Our daily roundup of retirement news your clients may be thinking about.
A report by Vanguard Group shows that employers' 401(k) matching contributions this year are likely to reach 4.7% of worker's pay, according to this article on Washington Post. The figure reflects an increase from 3.9% in 2015 and 3% in 2009, the report states. “Increasing contributions into your retirement plan, especially when you are younger, is a no-brainer. The more you can save for retirement, and the earlier you start, the better off you will be,” says an expert.
Some retirees are likely to leave too much wealth after death, as they underspend their nest egg such that they deprive themselves of the things they should be enjoying in the golden years, writes an expert on MarketWatch. One approach to avoid this is to pursue the lifestyle they want, and donate the overage of their income to charity or fund a donor-advised fund, writes the expert. "[T]his approach is my blanket answer to most questions about higher-than-expected-income, or tax 'burden': just donate the difference. Worried about RMDs kicking out more than you need and costing you too much tax? Donate the extra..."
As a recent survey shows, millennials have a good reason to feel pessimistic about their retirement, as Social Security benefits might be reduced in the future because of the program's financial woes, according to this article on Bloomberg. The situation is worsened by income inequality, rising costs of health care, and lack of access to workplace savings plans. Many older people rely on Social Security for retirement income, so a more comprehensive solution to fix the program could help minimize the dread that many young people feel about their retirement, if not ensure the American Dream.
"Value at Risk" is a concept that retirement investors can use to measure the volatility of a stock, an exchange-traded fund or a mutual fund that they consider for their portfolio, writes a Forbes contributor. "For example, let's say a stock currently has a 5% Daily VaR (All) of 4%. This means that 4% of the time, the stock has fallen 5% or more using all its price history," writes the expert. "In other words, this metric measures how many times the stock has fallen 5% or more in one day out of 100. Therefore, a risk manager could assume the equity will fall 5% in one day once every 25 days (100/4)."
Retirement planning can be more challenging to immigrants than it is to people born in the U.S., but knowing the basics is the first step to overcome the hurdle, according to this article on NerdWallet. For example, their immigration status has an effect on retirement income from Social Security, 401(k) and other sources, including how these benefits and distributions are taxed. Immigrants who intend to move their retirement accounts out of the country will have to liquidate these accounts and face taxes and penalties.
