business – Page 2 – Safe Retirement Income

January 6, 2016 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

2015 and 2016 Federal Income Tax Rate Tables for Individuals

Welcome to Tax Year 2016. To prepare for the upcoming tax preparation season download these handy PDF Federal Income Tax Rate Tables for Individuals.

2016 Federal Income Tax Rates for Individuals

2016 Federal Tax Digest

The 2016 Tax Digest Includes:

Income tax rates, deductions, credits.
Kiddie tax, child tax credit
E education deductions and credits
Social Security/Medicare
Retirement Plan Contribution/Benefit Limits

2015 Federal Income Tax Rates for Individuals

2015 Federal Tax Digest

The 2015 Tax Digest Includes:

Income tax rates, deductions, credits.
Kiddie tax, child tax credit
E education deductions and credits
Social Security/Medicare
Retirement Plan Contribution/Benefit Limits

August 25, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

Paying the Estate Tax Bill

The federal government will not accept a percentage of your estate as payment for your estate tax bill. Instead, your estate tax bill must be paid in cash, and it must be paid within nine months after your death.

If your estate is subject to the federal estate tax, there are FOUR ways to provide your estate with the cash needed to pay your estate tax bill:

1. 100% METHOD

You could accumulate enough cash in your estate to pay your estate tax bill outright. Rarely, however, does a successful person accumulate such large sums of cash. Instead, the reason for financial success is usually due to the investment of cash in appreciating assets, rather than accumulating it in a bank.

2. 100% PLUS METHOD

Your estate could borrow the cash needed to pay your estate tax bill. This, however, only defers the problem, since the money will then have to be repaid with interest.

3. ASSET LIQUIDATION METHOD

Your estate could liquidate sufficient assets to pay your estate tax bill. This choice may make sense if your estate owns considerable assets that can be readily sold for a gain following your death. Keep in mind, however, that if a forced liquidation is necessary, it may bring only a small fraction of the true value of your assets. In addition, sales expenses are bound to be incurred.

4. DISCOUNT METHOD

Assuming you qualify, you can arrange now to pay your estate tax bill with life insurance dollars. For every dollar your estate needs, you can give an insurance company from approximately one to seven cents a year, depending on your age and health. No matter how long you live, it is unlikely you will ever give the insurance company more than 100 cents on the dollar. In addition, the life insurance policy can frequently be structured to accommodate your unique premium payment requirements.

August 1, 2015 by Tim Barton 6 Comments

Medical Annuities Pay More

You are wondering what to do after your doctor explains you have a serious medical condition. Not only is the thought of living out your remaining time, perhaps a bit impaired disturbing, you and your spouse are wondering how to make your money last. With the possibility of a future filled with increased medical bills and current yields at record lows, you fear your savings are going to have to be drawn down to the point of depletion.

A possible solution is the medically underwritten annuity. When applying for a medical annuity you provide your medical records to the insurance company who will then review them to determine your actuarial age.

After determining the actuarial age it is compared to your chronological age and if actuarial age is greater the annuity’s monthly income is increased accordingly. This adjustment can be done jointly even if your spouse’s health is good.

It has always been important and more so in this low interest rate environment to make sure a retiree’s savings lasts the rest of their and their spouse’s life. The effort put into getting quotes on a medical annuity can bring a welcome peace of mind making it time well spent

On the positive side; medical science continues to advance at a fast pace so the initial prognosis could in the end, turn out to be wrong, in which case you get to enjoy good health and a higher than normal lifetime income stream.

You may ask questions in the comments or contact me privately:

Tim Barton

Chartered Financial Consultant

May 26, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

7 Methods to Avoid Probate

Probate is simply the Latin word for prove, which means that the estate probate process is the process by which your will is brought before a court to prove that it is a valid will. The courts charged with this responsibility are generally known as probate courts, which may actually supervise the administration or settlement of your estate.

Supervision of the estate settlement process by the probate court can result in additional expense, unwanted publicity and delays of a year or more before heirs receive their inheritance. The publicity, delays and cost of probate motivate many people to explore ways in which to avoid or minimize the impact of probating a will, including:

State Statute If specific requirements are met, many states have made provision for certain estates to be administered without the supervision of the probate court, resulting in less cost and a speedier distribution to heirs.
Form of Property Ownership The joint tenancy form of holding title to property allows ownership to pass automatically to the surviving joint tenant, who is normally the surviving spouse.
Transfer on Death Many states have enacted Transfer on Death statutes that allow a person to name a successor owner at death on the property title certificate for certain types of property, including real estate, savings accounts and securities.
Life Insurance Unless payable to the estate, life insurance proceeds are rarely subject to the probate process.
Lifetime Giving Gifts given during life avoid the probate process, even if made shortly before death.
Trusts A “Totten” trust, which is a bank savings account held in trust for a named individual, can be used to pass estate assets at death outside of the probate process.
A revocable living trust, created during the estate owner’s lifetime, can be an effective way to avoid the expense and delay of probate, while retaining the estate owner’s control of his or her assets prior to death.

