For most Americans, retirement has become a lifelong goal. To retire comfortably, you need income, and this income can come from one of three sources: savings, Social Security, or a company pension plan. The unfortunate fact is that Americans save very little money nowadays, and for anyone under forty, Social Security is a very hollow promise. For most, private pensions are the key to a comfortable retirement. When it comes to private pensions, however, most companies and employees themselves don’t contribute enough money, meaning that future retirees will have to work longer if they want to maintain their pre-retirement standard of liv¬ing into retirement.
There are two types of private pensions in America: the defined-benefit pension and the defined contribution pension. Both of these private pensions rely on the idea that the stock market will continue to rise in the long run. Unfortunately, both are in trouble.
In the defined-benefit plan, an employee is usually paid an amount from their pension based on their ending salary and the number of years employed with the company, usually paid out monthly for life. Money is set aside regularly by the company and is professionally managed. This ensures that the money will grow to adequately pay the retiree the agreed upon and promised amount.
The defined-benefit plan was first introduced in the early 1940’s. This postwar period boasted a high level of organized labor with over one third of all workers in America belonging to a union. At that time, most unions demanded generous pension plans, pensions that would support a middle-class lifestyle into retirement. When companies said that they couldn’t afford to offer these types of pension plans, union leaders of various trades across...
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...2009, August). Six retirement planning mistakes to avoid.
Retrieved October 2, 2010, from http://financialplan.about.com/od/retirementplanning/a/sixretmistakes.htm.
This article focuses on six of the most common mistakes that people make when planning for retirement and how they can be avoided. It further discusses how to utilize a company matched 401k plan and some of the penalties for withdrawing money early. This article also provides information and steps that should be taken to diversify investments and balance a portfolio.The author, Jeremy Vohwinkle, has spent a number of years helping individuals make sound financial decisions as an investor, financial planner, and retirement planning specialist. In addition to working with individual clients, he provides articles, resources, and educational materials that benefit those who are seeking financial advice.
Can We Keep Our Promises? The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the article called “Can We Keep Our Promises?” by Robert D. Arnott, and to help better understand the three key risks facing each investor. Robert Arnott describes risk and return as “having two sides of the same coin” meaning risk is inseparable from return. Arnott points out the most important risks that are faced by managers of company pension plans: underperforming other corporate pension funds (their peers), losing money (mostly associated with portfolio standard deviation or volatility), and underperforming the values of pension obligations and therefore losing actuarial ground.
The push for Congress to pass legislation protecting the rights of employees and their retirement was inevitable. Retirement plans are extremely important for all working individuals. Having funds to keep or exceed ones current standard of living and to enjoy one’s life beyond expectations after retire...
Through the years, people age and become less productive. For these reasons, they have to prepare some plans that help them secure their own future. But, there are instances that lead an individual to an early retirement. Some lack motivation and enthusiasm in their work. Others are not capable of working anymore as well because of the health issues that they are facing. Regardless of the reason, it is important that one has to work so that by the time they retire, they will not end up broke. Having this in mind, many people are already investing in a simple IRA.
This strike was a battle over several issues. One factor that escalated the strike intensity was the pensions battle. Billons of dollars in pensions were on the line. The Teamste...
You might be tempted to dip into your retirement fund for a major purchase, find the will to resist. You’ll pay extra fees and taxes, and you are robbing your future self. If you leave it alone, your money will continue to grow year after year. Your gains can be reinvested and you’ll earn more than you would have with just a small chunk of
In America’s early days before the kickoff of industry, there was little need for retirement savings for a few key reasons. First of all, people were dying at a much earlier age; most people didn’t live past 38, whereas in 1900, 60 years of age was common for about 40 percent of the population and 15 percent experienced 80 years of life. Another reason for the irrelevance of social security in the 19th century and earlier was that people were usually living rurally on farms with extended families to take care of them. Furthermore, the Civil War also didn’t allow the government much economic room to consider providing a service such as social security. However, after the Civil War, pensions were a form of social security for civil war veterans that carried into their retirement. Unfortunately these pensions provided support for only a very small portion of the population; not even one percent of Americans received these pensions. Despite a much lower need for social security in the 18th ...
a. Defined benefit health and welfare plans—Defined benefit health and welfare plans specify a determinable benefit, which may be in the form of a reimbursement to the covered plan participant or a direct payment to providers or third-party insurers for the cost of specified services. Such plans may also include benefits that are payable as a lump sum, such as death benefits. The level of benefits may be defined or limited based on factors such as age, years of service, and salary. Contributions may be determined by the plan 's actuary or be based on premiums, actual claims paid, hours worked, or other factors determined by the plan sponsor. Even when a plan is funded pursuant to agreements that specify a fixed rate of employer contributions (for example, a collectively bargained multiemployer plan), such a plan may nevertheless be a defined benefit health and welfare plan if its substance is to provide a defined benefit.
