{"id":18269,"date":"2015-11-11T15:27:48","date_gmt":"2015-11-11T20:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/11\/business-report-changing-social-security-strategies.html"},"modified":"2017-11-08T11:03:22","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T16:03:22","slug":"business-report-changing-social-security-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/11\/business-report-changing-social-security-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Report: Changing Social Security Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"WDR\n<\/div>\n
\n

Dale Mullin is a partner with Whittemore,
\nDowen & Ricciardelli LLP.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BY DALE MULLIN, CPA, CFP<\/p>\n

Just before Halloween, Congress played a
\ntrick on future retirees and took away a popular
\ntreat that may cost future retirees thousands of
\ndollars in benefits. The Senate passed budget
\nlegislation on Oct. 30, approved by the house
\nearlier in the week that takes away two Social
\nSecurity claiming strategies used to increase a
\ncouple’s combined Social Security income.<\/p>\n

President Obama is expected to sign the new
\nmeasure soon. The file and suspend and file
\nfor restricted claim of spousal benefits are two
\nstrategies that generated higher Social Security
\nincome by earning delayed retirement benefit
\ncredits that will be killed off under the new law
\nin a real life Halloween financial horror.<\/p>\n

The two strategies have been around since
\n2000 and give the flexibility to file for Social
\nSecurity benefits, but then postpone receiving
\nthe income until later. The file and suspend
\nmethod allows a spouse or a dependent child
\nto collect off your benefit at full retirement age
\nwhile you continue to work and wait to receive
\nhigher Social Security income in the future.
\nThat opportunity is only available for others to
\nreceive income off your benefit after you have
\nfiled your Social Security claim and is the reason
\nyou have to file and then suspend right away
\nunder this strategy.
\nFor example, a worker born in 1954 has a normal
\nretirement age of 66 when 100 percent of
\ntheir benefit can be received, but they can delay
\nuntil age 70 and then start their Social Security
\nbenefit which results in a significantly higher
\nincome at 132 percent of what they would have
\nreceived at age 66. Often this makes sense if
\ncontinuing to work in your late 60s.<\/p>\n

While the working spouse delays taking their
\nincome during these four years until age 70,
\nthey can file for their Social Security benefit
\nand immediately suspend receiving it to allow
\ntheir spouse to become eligible to collect off
\ntheir higher work history. The result is the non
\nworking spouse will receive higher income than
\nif they claimed their own benefit or where they
\nwere not entitled to a benefit because they had
\nno work history.<\/p>\n

The file and restrict strategy works well where
\nboth couples have worked enough to earn Social
\nSecurity benefits. Under this method, the spouse
\nwith the lower benefit files and begins receiving
\ntheir income. The other spouse files to collect a
\n50 percent spousal benefit and allows the benefit
\noff their own work history to continue to grow
\nunder delayed retirement credits.<\/p>\n

At age 70, when the advantage of delaying
\nSocial Security income stops and the benefit
\nreaches the maximum, the person switches from
\nthe 50 percent spousal benefit to claim their own
\nwhich is now much higher because of the delay.<\/p>\n

The change in the claiming strategies takes
\neffect in six months on May 1, 2016. While the
\ndetails are still evolving, it appears those born
\nin 1953 or earlier and already 62 in 2015 are
\nexpected to be grandfathered and still be able
\nto utilize both strategies. The new limited rules
\nwill therefore apply to anyone who does not
\nturn age 62 in 2015 and may create a shortfall
\nin retirement income for those future retirees.<\/p>\n

A retirement funding gap is bridged by only
\na few methods: working longer, cutting personal
\nexpenses or depending more on the children or
\nother assistance.<\/p>\n

The best way to avoid having a retirement income
\nshortfall is to save more before retirement.
\nAs many people know, saving is not easy these
\ndays and seems to be getting harder all the time,
\nbut is the single most important determinant to
\nhave sufficient assets to do the things you envision
\nand dream of after you are done working.<\/p>\n

Saving by any means and as much as possible,
\nas mentioned previously is the most important
\nthing. Many people get hung up on not knowing
\nthe best way to invest the savings or how
\nto get the highest return and therefore never
\nget started in putting money away for their
\nfuture. The secret is not in finding the perfect
\ninvestment, but in regularly saving and being
\ndedicated to put money away before it inevitably
\ngets spent. Funding your own retirement
\nis becoming increasingly important as people
\nretiring with a pension is a small minority and
\nlikely cuts and changes to Social Security will
\nerode the retirement income over time. What
\nyou save ahead of time will largely determine
\nyour income in retirement.<\/p>\n

To encourage retirement savings, there are
\ntax benefits allowed through employer retirement
\nplans and also outside of work through an
\nIndividual Retirement Account or IRA.<\/p>\n

The IRS does limit the amount of money that
\ncan be saved by providing annual limits that are
\nperiodically increased for inflation, although
\nthe IRS recently announced the 2016 contribution
\nlimits will stay the same as the 2015 limits.
\nEmployer plans such as 401k, 403b, certain 457
\nand Thrift Savings Plans allow a worker to defer
\nup to $18,000 of their wages on a pre-tax basis
\nand an additional “catch up” amount of $6,000
\nif age 50 or over for a total of $24,000 per year.<\/p>\n

Contributions of $5,500 can be made to a
\nTraditional IRA (pre-tax) or Roth IRA (after
\ntax) if your employer does not sponsor a
\nretirement plan for you at work. If you are
\ncovered by an employer plan, you may still
\ncontribute to an IRA and your employer plan
\nif your income is below the IRS annual limit.
\nA $1,000 “catch up” contribution is also allowed
\nto IRA’s for an individual age 50 or older
\nbringing the total to $6,500 per year.<\/p>\n

Employer retirement plans and IRA’s are a
\ngreat way to make regular saving contributions.
\nStart early and save as much as you
\ncan so you fund your retirement and don’t
\nget side tracked by any tricks that Congress
\nmay throw our way and so you can treat
\nyourself to things you dream of in your
\nmany retirement years.<\/p>\n

Mullin is a partner with Whittemore,
\nDowen & Ricciardelli LLP and vice president
\nof WDR Financial Services LLC.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dale Mullin is a partner with Whittemore, Dowen & Ricciardelli LLP. BY DALE MULLIN, CPA, CFP Just before Halloween, Congress played a trick on future retirees and took away a popular treat that may cost future retirees thousands of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":86,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[67],"yoast_head":"\r\nBusiness Report: Changing Social Security Strategies - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/11\/business-report-changing-social-security-strategies\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Business Report: Changing Social Security Strategies - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dale Mullin is a partner with Whittemore, Dowen & Ricciardelli LLP. 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