Smart, personalized retirement planning

Then, when it comes time to build your investment portfolio, we use a “top-down” strategy that focuses first on asset allocation. Because research shows that about 70 percent of your portfolio’s long-term performance depends ENTIRELY on its asset allocation. And not on whether you own Apple…or Amazon…or Walmart specifically.**

We also use innovative and cutting-edge strategies, including Direct Indexing, which harvests losses on individual stocks and can reduce your tax liability.

The bottom line?

As a Vestbridge client, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing we listened…and we built a smart, personalized retirement plan to create a comprehensive retirement plan for your wealth over the next 10, 20, 30, 40 or even 50 years.

Your investments should “pay you” in retirement

As a high-net-worth investor, you’ve worked hard to build up your retirement savings.

But at some point down the road, you’ll probably need to start accessing those savings. And there are three basic ways to do it:

1) Generate investment “income”

We refer to investment “income” as money you receive from your investments, such as dividends and bond coupons. (You’ll report this money as “income” on your taxes, unless the income is generated in a retirement account that is tax-deferred. Then, no investment income is reported; only distributions from the account are reported as income.)

Dividends  are cash payments a company makes to share profits with its shareholders. They often pay dividends quarterly (every three months) to give shareholders like you a steady return, regardless of what happens to the stock price. Typically, older, well-established companies pay dividends, while newer companies do not. However, companies do not guarantee paying dividends. In fact, a company can stop paying them at any time.

Bonds are debt securities corporations and governments issue to raise funds. Then, investors like you purchase the bonds with an upfront, initial investment—called the principal. When the bond “matures,” you’re paid back the principal. In addition, you usually receive a fixed, periodic interest payment—called a “bond coupon.” Many people think bonds make a “safe” investment as they get closer to retirement. But given modern life expectancies, bonds often make a poor investment choice for high-net-worth investors like yourself. For one, over longer periods of time, bond yields tend to lag far behind what you can make in the stock market.

In addition, treasury bonds often barely outpace (or sometimes even trail) inflation. For example, let’s say prices are rising by 5 percent a year because of inflation. But your bond only pays 3 percent a year. Your return doesn’t even keep up with inflation. In other words, you LOSE purchasing power on your investment.

2) Boost your investment “cash flow”

We refer to “cash flow” as money you withdraw from your investment portfolio, such as when you sell a stock. And unlike “income,” when you sell a stock (or mutual fund) for more money than what you paid for it, you pay a “capital gains tax” on it. (Except, within a tax-sheltered retirement plan, you pay the taxes only on withdrawals. And this may be an option for you, as a high-net-worth investor.)

Investing in stocks and mutual funds provides the greatest potential for growth over the long term. However, they can also pose potential risk—as they’re more subject to short-term fluctuations in the stock market.

To help mitigate this risk, Vestbridge uses a “flexible approach.” Which means we put you into a smart, well-designed mix of growth and value securities, so your wealth can appreciate risk adjusted growth regardless of market conditions.

Plus, with the use of new technologies, we’re constantly taking the pulse of the market and evaluating the need to make any adjustments to your portfolio.

The timing of when you buy and sell stocks and mutual funds matters too…

For example, sometimes you’re better off sitting tight and waiting out the market changes. And sometimes, we may decide to adjust your portfolio’s allocations to try to capitalize on a predicted development…or to minimize risk or taxes as you approach retirement.

Lastly, you should always rebalance your portfolio’s allocations to account for any withdrawals you make.

3) Start taking Required Minimum Distributions from 401(k)s and IRAs

Another way to generate money in retirement is by withdrawing from your 401(k) or IRA.

Of course, once you hit age 73, you must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from all your retirement accounts (except from a Roth IRA). So, this includes RMDs from a traditional 401(k), a Roth 401(k) or a traditional IRA. And the IRS has an excellent calculator for figuring out your personal RDM.

And here’s another important point to consider…

When you start taking RMDs, it can have serious tax implications. It can even push you into a higher tax bracket, depending on what kind of account(s) you have.

You should also make sure to take your RMDs every year. Because if you forget, the IRS slaps you with a hefty 50 percent penalty on the amount you were supposed to withdraw. For example, if you were supposed to withdraw $20,000 but only took out $15,000, you would owe a $2,500 plus income tax on the shortfall.

In addition, it may make sense for you to consolidate retirement accounts to simplify your withdrawals and lessen your tax burden.

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SOURCES

*Retirement Plans FAQs regarding Required Minimum Distributions | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov).
**Why Asset Allocation Is So Important – https:/www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsassetallocationhtm.html

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Go ahead—dream a little…

You’ve worked hard your whole life. So, now it’s time to dream a little about where you’ll enjoy the next 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 years of your life.

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of living near the water. Or perhaps you want to move closer to the grandkids. Or maybe you just want to find a quiet place where you can maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

Whatever your retirement dream looks like, Vestbridge has you covered.

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