Retirement Income Visions

Yet Another “Don’t Try to Time the Market” Lesson

Close of Market – Friday, July 1, 2011: Dow Jones Industrial Average up 648.19, or 5.4%, for the week to finish at 12,582.77. Best five days' percentage increase since July 2009 and largest five days' points increase since November 2008.

Rewind one week: Wall Street Journal Friday, June 24^th story excerpts:

Remember Your IRA Basis Scorecard When Planning Roth IRA Conversions

Most people who sell assets are familiar with the income tax concept of "basis." Basis, in its simplest form, is essentially what you pay for something. When you sell an asset, you're not taxed on the sales proceeds. Instead, you pay tax on the difference between your net sales proceeds and your cost basis. Net sales proceeds is equal to gross sales proceeds reduced by any selling expenses. Cost basis is equal to purchase price plus increases to the purchase price less accumulated depreciation or amortization. Basis, therefore, reduces the amount of otherwise taxable gain.

The concept of "basis" also applies to traditional IRA's. When you make a contribution to a traditional IRA, your contribution is either deductible, partially deductible, or nondeductible depending upon (1) whether you're an active participant in a qualified retirement plan, (2) the amount of your modified adjusted gross income, and (3) your tax filing status. To the extent that any portion of your IRA contributions are deductible, they aren't credited with any basis. Nondeductible IRA contributions, on the other hand, are counted as, and increase, traditional IRA basis.

Is Your Retirement Plan At Risk?

Before I write about the specific risks associated with retirement asset planning and the strategies that retirement income planners use to address, and, in many cases, mitigate, these risks, let's take a look at risks that are common to all retirement planning. While many of these are uncertain and/or uncontrollable, each of them needs to be addressed in a retirement plan.

The risks that will be discussed are as follows, with the first three common to all types of financial planning, and each one intended to be a brief introduction vs. a comprehensive discussion:

1. Inflation 
2. Investment
3. Income tax
4. Longevity
5. Health
6. Social Security benefits reduction