Variable annuity for a dying woman? I don’t think so
Dear Liz: We were recently advised by a financial advisor to put $500,000 into a variable annuity. It is for my mother’s trust, and frankly, my mother is not expected to live past another year. The cost of the annuity is supposed to be 1% above our current fees, and there is a floor on our investment so that no matter what happens in the market, if my mother dies we would still get the $500,000 back. If the market rises, we get the higher fund balance upon her death. Articles that I read online say that variable annuities cost more, generate large fees for the seller and the survivor has to pay taxes on the distribution as ordinary income, not as capital gains. They say variable annuities are not really good, and brokers can get $30,000 to $50,000 in fees on a $500,000 annuity. What is your opinion of a variable annuity?
Answer: Run this investment past a fee-only financial planner — one who is paid only by fees from you, not commissions on insurance products. You’ll get an earful about why this investment is probably a bad idea.
Your research has turned up most of the disadvantages. One you didn’t mention was surrender charges. If the money needs to be accessed in a hurry, you are likely to pay stiff fees for doing so.
Variable annuities are designed to be long-term retirement savings vehicles, not short-term repositories for cash. If you’re concerned about the safety of your mother’s investments, talk to the fee-only planner about your options, such as moving some or all of the money to an FDIC-insured bank account.
“I know it’s boring, but the money will be there in case they need it for Mom,” said financial planner Delia Fernandez of Los Alamitos. “And it will be liquid and available at her death to help settle final costs.”
Roll your 401(k) to an IRA? Maybe not
Dear Liz: I recently changed jobs and wonder what I should do with my old 401(k) account. Should I roll it into an IRA or transfer it to my new employer’s 401(k) plan? Everything I read says an IRA is better because you have more choice in picking investments, but I’m not sure where I should set up the new account. Does it matter?
Answer: You probably would have more investing choices with an IRA, but you might also wind up paying more. A good, large-company 401(k) plan often offers access to institutional funds that charge less (sometimes much less) than what a retail investor would pay for a similar investment through an IRA. If your new employer’s plan is a good one, transferring the money there is often the simplest and most cost-effective solution. Or you may be able to leave the money where it is, if you like the plan. Only if neither option is palatable, or if you’re convinced that you can find better, lower-cost options on your own, does an IRA rollover become the clear best choice.
Money priorities: Put retirement savings first
Dear Liz: It’s still not clear to me how I should prioritize saving for retirement, paying down (massive) student loan debt and buying or building a modest house, even though I have read a number of your articles and answers to many other readers’ questions. Once I pay off what is left of my credit card debt and build up an emergency fund, what then? Do I put retirement first, paying down student loans second and a modest house last? Or should I pay my student loans last — for instance, by opting for an income-based repayment rather than the higher, regular payment amount and going for the house instead?
Answer: You should put retirement saving first now, even before you pay off your debt. If you don’t get a relatively early start putting away money for retirement you’re unlikely to be able to catch up later. Those who start saving after age 35 have a very tough time putting away enough money to comfortably retire, says Roger Ibbotson, founder of Ibbotson Associates financial research firm and a Yale School of Management professor. The ideal time to start saving for retirement is with your first job.
Prioritizing retirement means you’ll have less money for other goals, so paying down your debt and building up an emergency fund will take longer, but so be it. The amount of extra interest you pay on your debt will be overshadowed by the tax breaks and investment gains you’ll make in the long run in your retirement accounts.
After paying off your credit card debt, your next goals will depend on your individual situation. If all your education debt is federal student loans rather than private loans, then you needn’t be in a rush to pay it off. That’s because federal student loans have relatively low, fixed rates and many flexible repayment options. You also may qualify for student loan forgiveness in 10 years if you work in public service or 25 years if you don’t. An income-based repayment plan would allow you to minimize your payments so you could put money toward other goals. You can research your repayment options at FinAid.org, a financial aid and student loan education site.
If, on the other hand, you have some private student loans, you’ll probably want to make paying that off a priority since the rates are variable and you don’t have as many repayment options. (You probably wouldn’t be able to make income-based payments, for example.)
When to prioritize a home purchase depends, again, on your individual situation. If you’re sure you’re where you want to be for the next 10 years or so and are eager to own a home, you could start a down payment fund as soon as you finish paying off the credit card debt.
How to deploy an extra $500 a month
Dear Liz: We just refinanced our $100,000 mortgage into a 15-year fixed-rate loan at 3.75%. We have an extra $500 a month and want to know what we should do with it. Should we use the money to pay off the mortgage early, increase the contribution to my 403(b), or start a rainy day fund and try to save up to three months of my take-home salary? I’m 44, my wife is 35, and we have three kids ages 5, 3 and 9 months. I would like to retire in 16 years.
Answer: At least two of your children won’t be through college by the time you want to retire, so you may need to rethink your plans unless you have an exceptionally generous pension or a lot of money saved in that 403(b) already.
Most people have better things to do with their money than pay off a low-rate mortgage, and this is especially true for you, given your very low rate and your already short mortgage term. If you’re not already getting the full match in your 403(b), putting the money there is often your best bet. Even if you’re getting the full match, you might want to invest more in your retirement account if you’re not saving enough. You can play with a retirement calculator or talk to a fee-only financial planner to see if your retirement savings are on track.
Once you’re saving enough for retirement, you probably should prioritize that rainy day fund. The fact that you don’t have any savings is worrisome, particularly if you’re the sole income provider. Your initial goal should be to save three months’ worth of your must-have expenses — what you pay for shelter, utilities, food, insurance, child care and loan payments. You may want to expand that goal to six months’ worth of expenses or more if your spouse couldn’t easily return to work, should you lose your job.
Finally, you probably should think about starting college funds for the kids. College educations are all but essential these days if you want your children to make economic progress. (One example: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, incomes for men with only high school educations have dropped 31% in inflation-adjusted terms since 1989.) You may not be able or even want to pay the whole bill for their educations, but any money you save is likely to reduce the debt they would have to take on to get their degrees.
No 401(k)? What to do
Dear Liz: I work for a small company that doesn’t offer the benefits large companies do, such as a 401(k) retirement account. My husband is a federal employee who contributes 10% to his Thrift Savings Plan at work, and we contribute the maximum to our Roth IRAs. Is there another avenue to save for retirement that would be similar to a 401(k) for me or should I just have my husband ramp up his TSP contributions? We’re both 29 and have $35,000 in retirement accounts and $60,000 in other savings programs, mutual funds and money markets. We own our house (14 years left on a 15-year mortgage), have no student loan debt and have one car loan for less than $10,000. I think I’m on track, but I know it’s better to save early and I’m worried that since I don’t have a 401(k) I’m missing out on some peace of mind.
Answer: You two appear to be nicely on track with your finances, but if you want to retire early or otherwise boost your retirement funds you have several options.
The easiest would be to simply have your husband contribute more to his account, but you also could open a joint or individual brokerage account and invest for retirement through that. You wouldn’t get a tax break for your contributions, but your gains could qualify for favorable capital gains rates.
Another option is to start a sideline business and contribute some of your profits to a simplified employee pension, or SEP, IRA. Self-employed workers have several options for retirement savings, including solo 401(k)s and even traditional pension plans, but the SEP is an easy way to start.
