Objective information about retirement, financial planning and investments

 

Will my Social Security be Taxed?

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Contrary to what some politicians might say, your Social Security benefits are not an entitlement. You’ve paid Social Security taxes over the course of your working life and you’ve earned these benefits.

Many retirees and others collecting Social Security wonder about the tax treatment of their benefit. The answer to the question in the title is that your Social Security benefits may be subject to taxes.

How do taxes on Social Security work? 

According to estimates by the Social Security Administration (SSA), about 56% of the people who receive Social Security pay taxes on their benefits.

The formula for the taxation of benefits works as follows:

For those who file as single:

  • If your combined income is between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50% of your benefits might be subject to taxes.
  • If your combined income is over $34,000, up to 85% of your benefits might be subject to taxes.

For those who file a joint return:

  • If your combined income is between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50% of your benefits might be subject to taxes.
  • If your combined income is over $44,000, up to 85% of your benefits might be subject to taxes.

According to the SSA, if you are married but file as single your benefit will likely be subject to taxes.

Source: Social Security Administration

What is combined income?

SSA defines your combined income as:

Your adjusted gross income (from your tax return) 

+ non-taxable interest (from a municipal bond fund for example) 

+ one-half of your Social Security Benefit

For example, if your situation looked like this:

  • Adjusted gross income $60,000
  • Non-taxable interest income of $1,500
  • Social Security benefit of $35,000

Your combined income would be: $60,000 + $1,500 + $17,500 (1/2 of your Social Security benefit) or $79,000. Whether single or married filing jointly, $29,750 (85%) of your Social Security benefit would be subject to taxes.

What this means is that $29,750 would be considered as taxable income along with the rest of the taxable income you earned in that year, this amount would be part of the calculation of your overall tax liability.

Is my Social Security subject to taxes once I reach my full retirement age? 

Your full retirement age (FRA) is a key number for many aspects of Social Security. For those born from 1943 to 1954 your FRA is 66. For those born in 1955 through 1959 your FRA increases by two months for each successive birth year. Your FRA is 67 for those born in 1960 or later. There is no reduction in your Social Security benefit for earned income once you reach your FRA. 

As far as the taxation of your Social Security benefit, age doesn’t play a role. Your benefit will potentially be subject to taxes based on your combined income, regardless of your age. Taxes can be paid via quarterly payments or you can have taxes withheld from your Social Security benefit payments. You will receive a Social Security Benefit Statement or form SSA-1099 each January listing your benefits for the prior year. This is similar to a 1099 form that you might receive for services rendered to a client if you are self-employed.

Related to this, if you are working into retirement your wages or self-employment income are subject to FICA and Medicare taxes regardless of your age.

Is Social Security subject to state income taxes? 

Eleven states currently tax Social Security benefits. These states are:

  1. Colorado
  2. Connecticut
  3. Kansas
  4. Minnesota
  5. Missouri
  6. Montana
  7. Nebraska
  8. New Mexico
  9. Rhode Island
  10. Utah
  11. Vermont

The rate and method of taxing your benefits will vary by state, if you live in one of these states check with your state’s taxing authority or a knowledgeable tax professional for the details.

The Bottom Line 

Social Security represents a significant portion of retirement income for many Americans. Its important to understand how Social Security works, including any tax implications. This is part of the bigger picture of taxes in retirement. Its important for retirees to understand how taxes will impact their retirement finances and to include this in their retirement financial planning.

Note the information above is a review of the basics of how Social Security benefits are taxed and should not be considered to be advice. Your situation may differ. You should consult with the Social Security Administration, or a tax or financial advisor who is well-versed on Social Security regarding your specific situation.

Approaching retirement and want another opinion on where you stand? Not sure if your investments are right for your situation? Need help getting on track? Check out my Financial Review/Second Opinion for Individuals service for detailed guidance and advice about your situation.

FINANCIAL WRITING. Check out my freelance financial writing services including my ghostwriting services for financial advisors.

NEW SERVICE – Financial Coaching. Check out this new service to see if its right for you. Financial coaching focuses on providing education and mentoring in two areas: the financial transition to retirement or small business financial coaching.

Please contact me with any thoughts or suggestions about anything you’ve read here at The Chicago Financial Planner. Don’t miss any future posts, please subscribe via email. Check out our resources page for links to some other great sites and some outstanding products that you might find useful.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

My Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2018

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I hope that 2018 was a good year for you and your families and that you’ve had a wonderful holiday season. For us it was great to have our three adult children home and to be able to spend time together as a family. We all ate way too much good food.

