Retirement Planning: The Basics

Here Comes LPL Focus!

Published: Wed, 04 Aug 2021 13:33:01 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, August 4, 2021 LPL Financial is so excited to kick off our annual Focus conference, with more than 10,000 attendees sharing ideas, learning, and having a great time over the next three days. Given the world we … Continue reading →

While Tough For Equities, August Has Been Good For Fixed Income

Published: Tue, 03 Aug 2021 15:58:25 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, August 3, 2021 Most investors are aware that seasonal patterns exist in equities, but they may not be as familiar with the seasonal patterns in fixed income markets. As pointed out in the LPL Research Market Blog … Continue reading →

July Market Insights – Sixth Straight Monthly Gain for the S&P 500, Led by Growth

Published: Mon, 02 Aug 2021 17:00:29 +0000

Market Blog Monday, August 2, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and international equities In July, the U.S. major market indexes finished higher while international equities, as represented by the developed international markets (MSCI EAFE), and the emerging markets … Continue reading →

Did You Know Stocks Historically Peak in Early August?

Published: Mon, 02 Aug 2021 15:30:06 +0000

Market Blog Monday, August 2, 2021 Hard to believe, but we are in August already! The good news is stocks are still firmly in a bull market, but the bad news is the calendar is a potential worry now. As … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Six Straight Monthly Gains for the S&P 500

Published: Fri, 30 Jul 2021 20:11:06 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 30, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Reverse Course This Week; Growth Names Pullback The major markets finished the week lower, reversing course from the previous week. Some disappointing corporate guidance … Continue reading →

China Weighs on Emerging Markets Indexes

Published: Fri, 30 Jul 2021 15:58:08 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 30, 2021 China’s stock exchanges have been hit hard in response to several sudden regulatory actions that have dismayed investors. First came the crackdown on ride sharing service DiDi, which has about a 90% market share … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: An Epic Week of Market-Moving Events

Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:58:48 +0000

Market Blog Thursday, July 29, 2021 In the latest edition of LPL Market Signals, the LPL Research strategists discuss some of the biggest surprises of 2021, including the strong year-to-date performance for the stock market and surprising recent drop in … Continue reading →

Services Consumption Lifts GDP Growth

Published: Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:58:41 +0000

Economic Blog Thursday, July 29, 2021 Lofty expectations for second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth were left somewhat wanting as a decent headline number fell short of expectations. Peering under the hood, though, we think this is still a … Continue reading →

LPL Street View: Let’s Play Some Focus!

Published: Wed, 28 Jul 2021 15:58:10 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 28, 2021 We had some fun with our latest LPL Street View video, as Director of Research Mark Zabicki and Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick went outside to shoot some hoops and talk about our upcoming … Continue reading →

Federal Reserve Meeting Preview

Published: Tue, 27 Jul 2021 15:58:46 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, July 27, 2021 The Federal Reserve (Fed) meets this week to discuss its ongoing support for the U.S. economy. During its regularly scheduled two-day meeting, the nineteen-member committee is expected to discuss if and when the Fed … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Strong Week for Growth Stocks as Earnings Season is Underway

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 20:01:13 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Higher as Growth Leads The major markets finished higher this week after starting the week lower, with the Dow Jones off by over 2% … Continue reading →

Leading Indicators Forecasting Continued Growth

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 15:58:33 +0000

Economic Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 On Thursday, July 22, the Conference Board released its June 2021 report detailing the latest reading for the Leading Economic Index (LEI), a composite of ten data series that tend to lead changes in … Continue reading →

Buy the Dip | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:58:16 +0000

Friday, July 23, 2021 Top Story Buy the dip Even after Monday’s big drop for stocks in the U.S., stocks have roared back and are now looking at a nice gain for the week. Here are some of the reasons … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: Mr. Powell Goes to Washington

Published: Fri, 23 Jul 2021 13:58:08 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 23, 2021 Inflation is soaring and Jerome Powell still isn’t overly worried about it. In fact, he was grilled by Congress last week and held his ground on his inflation views. This week in the LPL … Continue reading →

U.S. Housing Starts Continue to Ramp Up

Published: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 15:58:37 +0000

Economic Blog Thursday, July 22, 2021 In data we received on Tuesday, July 20, U.S. Housing Starts increased 6.3% in June to 1.64 million units, a 3-month high. By region, housing starts rose in the South and West, and in … Continue reading →

Housing Starts Were Higher Than Expected This Week | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:58:23 +0000

Thursday, July 22, 2021 Top Story Housing Starts were higher than expected this week (Tuesday), but the lack of housing supply still remains a problem. Housing starts were up 6.3% in June; continuing a sharp post-COVID rebound. The building activity … Continue reading →

Is It Time For A 5% Pullback?

Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:58:51 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Monday’s big down day was a harsh reminder of how markets actually can produce volatility. It was the worst day of the year for the Dow and only the second drop of 1% or … Continue reading →

Time For a More Significant Pullback Or Correction? | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:58:53 +0000

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 Top Story Time for a more significant pullback or correction? Stocks have had an amazing run, but here are some things to consider. The S&P 500 Index hasn’t had a 5% pullback since last October, right … Continue reading →

The Recession Is Over, So What Happens Next?

Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 15:58:56 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, July 20, 2021 The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced yesterday that the COVID-19 recession is over. If things don’t feel all that different, it’s because they announced the recession ended in April 2020. Yes, that’s … Continue reading →

The Shortest Recession Ever Is Over…15 Months Ago | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 20 Jul 2021 14:58:17 +0000

Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Top Story The shortest recession ever is over…15 months ago The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) announced yesterday that the economy bottomed in April 2020, making the COVID-19 recession the shortest on record and the … Continue reading →

Earnings Season Off to a Great Start | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 19 Jul 2021 14:58:33 +0000

Top Story Earnings season off to a great start Beat rates have been outstanding so far with 85% and 90% of S&P 500 companies beating earnings and revenue targets. Second quarter earnings growth is tracking to a nearly 70% year-over-year … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Markets Digest First Week of Q2 Earnings

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 20:00:56 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Markets Mostly Lower As Utilities and Real Estate Gain Ground Most major markets sold off this week as Q2 earning season kicks off. Market participants … Continue reading →

A Check-In on Inflation

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:58:58 +0000

Economic Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 This week has provided investors with a fresh batch of data carrying the potential to heavily affect the inflation debate. Tuesday brought us the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for June, while Wednesday saw the … Continue reading →

Retail Sales Came In Solidly Above Expectations | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 14:58:30 +0000

Friday, July 16, 2021 Top Story Retail sales came in solidly above expectations Retail sales for June increased 0.6% month over month, ahead of Bloomberg’s consensus forecast for a 0.3% decline and following a 1.7% decline in May. Excluding autos … Continue reading →

Main Street Sentiment Remains Strong Despite Risks from Speedy Recovery

Published: Fri, 16 Jul 2021 11:58:27 +0000

Economic Blog Friday, July 16, 2021 Sentiment on Main Street remains strong as the U.S. economy continues to move towards normalcy, but concerns about the impact of a strong but uneven recovery are rising as higher prices, supply chain bottlenecks, … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: Midyear Outlook 2021 Is Here: What Does LPL Research Think Is On the Horizon?

Published: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 15:58:50 +0000

Market Blog Thursday, July 15, 2021 What a first half of 2021! As quick as it was, the economy continues to pick up speed as well. In fact, this could be one of the better years of economic growth we’ve … Continue reading →

Street View Midyear Outlook 2021 | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:58:43 +0000

Thursday, July 15, 2021 Top Story Street View Midyear Outlook 2021 In the latest LPL Street View video, LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick takes a closer look at what the LPL Research team thinks is coming in the … Continue reading →

Quarterly Market Insights – Markets Solid through the Mid-Year Mark

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 18:13:27 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities This quarter provided positive results for all major market indexes. The top performer and standout was the growth-laden Nasdaq composite, which returned over 9% for … Continue reading →

Canary In The Coalmine?

