LA Times Money Talk
March 18, 2018
Here are some tips for getting more retirement money into accounts with tax advantages
If you want to stay out of gray areas and potentially contribute more cash to your retirement, consider setting up a solo 401(k). This version of the popular workplace plan is meant for self-employed business owners with no full-time employees other than themselves and their spouses. Plan participants under age 50 can contribute up to $18,500 a year. Those 50 and older can contribute up to $24,500. The plan can have a Roth and an after-tax contribution option in addition to a pre-tax option. In addition, the business can make a 25% annual profit-sharing contribution (or 20% if the business is a sole proprietorship or single-member LLC). The combined maximum of participant and business contribution is $55,000 for those under 50 and $61,000 for those 50 and older.
LA Times Money Talk
June 10, 2018
Financial Advisor
Just because an advisor is fee-only does not mean he or she is competent or a fiduciary
(someone who is legally required to put your interest first). Most advisors are held to a lower standard of “suitability,” which means their recommendations can’t be unsuitable, given the client’s situation.
Most people are best served by passive investment strategies that seek to minimize fees and match various benchmarks. Attempting to beat the market with frequent trading is usually futile and costly.
LA Times Money Talk
Sept 1, 2019
Strategies for overcoming a spouse’s bad investment decisions
You may want to consider purchasing a single premium annuity when you retire. These annuities offer a guaranteed stream of income for life, in exchange for a lump sum. This would be income that can’t be lost to stock market downturns, real estate recessions, bad investments or fraud.
That’s something to discuss with your planner, along with ways you can use your businesses to maximize your retirement savings. (The self-employed have many options, including a basic Simplified Employee Pension or SEP, solo 401(k) plans and traditional defined benefit pension plans.)