Proper planning may serve to minimize the impact of the probate process on your estate and heirs.

Any potential method of avoiding probate, however, should be evaluated in terms of its income and/or estate tax consequences, as well as its potential impact on the estate owner’s overall estate planning goals and objectives.

May 18, 2015 by Tim Barton 2 Comments

Probate Process for Your Estate

The probate process is governed by state statutes that are intended to accomplish three primary objectives:

To preserve estate assets.
To protect the rights of creditors in the payment of their claims before the estate is distributed to the heirs.
To assure that the heirs receive their inheritance in accordance with the terms of the estate owner’s will.

Once the estate’s personal representative (executor or administrator if the estate owner died without naming a personal representative) is approved by the probate court and posts any bond that is required, the probate process generally proceeds as follows:

The personal representative must “prove up” the will — prove that it is a valid will signed by the estate owner who was competent and not under duress or influence at the time of signing.
Notice must be given by the personal representative to all creditors to make prompt claim for any money owned to them by the estate.
The personal representative must prepare and file an inventory and appraisal of estate assets.
The personal representative must manage and liquidate estate assets as appropriate to pay all debts, fees and taxes owed by the estate.
Finally, the remaining estate must be distributed to the heirs in accordance with the estate owner’s will (or the state laws of intestacy if there was no will).

It is not uncommon for the probate process to require a year or more and considerable expense before the estate is finally settled.

Proper planning, however, can serve to minimize the impact of the probate process on your estate and heirs.

March 25, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

Remember Retirement When You Change Jobs

WHEN YOU CHANGE JOBS

You May Have an Important Decision to Make…

What to do with your money in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan. Since these funds were originally intended to help provide financial security during retirement, you need to carefully evaluate which of the following options will best ensure that these assets remain available to contribute to a financially-secure retirement.

Take the Funds:

You can withdraw the funds in a lump sum and do what you please with them. This is, however, rarely a good idea unless you need the funds for an emergency. Consider:

A mandatory 20% federal income tax withholding will be subtracted from the lump sum you receive.
You may have to pay additional federal (and possibly state) income tax on the lump sum distribution, depending on your tax bracket (and the distribution may put you in a higher bracket).
Unless one of the exceptions is met, you may also have to pay a 10% premature distribution tax in addition to regular income tax.
The funds will no longer benefit from the tax-deferred growth of a qualified retirement plan.

Leave the Funds:

You can leave the funds in your previous employer’s retirement plan, where they will continue to grow on a tax-deferred basis. If you’re satisfied with the investment performance/options available, this may be a good alternative. Leaving the funds temporarily while you explore the various options open to you may also be a good alternative. (Note: If your vested balance in the retirement plan is $5,000 or less, you may be required to take a lump-sum distribution.)

Roll the Funds Over:

You can take the funds from the plan and roll them over, either to your new employer’s retirement plan (assuming the plan accepts rollovers) or to a traditional IRA, where you have more control over investment decisions. This approach offers the advantages of preserving the funds for use in retirement, while enabling them to continue to grow on a tax-deferred basis.

Why Taking a Lump-Sum Distribution May Be a Bad Idea:

While a lump-sum distribution can be tempting, it can also cost you thousands of dollars in taxes, penalties and lost growth opportunities…money that will not be available for future use in retirement.

March 19, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

Taxable VS. Tax Deferred Investments

How much would you have to earn each year from a taxable investment in order to equal earnings on a tax-deferred investment? This chart illustrates the potential benefits of a tax-deferred investment vs. a taxable investment.

Annual Tax-Deferred Yield	Federal Income Tax Bracket:
	10%	15%	25%	28%	33%	35%
	Annual Taxable Equivalent Yield
3%	3.33%	3.53%	4.00%	4.17%	4.48%	4.62%
3.5%	3.89%	4.12%	4.67%	4.86%	5.22%	5.38%
4%	4.44%	4.71%	5.33%	5.56%	5.97%	6.15%
4.5%	5.00%	5.29%	6.00%	6.25%	6.72%	6.92%
5%	5.56%	5.88%	6.67%	6.94%	7.46%	7.69%
5.5%	6.11%	6.47%	7.33%	7.64%	8.21%	8.46%
6%	6.67%	7.06%	8.00%	8.33%	8.96%	9.23%
6.5%	7.22%	7.65%	8.67%	9.03%	9.70%	10.00%
7%	7.78%	8.24%	9.33%	9.72%	10.45%	10.77%
7.5%	8.33%	8.82%	10.00%	10.42%	11.19%	11.54%
8%	8.89%	9.41%	10.67%	11.11%	11.94%	12.31%
8.5%	9.44%	10.00%	11.33%	11.81%	12.69%	13.08%
9%	10.00%	10.59%	12.00%	12.50%	13.43%	13.85%
9.5%	10.56%	11.18%	12.67%	13.19%	14.18%	14.62%
10%	11.11%	11.76%	13.33%	13.89%	14.93%	15.38%

This chart illustrates the potential benefits of a tax-deferred investment vs. a taxable investment. For example, if an investor in the 25% federal income tax bracket purchases a tax-deferred investment with a 5% annual yield, that investor’s taxable equivalent yield is 6.67%. This means the investor would need to earn at least 6.67% on a taxable investment in order to match the 5% tax-deferred annual yield.