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:58:04 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 14, 2021 To state the obvious, coal mining is a dangerous occupation. Not only do coal miners have to deal with collapsing tunnels and explosions, they also have to deal with the potential for dangerous carbon … Continue reading →

Canary In The Coalmine? | Daily Market Update

Published: Wed, 14 Jul 2021 14:58:06 +0000

Wednesday, July 14, 2021 Top Story Canary In The Coalmine? The 10-year Treasury yield’s fall of over 40 basis points (0.40%) has many investors asking if the bond market is signaling bad news about the economic recovery. The absence of … Continue reading →

LPL Research Releases Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed

Published: Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:00:29 +0000

Market Blog Tuesday, July 13, 2021 LPL Research is proud to announce the release of Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed. While the speed can be exhilarating as economic growth accelerates, it can also be dangerous. Our updated outlook is … Continue reading →

Midyear Outlook 2021 | Daily Market Update

Published: Tue, 13 Jul 2021 14:58:24 +0000

Tuesday, July 13, 2021 Top Story Midyear Outlook 2021 launches today. While the speed can be exhilarating as economic growth accelerates, it can also be dangerous. Midyear Outlook 2021: Picking Up Speed is designed to help you navigate the risks … Continue reading →

What Will Companies Do for an Encore? | Daily Market Update

Published: Mon, 12 Jul 2021 14:58:28 +0000

Monday, July 12, 2021 Top Story What will companies do for an encore? After a stunning first quarter earnings season, we expect more good news this quarter. At the same time, we acknowledge the second quarter will almost certainly be … Continue reading →

Weekly Market Performance – Markets Resilient As We Enter the Second Half of 2021

Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 20:07:36 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 9, 2021 Index Performance View enlarged chart. U.S. and International Equities Most of the U.S. and international markets were fractionally higher this week as traders were concerned about a potential peak in the global recovery, declining … Continue reading →

Is This the Start of a Correction?

Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 16:00:05 +0000

Market Blog Friday, July 9, 2021 The S&P 500 Index closed at a record high on Wednesday, yet investors seem increasingly on edge with the VIX Index, a measure of implied volatility on the S&P 500, spiking nearly 40% week-to-date. … Continue reading →

Is This the Start of a Correction? | Daily Market Update

Published: Fri, 09 Jul 2021 14:58:17 +0000

Friday, July 9, 2021 Top Story Is This the Start of a Correction? Despite the S&P 500 Index making a record high earlier this week, investors are clearly on edge with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) briefly spiking more than … Continue reading →

LPL Market Signals: Tips for Young Investors

Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 17:00:51 +0000

Market Blog Thursday, July 8, 2021 We mix it up this week on the LPL Market Signals podcast and bring on LPL Research’s Director of Research Marc Zabicki to discuss what he has learned about investing and working with Advisors … Continue reading →

ISM Service Strong, but Strong Enough?

Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 16:18:22 +0000

Economic Blog Thursday, July 8, 2021 The June Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services Index was a bit softer than expected (60.1 vs. the Bloomberg consensus estimate of 63.5), although the overall reading remained near multi-year highs. The June figure … Continue reading →

Federal Open Market Committee Split on Tapering | Daily Market Update

Published: Thu, 08 Jul 2021 14:58:28 +0000

Thursday, July 8, 2021 Top Story Yesterday’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes showed Committee is split on tapering Some members pulled forward their expectations for the appropriate timing of tapering while others noted that the “further substantial progress” … Continue reading →

Stocks Are Going Streaking

Published: Wed, 07 Jul 2021 15:58:14 +0000

Market Blog Wednesday, July 7, 2021 To quote the great Frank the Tank from Old School, “We’re going streaking!” Although Frank had another idea, stocks have been streaking in some historic ways, both near-term and longer-term. Let’s start with the … Continue reading →

You may have a very idealistic vision of retirement—doing all of the things that you never seem to have time to do now.

But how do you pursue that vision? Social Security benefits may not provide enough income for your retirement years. And unfortunately, few employers today offer a traditional company pension plan that guarantees you a specific income at retirement. On top of that, people are living longer and must find ways to fund those additional years of retirement. Such eye-opening facts mean that today, sound retirement planning is critical.

But there's good news: Retirement planning is easier than it used to be, thanks to the many tools and resources available. Here are some basic steps to get you started.

Determine your retirement income needs

It's common to discuss desired annual retirement income as a percentage of your current income. Depending on who you're talking to, that percentage could be anywhere from 60 to 90 percent, or even more. The appeal of this approach lies in its simplicity. The problem, however, is that it doesn't account for your specific situation. To determine your specific needs, you may want to estimate your annual retirement expenses.

Use your current expenses as a starting point, but note that your expenses may change dramatically by the time you retire. If you're nearing retirement, the gap between your current expenses and your retirement expenses may be small. If retirement is many years away, the gap may be significant, and projecting your future expenses may be more difficult.

