also assume a marginal tax rate of 17%.

All these assumptions and variables were entered into our Retirement Income Projection Analysis (RIPA) system and here are the results:

The Results – Results presented on both a negative and average Sequence of Return environment

Negative Sequence:
Current Scenario – Age 90 Client Runs Out of Money
Proposed Scenario – Age 90 Client has $818,887

Average Sequence:
Current Scenario – Age 95 Client has $1,355,620
Proposed Scenario – Age 95 Client has $1,625,598

As we see by the above results, it’s imperative to develop a strategy that will utilize risk reducing investment vehicles to assure an income portfolio’s survival over the long term. Traditional stock and bond growth strategies employed by most are not enough. A Gamma-Efficient portfolio strategy must be utilized to assure the highest probability of portfolio survival.

Why 6% is better than 7%?

A new paradigm needs a new strategy:  growth vs. income planning; Alpha Beta planning vs. Alpha Beta and Gamma strategies to generate a better retirement outcome.

As Blanchette & Kaplan explain, “Alpha and Beta are at the heart of traditional performance analysis; however, as we demonstrate, they are just one of the many important financial planning decisions, such as savings and withdrawal strategies, that can have a substantial impact on the retirement outcome for an investor.”

The above “current vs. proposed” is a very real and very typical scenario with many retirees. In most, if not all cases, the results will be the same… math is math and there’s really not much debate in how numbers calculate. This is an important and valuable outcome scenario where a combined stock and equity index annuity portfolio (generating a 6% return) is clearly better than a stock and bond portfolio (with a 7% return).

We have witnessed clients that are “annuity phobic” due to all the media’s misinformation and hype, as well as the all stock proponents who wrongfully claim that all annuities are too expensive.  We’ve also witnessed clients that are “stock phobic” due to more rhetoric about how one can lose all their money in the stock market and stocks are no place for retirees to invest due to the risk. We purport that the best approach is a combination approach (based on research and factual numbers, not hearsay).

We also suggest several additional Gamma strategies/products to further increase the portfolio’s life expectancy:

Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIAs)
Dynamic Withdrawal vs. Traditional Static Withdrawal
Sound Social Security planning with sophisticated Social Security timing software

At Her Retirement we focus on the same five important financial planning decisions/techniques as suggested by Blanchette & Kaplan’s Alpha, Beta and now…Gamma research:

1) A total wealth framework to determine the optimal asset allocation
2) A dynamic withdrawal strategy
3) Guaranteed income products (i.e., annuities)
4) Tax efficient allocation decisions
5) Portfolio optimization that includes a proxy for the investor’s implicit and/or explicit liabilities

“We believe retirees deserve an investment and income planning experience that is founded on long-term, research and evidence-based results NOT rhetoric.  And we’re committed to providing this for them.” -Her Retirement