As far as the stock market, 2018 was certainly a volatile year, we will have to wait and see what 2019 holds for investors and those looking toward retirement.

Hopefully you find many of the posts here at The Chicago Financial Planner useful and informative as you chart your financial course. Whether you do your own financial planning and investing, or you work with a financial advisor, my goal is to educate and provide some food for thought.

In the spirit of all the top 10 lists we see at this time of year, here are my top 10 most read posts during 2018:

Is a $100,000 Per Year Retirement Doable?
Year-End 401(k) Matching – A Good Thing?
401(k) Fee Disclosure and the American Funds
4 Reasons to Accept Your Company’s Buyout Offer
Life Insurance as a Retirement Savings Vehicle – A Good Idea?
4 Benefits of Portfolio Rebalancing
7 Tips to Become a 401(k) Millionaire
Should You Accept a Pension Buyout Offer?
Five Things to do During a Stock Market Correction
Small Business Retirement Plans – SEP-IRA vs. Solo 401(k)

 

This past year saw me expand my freelance financial writing business, while continuing to serve a number of long-time financial advisory clients. I wrote a number of pieces for various financial services firms and other financial advisors over the past year. I’m looking forward to continuing to grow my business into 2019 and beyond.

Thank you for your readership and support. Please let know what you think about any of the posts on the site (good or bad) and please let me know if there are topics that you would like to see covered in 2019. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have via the contact form.

I wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous 2019.

Approaching retirement and want another opinion on where you stand? Not sure if your investments are right for your situation? Concerned about stock market volatility? Check out my Financial Review/Second Opinion for Individuals service for detailed guidance and advice about your situation.

NEW SERVICE – Financial Coaching. Check out this new service to see if it’s right for you. Financial coaching focuses on providing education and mentoring in two areas: the financial transition to retirement or small business financial coaching.

FINANCIAL WRITING. Check out my freelance financial writing services including my ghostwriting services for financial advisors.

Please contact me with any thoughts or suggestions about anything you’ve read here at The Chicago Financial Planner. Don’t miss any future posts, please subscribe via email. Check out our resources page for links to some other great sites and some outstanding products that you might find useful.

 

My Top 10 Most Read Posts of 2016

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I hope that 2016 was a good year for you and your families and that you’ve had a wonderful holiday season. For us it was great to have our three adult children home and to be able to spend time together as a family. We all ate way too much good food. Thankfully our newest family member Rex, a shelter dog we adopted in October, requires frequent walks. On a sad note, we had to say goodbye to Austin our 15-year-old Pekingese in August.

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Hopefully you find many of the posts here at The Chicago Financial Planner useful and informative as you chart your financial course. Whether you do your own financial planning and investing or you work with a financial advisor, my goal is to educate and provide some food for thought.

In the spirit of all the top 10 lists we see at this time of year, here are my top 10 most read posts during 2016:

Is a $100,000 a Year Retirement Doable?

Life Insurance as a Retirement Savings Vehicle – A Good Idea?

401(k) Fee Disclosure and the American Funds

4 Things To Do When The Stock Market Drops

4 Reasons to Accept Your Company’s Buyout Offer

4 Signs of a Lousy 401(k) Plan

My Thoughts on PBS Frontline The Retirement Gamble

YOU RECEIVED A PINK SLIP AND SEPARATION AGREEMENT – NOW WHAT?

Protecting Your Savings from the Cost of a Long-Term Care Illness

Small Business Retirement Plans – SEP-IRA vs. Solo 401(k)

Full disclosure the last post listed was actually number 11, number 10 needs some updating and will be republished in the new year.

This past year saw me expand my freelance financial writing business. I wrote a number of pieces for various financial sites, several financial services firms and other financial advisors over the past year. I also had my first article published in Morningstar Magazine. I plan to continue growing this side of my business in 2017.

In addition to the above, I was a frequent contributor to these sites in 2016:

Investor Junkie

Investopedia

Go Banking Rates 

Thank you for your readership and support. Please let know what you think about any of the posts on the site (good or bad) and please let me know if there are topics that you would like to see covered in 2017.

I wish you and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017.

Please contact me with any thoughts or suggestions about anything you’ve read here at The Chicago Financial Planner. Don’t miss any future posts, please subscribe via email. Please check out our resources page as well.  

Are You Ready For Retirement?

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To my readers:

The infographic that was originally included in this post was taken down as was the link to the firm that supplied it due to a malware warning on their site.  Please check out the many other posts on this site in the retirement category and other categories that may interest you.  I apologize for any inconvenience but your online safety in viewing my site is of the utmost importance to me.