Remember to take inflation into account. The average annual rate of inflation over the past 20 years has been approximately 2.5 percent. (Source: Consumer price index (CPI-U) data published by the U.S. Department of Labor, 2013.) And keep in mind that your annual expenses may fluctuate throughout retirement. For instance, if you own a home and are paying a mortgage, your expenses will drop if the mortgage is paid off by the time you retire. Other expenses, such as health-related expenses, may increase in your later retirement years. A realistic estimate of your expenses will tell you about how much yearly income you'll need to live comfortably.

Calculate the gap

Once you have estimated your retirement income needs, take stock of your estimated future assets and income. These may come from Social Security, a retirement plan at work, a part-time job, and other sources. If estimates show that your future assets and income will fall short of what you need, the rest will have to come from additional personal retirement savings.

Figure out how much you'll need to save

By the time you retire, you'll need a nest egg that will provide you with enough income to fill the gap left by your other income sources. But exactly how much is enough? The following questions may help you find the answer:

At what age do you plan to retire? The younger you retire, the longer your retirement will be, and the more money you'll need to carry you through it.
What is your life expectancy? The longer you live, the more years of retirement you'll have to fund.
What rate of growth can you expect from your savings now and during retirement? Be conservative when projecting rates of return.
Do you expect to dip into your principal? If so, you may deplete your savings faster than if you just live off investment earnings. Build in a cushion to guard against these risks.

Build your retirement fund: Save, save, save

When you know roughly how much money you'll need, your next goal is to save that amount. First, you'll have to map out a savings plan that works for you. Assume a conservative rate of return (e.g., 5 to 6 percent), and then determine approximately how much you'll need to save every year between now and your retirement to reach your goal.

The next step is to put your savings plan into action. It's never too early to get started (ideally, begin saving in your 20s). To the extent possible, you may want to arrange to have certain amounts taken directly from your paycheck and automatically invested in accounts of your choice (e.g., 401(k) plans, payroll deduction savings). This arrangement reduces the risk of impulsive or unwise spending that will threaten your savings plan--out of sight, out of mind. If possible, save more than you think you'll need to provide a cushion.

Understand your investment options

You need to understand the types of investments that are available, and decide which ones are right for you. If you don't have the time, energy, or inclination to do this yourself, hire a financial professional. He or she will explain the options that are available to you, and will assist you in selecting investments that are appropriate for your goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. Note that many investments may involve the risk of loss of principal.

Use the right savings tools

The following are among the most common retirement savings tools, but others are also available.

Employer-sponsored retirement plans that allow employee deferrals (like 401(k), 403(b), SIMPLE, and 457(b) plans) are powerful savings tools. Your contributions come out of your salary as pretax contributions (reducing your current taxable income) and any investment earnings are tax deferred until withdrawn. These plans often include employer-matching contributions and should be your first choice when it comes to saving for retirement. 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans can also allow after-tax Roth contributions. While Roth contributions don't offer an immediate tax benefit, qualified distributions from your Roth account are federal income tax free.

IRAs, like employer-sponsored retirement plans, feature tax deferral of earnings. If you are eligible, traditional IRAs may enable you to lower your current taxable income through deductible contributions. Withdrawals, however, are taxable as ordinary income (unless you've made nondeductible contributions, in which case a portion of the withdrawals will not be taxable).

Roth IRAs don't permit tax-deductible contributions but allow you to make completely tax-free withdrawals under certain conditions. With both types, you can typically choose from a wide range of investments to fund your IRA.

Annuities are contracts issued by insurance companies. Annuities are generally funded with after-tax dollars, but their earnings are tax deferred (you pay tax on the portion of distributions that represents earnings). There is generally no annual limit on contributions to an annuity. A typical annuity provides income payments beginning at some future time, usually retirement. The payments may last for your life, for the joint life of you and a beneficiary, or for a specified number of years (guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company). Annuities may be subject to certain charges and expenses, including mortality charges, surrender charges, administrative fees, and other charges.

Note: In addition to any income taxes owed, a 10 percent premature distribution penalty tax may apply to taxable distributions made from employer-sponsored retirement plans, IRAs, and annuities prior to age 59½ (prior to age 55 for employer-sponsored retirement plans in some circumstances).

Contact a VyStar Investment Services Financial Advisor today by phone (904) 908-2495 or email VISMarketing@vystarcu.org.

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