This chart is for illustrative purposes only and is not indicative of any particular investment or performance. In addition, it does not reflect any federal income tax that may be due when an investor receives distributions from a tax-deferred investment.

February 19, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

The 3 Sources of Retirement Income

What Are the Available Sources of Retirement Income?

When you retire and your earning power ceases, you will have to depend on three primary sources for your retirement income:

Social Security

According to the Social Security Administration, the average retired worker in 2015 receives an estimated $1,328 monthly benefit, about 40% of average preretirement income. As pre-retirement income increases, however, the percentage replaced by Social Security declines.

Employer Sponsored Plans and IRAs

You may be eligible to participate in a retirement plan established by your employer and receive pension income at your retirement. You may also be able to contribute to an individual retirement account (IRA) to supplement Social Security and pension benefits.

Home Ownership and Personal Retirement

For many people, there is a gap between the retirement income they can expect from Social Security and employer-sponsored plans/IRAs and their retirement income objectives. Home equity can be used to bolster retirement security.
Personal retirement savings, including bank and brokerage accounts and insurance and annuity contracts, can be used to bridge a retirement income gap.

If sufficient retirement income is not available, will you defer your retirement age, or will you choose to reduce your standard of living?

January 25, 2015 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

What is Trust?

The word “trust” is applied to all types of relationships, both personal and business, to indicate that one person has confidence in another person.

For our purposes, a trust is a legal device for the management of property. Through a trust, one person (the “grantor” or “trustor”) transfers the legal title of property to another person (the “trustee“), who then manages the property in a specified manner for the benefit of a third person (the “trust beneficiary“). A separation of the legal and beneficial interests in the property is a common denominator of all trusts.

In other words, the legal rights of property ownership and control rest with the trustee, who then has the responsibility of managing the property as directed by the grantor in the trust document for the ultimate benefit of the trust beneficiary.

A trust can be a living trust, which takes effect during the lifetime of the grantor, or it can be a testamentary trust, which is created by the will and does not become operative until death.

Also, a trust can be a revocable trust, meaning that the grantor retains the right to terminate the trust during lifetime and recover the trust assets, or it can be an irrevocable trust; one that the grantor cannot change or discontinue the trust or recover assets transferred from the trust.

Trusts are used:

To provide management of assets for the benefit of minor children, assuring the grantor that children will benefit from trust assets. They will not have control of the trust assets until the child is at least age of maturity.
To manage assets for the benefit of a disabled child, without disqualifying the child from receiving government benefits.
To provide for the grantor’s children from a previous marriage.
As an alternative to a will (a “revocable living trust”).
To reduce estate taxes and, possibly, income taxes.
To provide for a surviving spouse during his/her lifetime, with the remaining trust assets passing to the grantor’s other named beneficiaries at the surviving spouse’s death.

Trusts are complex legal documents and are not appropriate in all situations. Before establishing a trust, you should seek qualified legal advice.

October 28, 2014 by Tim Barton Leave a Comment

Another Role for Life Insurance

Another Role for Life Insurance…
The Wealth Replacement Trust

The Problem:

There can be significant tax advantages in giving appreciated assets to a charity. Examples include real estate and securities. If you were to sell an appreciated asset, the gain would be subject to capital gains tax. By donating the appreciated asset to a charity, however, you can receive an income tax deduction equal to the fair market value of the asset and pay no capital gains tax on the increased value.

For example, Donor A purchased $25,000 of publicly-traded stock several years ago. That stock is now worth $100,000. If she sells the stock, Donor A must pay capital gains tax on the $75,000 gain. Alternatively, Donor A can donate the stock to a qualified charity and, in turn, rece

ive a $100,000 charitable income tax deduction. When the charity then sells the stock, no capital gains tax is due on the appreciation.

When a donor makes substantial gifts to charity, however, the donor’s family is deprived of those assets that they might otherwise have received.

A Potential Life Insurance Solution:

In order to replace the value of the assets transferred to a charity, the donor establishes a second trust – an irrevocable life insurance trust – and the trustee acquires life insurance on the donor’s life in an amount equal to the value of the charitable gift. Using the charitable deduction income tax savings and any annual cash flow from a charitable trust or charitable gift annuity, the donor makes gifts to the irrevocable life insurance trust that are then used to pay the life insurance policy premiums. At the donor’s death, the life insurance proceeds generally pass to the donor’s heirs free of income tax and estate tax, replacing the value of the assets that were given to the charity.