Original post without reference to the infographic

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and to your families.  We are thankful for having all five of us home together and the time we get to spend as family. For anyone with adult kids you know that doesn’t happen as often as we might like sometimes.

As I write this we are sitting out Black Friday as we always do and looking forward to a weekend filled with family, great leftovers, and football. Especially on Sunday when I am hoping for a Packer victory over the Partriots at Lambeau Field.

Retirement is a journey.  I can’t think of a better time to get started or to gauge your progress than now no matter what your age.  Why not take some time over the last month of year to ensure that you hit the ground running in 2015?

The Plutus Awards – Finance Blogs to Read and Discover

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The finalists for the 2014 Plutus Awards which celebrates the best in personal finance blogging were recently announced.  Check out the official announcement here.  I was very honored and flattered to have this blog named as a finalist in the Best Financial Planner Blog category.

What is most gratifying is that the finalists were chosen by other finance bloggers.  I am humbled by and grateful for being selected as a finalist among all of these outstanding finance blogs.  I read many of them and plan to check out the ones that I am not familiar with.

If you are looking for a list of finance blogs to read and learn from here is list of the finalists by category:

Best New Personal Finance Blog

FITnancials
Listen, Money Matters!
Rock Star Finance
Stapler Confessions
ValerieRind.com

Best-Kept Secret Personal Finance Blog

Debt Discipline
Free From Broke
L Bee and the Money Tree
The Frugal Exerciser
Wealthy Single Mommy

Best Designed Personal Finance Blog

Be Wealthy & Smart
Budget Blonde
Christian PF
Financially Blonde
Good Financial Cents

Most Humorous Personal Finance Blog

The Empowered Dollar
Financial Uproar
Frugalwoods
Len Penzo dot Com
Punch Debt in the Face

Best Microblog

@JimYih
@MMarquit
@MoneyCrashers
@rockstarfinance
@wisebread

Best Personal Finance Podcast

Cash Car Convert
Dough Roller
Listen Money Matters
Money Plan SOS
Stacking Benjamins

Best Retirement Blog

Escaping Dodge
Financial Mentor
Mr. Money Mustache
Retire by 40
Retire Happy

Best Entrepreneurship Blog

Beat the 9 to 5
Careful Cents
Create Hype
Microblogger
My Wife Quit Her Job

Best Blog for Teens/College Students/Young Adults

Broke Millennial
Making Sense of Cents
TeensGotCents
The Broke and Beautiful Life
Young Adult Money

Best International Personal Finance Blog

Monster Piggy Bank
Reach Financial Independence
The Skint Dad Blog
The Money Principle
Miss Thrifty

Best Canadian Personal Finance Blog

Blonde on a Budget
Boomer & Echo
Canadian Budget Binder
Canadian Finance Blog
Money after Graduation

Best Religious Personal Finance Blog

Bible Money Matters
Christian PF
Indebted and in Debt
Luke1428
Out of Your Rut

Best Tax Blog

The Blunt Bean Counter
Tax Girl
JoeTaxpayer
TaxProfBlog
The Wandering Tax Pro

Best Deals and Bargains Blog

$5 Dinners
Bargain Babe
Bargain Briana
CouponMom
Hip2Save

Best Frugality Blog

Club Thrifty
Frugal Rules
I Am That Lady
Pretty Frugal Living
Stapler Confessions

Best Debt Blog

Dear Debt
Debt Roundup
Enemy of Debt
Money Plan SOS
The Frugal Farmer

Best Investing Blog

Dividend Mantra
Financial Mentor
Investor Junkie
Personal Dividends
The College Investor

Best Contributor/Freelancer for Personal Finance

Cat Alford
Jason Steele
Michelle Schroeder
Miranda Marquit
Stefanie O’Connell

Best Green/Sustainability Blog

DIY Natural
Prairie Eco-Thrifter
Sustainable Life Blog
Sustainable Personal Finance
The Frugal Farmer

Best Financial Planner Blog

Financially Blonde
Good Financial Cents
Nerd’s Eye View
Mom and Dad Money
The Chicago Financial Planner

Lifetime Achievement

FMF (Free Money Finance )
FrugalTrader (Million Dollar Journey)
Jim Wang (Bargaineering)
Lazy Man (Lazy Man And Money)
Ramit Sethi (I Will Teach You To Be Rich)

BLOG OF THE YEAR

Afford Anything
Broke Millennial
Canadian Finance Blog
The Empowered Dollar
Making Sense of Cents
Mr. Money Mustache
PT Money
Stacking Benjamins
Wealthy Single Mommy
Wise Bread

Congratulations to all of the finalists.  Note I did leave off a couple of categories that were mostly internal blogging resources.

