If you’d like a retirement plan that guarantees a specified benefit level at retirement regardless of investment results, you may want to consider a defined benefit pension plan. A defined benefit plan is a qualified employer-sponsored retirement plan that is funded solely by the employer (in most cases); it’s the traditional type of pension plan. A defined benefit pension plan allows the highest potential contribution amount of any plan. These contributions are excluded from income and grow tax deferred. In addition, contributions can be deducted from business income.
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Posted by Michael Chapman at 12:00 PM UTC
In today’s corporate environment, where cost cutting, restructuring, and downsizing are the norm, many employers are offering their employees early retirement packages. As you near retirement age, you may find yourself confronted with an offer from your employer for early retirement. Your employer may refer to the offer as a golden handshake or a golden parachute. While many early retirement offers seem attractive at first, it is important for you to review an offer carefully before accepting it to ensure that it is indeed a golden” opportunity.
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Posted by Michael Chapman at 12:00 PM UTC
If you’re considering retirement within the next five years or so, you’re in the retirement “zone.” This is a critical time period during which you’ll be faced with a number of important choices, and the decisions you make can have long-lasting consequences. It’s a period of transition: a shift from a mindset that’s focused on accumulating assets for retirement to one that’s focused on distributing wealth and drawing down resources. It can be confusing and chaotic, but it doesn’t have to be. The key is to understand the underlying issues, and to recognize the long-term effects of the decisions you make today.
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Posted by Michael Chapman at 12:00 PM UTC
The Medicare program, which is a federal program that helps senior citizens and certain other individuals pay for health care, is divided into four parts. Part A covers hospital and inpatient services and Part B covers doctor visits and other outpatient services. Together, Parts A and B are referred to as original Medicare. Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, makes Medicare-covered services available through private health plans, such as HMOs, PPOs, and private fee for service plans (PFFSs).
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Posted by Michael Chapman at 12:00 PM UTC