“We like to tell ourselves that America is the land of opportunity, but the reality doesn’t match the rhetoric - and hasn’t for awhile” (Matthew O’Brien 1). In today’s economic situations, dreaming big may seem unaffordable, but not impossible. To achieve this goal many aspects should be analyzed to understand the American dream, weakened retirement, and smart investments. Megan Cottrell states that “graduate from college. Get married. Buy a house. Have kids. Put in a few decades of hard work, and then it’s time to retire by 65. That’s the American Dream, right?” (1).
Social Security is on the verge of taking care of the baby boomers generation. This means that it will be paying more benefits than taxes it receives. In lay-man’s terms it means it will be spending more money than it is making. I think that you should pay into your own private retirement account for you to reap the benefits in the future. Not for you to pay into a cluster of workers money for current elders to benefit from. You need to take care of your own future and not rely on other people’s responsibility. “…people began to think retirement funding as a right…and so…started saving less” (Klay & Steen). That being said, people of a certain age should be “grandfathered” into this meaning, people of the age of say 40, still get the normal social security retirement money but anyone younger must start abiding this new reform. If you get married, keep paying into your own unless your spouse is not working. If that is the case then pay the same amount BUT put half into your own and half into your spouses. If the other spouse is working however, they should pay into their own account and you into your own.
Employee health benefit plans flourished in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Unions bargained for better benefits, which included tax-free, employer-paid health insurance. When war hit between 1939 and 1945, government froze wages which led to an increase of group health care. Since employers were unable to attract employees with higher wages, employers decided to improve their benefits package by adding health care coverage. Gove...
Social security, since instituted in 1935, has kept many elderly people from running below the poverty line (Hosansky). In 2015, the Social Security Administration predicted that the funds would be depleted by 2034 (Max). This poses a serious threat to the living situation of future generations when they retire. Our elderly, by today’s standards, enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. They are able to retire and still make over one thousand dollars a month. Some people also have private pensions which allow them to live even more comfortably. But with social security funds running out, we must ask the inevitable question. Is it worth having social security anymore? Social security should be kept. One must never fully rely on social security. In addition
t is a benefit offered by some employers to their employees to help them save for retirement. These defined contribution plans have limits on the amount that can be invested and money is deducted directly from your salary before taxes. Depending on the plan, the employer is required to contribute a certain amount or have the option to do so. And in case you make the contribution, the employee is entitled to take possession of the contribution automatically or in a specific period as defined by the plan ..
The luxury of a defined-benefit pension plan could become a nightmare for thousands in the next couple decades. This type of retirement plan pays benefits to people a sum based on years they have worked and how much they were paid while with the company. Defined-benefit pension plans currently hold billions more in liabilities than they hold in assets leaving retirees all over the country with underfunded pension plans and soon-to-be retirees to continue working. This underfunding does not start with the financial crisis and recession but has been steadily increasing for the last ten years. Underfunding is measured by either the Government Accounting Standards
Retirement comes early for most people. Early meaning that we are not ready for what comes with it. Most people would love to retire today, but unfortunately it is nearly impossible. It takes a lifetime for a person to become financial stable and adequately equip with assets that have been gained throughout someone’s life. Everyone must start young, in fact the sooner the better. Any money, or savings that can be applied today will always come with an enhanced future. So is it worth it to work harder and save now in order to possibly access a pleasant retirement? With out effort now we will be dependent on other sources in our retirement years, sources that may not come through for everyone who needs it. There are three ways to help Americans be better prepared now. These methods include saving money now, and investing in sources with returns. Do not become one of the millions of Americans who fall into government assisted retirement plans by lack of preparation and planning.
Even though approximately 95 percent of older Americans are covered under Social Security there are many factors to consider when planning for retirement (Hooyman, 2011, p. 508). In forty years Social Security may not be as widely available anymore, and it was never meant to be sufficient to live off of alone (Hooyman, 2011, p. 508). Instead, utilizing the proper education, research tools, guidelines, and determination, retirement plans can be set in place early enough to leave room for fluctuations in the economy over time. It is no one else’s responsibility but one’s own to prepare for their future, and therefore should take matters in their own hands. Planning for retirement should not be based on Social Security alone, but rather, by saving portions of personal earned wages and putting finances into long-term investments. Taking the time to research and plan for a retirement can make a person prepare for the necessities that will be needed after retiring. Through researching, people can figure out the cost of living that will be required to support that individual upon retirement. Cost of insurance (health, life, auto, homeowners, etc.) and medical expenses will be higher and need to be planned for accordingly to create as close to an accurate estimate of retirement needs as possible. Of course, all of this assumes that work is available, steady and lucrative enough that there is enough left over to save and/or