There is plenty of excellent personal finance information contained in the list above, time to get reading.

Please check out our Book Store for books on financial planning, retirement, and related topics as well as any Amazon shopping needs you may have (or just click on the link below).  The Chicago Financial Planner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  If you click on my Amazon.com links and buy anything, even something other than the product advertised, I earn a small fee, yet you don’t pay any extra. 

1% a Small Number with Big Implications

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Percent Symbols - Best Percentage Growth or In...

The inspiration for this post comes from fellow finance blogger and financial advisor Jim Blankenship and his November is “Add 1% to Your Savings Month” movement.

It’s amazing how a small number like 1% can have such a big impact on your investments and the amount you’ll be able to accumulate for goals like retirement.  Here is a look at the impact of saving 1% on your investment expenses.

Mutual fund expenses matter

Using two share classes of the American Funds EuroPacific Growth fund as an example, the chart below illustrates the impact of 1% in expenses on the growth of your investment.  I was able to find two share classes of this fund whose expense ratios were exactly 1% different.  The B shares (ticker AEGBX) carry an expense ratio of 1.59% and the F-2 shares (ticker AEPFX) which carry and expense ratio of 0.59%.  Using Morningstar’s Advisor Workstation I compared the growth of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in each fund held over three time periods.

5 years ending 10/31/13 

Value of $10,000 investment
B Shares $17,710
F-2 Shares $18,606

 

As you can see varying nothing more than the expense ratio in these otherwise identical mutual funds, investing in the fund with a 1% lower expense ratio resulted in the accumulation of an additional $896 a 5.1% increase over an investment in the B share class.

10 years ending 10/31/13

Value of $10,000 investment
B Shares $22,677
F-2 Shares $24,734

 

Again varying nothing more than the expense ratio in these otherwise identical mutual funds, investing in the fund with a 1% lower expense ratio resulted in the accumulation of an additional $2,057 a 9.1% increase over an investment in the B share class.

From 4/30/84 through 10/31/13 

Value of $10,000 investment
B Shares $205,652
F-2 Shares $260,042

 

Once again varying nothing more than the expense ratio in these otherwise identical mutual funds, investing in the fund with a 1% lower expense ratio resulted in the accumulation of an additional $54,390 a 26.4% increase over an investment in the B share class.

A couple of things about the above comparison:  The assumption is that an investor put $10,000 into each of the funds and held them for the full time period, including the reinvestment of all fund distributions.  Any potential taxes or the expenses of engaging an investment advisor were not considered.  Further B shares are no longer available to new investors and even when they were they would generally convert to the less expensive A shares after a period of time.  None the less this comparison illustrates the impact saving 1% on your investment expenses can have on your returns and the amount you can potentially accumulate over time. 

How to reduce investing expenses 

While you may not always be able to save a full 1%, reducing your investment expenses by even a fraction of 1% can have a significant positive impact.  Here are some ideas that may help:

  • Utilize low cost index mutual funds and ETFs where possible and where they fit your investment strategy.  In many asset classes index funds outperform the majority of actively managed products.  Combine this with low expenses and index funds have a major leg up on most of their competitors.
  • In all cases make sure that you invest in the lowest cost share class of a given mutual fund that is available to you.
  • Avoid sales loads whenever possible.
  • Understand the expenses associated with the investment choices in your company’s 401(k) plan and the plan’s overall expenses.  If they are excessive consider asking your company’s plan administrator to look at some lower cost alternatives.  You might also  consider limiting your contributions to the amount needed to receive the maximum company match (if one is offered) and invest the remainder of your retirement savings elsewhere.
  • If you work with a financial advisor you must fully understand all of the ways in which your advisor makes money from your relationship.  This might include fees (hourly, flat-fee, or a percentage of assets).  In some cases the advisor makes money from the investment and insurance products they sell to you.  This can include up-front sales commissions (loads), deferred loads (B shares which are mostly obsolete), and level loads (C shares).  Additionally the advisor may make money from trialing commissions (12b-1 fees) or surrender charges incurred if your sell out of some mutual funds or annuity products too early.  If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I am horribly biased in favor of using fee-only advisors (of which and I am one), avoiding the inherent conflict of interest that can arise when an advisor earns money from the sale of financial products. 

Saving 1% might seem like a trivial endeavor, but as you can see it can have big ramifications for investors.

Please contact me at 847-506-9827 for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss all of your financial planning and investing questions. Check out our Financial Planning and Investment Advice for Individuals page to learn more about our services.

Photo credit:  Flickr

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