Category Archives: Retirement Planning

By Susan E. Campbell
Whether the forecast for the economy and the investment markets is good, bad, or middle-of-the-road, retirement professionals agree that staying the course is the best course.
“The number one thing for 2020 is, in a word, uncertainty,” said Don Tenne, a financial planner with Ameriprise Financial Services and based in Glens Falls.
“Tariffs, elections, China and other international uncertainties are things that tend to slow down the market even though the economy is doing very well,” said Tenne.
Markets are driven by not only by fundamentals but also by investor psychology, which can be impacted by alarmist media, he said.
“The media says a recession is coming, but we don’t know when,” he said. “Many experts say recession may be one to six years ahead. So we see the stories, and then they go away.”

By David L. Cumming
As we move through our career, we often accumulate a number of different retirement accounts: A traditional IRA here, a rollover IRA there, and two or three scattered 401(k) accounts left in the plans of former employers.
As the accounts add up, it can become difficult to get a clear picture of your overall retirement preparedness.
Consolidating your retirement accounts into one central account can help you make sure your retirement assets are invested appropriately for your overall goals, better track the performance of your holdings and, in some cases, discover more investment choices and potentially incur lower fees.
However, consolidating retirement accounts into one account may not be right for everyone. Before taking any action, you should carefully compare your potential options in order to reach an informed decision about what makes the most sense for you.

By Susan E. Campbell

December is  good time for business people  to meet with investment, accounting and tax professionals to look at the year behind and the one ahead.

At Paul Dowen’s office, Whittemore Dowen and Riccaiardelli, LLP in Queensbury, the team is working to manage retirement accounts in a way that maximizes deductions and minimizes tax liabilities under the new rules.

Even though all individual tax brackets, except the 10 percent bracket, are lower because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the experts can offer some tried-and-true tips for managing the tax burden. 

“The biggest jump in the new tax tables is from the 12 percent bracket to 22 percent, so the challenge is how we keep more income at the 12 percent rate,” said Dowen. “The first step is to make sure the maximum amount allowed has been contributed to the company’s 401(k) plan.”

These plans must be funded by salary deductions before year-end, so time is running out to play catch-up.

“The new tax laws mean a tax cut or a break-even for retirees,” said Don Tenne of Tenne Financial Group in Glens Falls. But for small proprietors and the self-employed who file a Schedule C, there are two hefty tax breaks now in the code.

“Starting in 2018 there is up to a 20 percent deduction in taxable income for those businesses,” said Tenne. “If net profit is $200,000, for example, $40,000 is not taxed, a savings of $12-13,000 or more. That’s huge.”