Imber Wealth Advisors: August 2021

Monday, August 30, 2021

Reshoring: What's the Future for Products & Services Made in America?

According to a recent survey of supply chain professionals, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted 98% of global supply chains. Among the most disruptive supply challenges was the procurement of personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Companies that had outsourced manufacturing to other countries experienced firsthand the types of risks associated with offshoring.

The previous administration placed a huge emphasis on reshoring U.S. manufacturing, and the current administration is reiterating that call. Within days of his inauguration, President Biden signed an executive order that increased the domestic threshold for companies to meet to win federal contracts. The order also is designed to limit Chinese clean-tech exports and encourage offshore manufacturers specializing in clean-tech supply chains to relocate to the U.S. The objective is to enable America to produce and scale its own solar, electric vehicle and battery production by bringing supply chains closer to U.S. customers, or at least to rely on countries considered allies. Tech experts consider data to be “the new oil” and therefore it is vital that the U.S. become more self-sufficient in developing and manufacturing semiconductor technology.1

The call for reshoring to generate domestic jobs, data and energy independence is popular, bipartisan and likely inevitable to some extent. Market sectors poised to benefit include construction engineering and machinery, factory automation and robotics, electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing, application software and other auxiliary services. Moreover, North American, European and South Asian banks should see enhanced economic activity associated with reshoring.2 If you’re interested in ways to incorporate reshoring growth potential into your portfolio, please give us a call.

With that said, the decision to bring operations back to the U.S. involves a lot of considerations. These include the risks of running out of inventory, potential labor strikes, tariffs, intellectual property rights, government incentives and the value of the Made in USA label — not to mention the impact of future pandemics. One of the biggest challenges is reskilling the U.S. labor force to manufacture things like semiconductor chips used in mobile phones. We do not currently possess that level of expertise on a mass scale, so it will take time and resources to train our labor pool to the level of Germany, Switzerland, Japan and other countries.3

Companies (and by extension, shareholders) also need to see a return on their reshoring investments. In addition to corporate management exploring ways to offset the higher operating costs associated with reshoring, policymakers are expected to facilitate this effort via tax breaks, low-cost loans and other subsidies.

The “State of North American Manufacturing 2021 Annual Report” found that manufacturers are more concerned with the higher costs associated with reshoring than they are with other risks, such as supply chain shortages, proximity to market, demand for U.S.-made products and potential shipping disruptions.4 In other words, the carrot for reshoring needs to be worth their effort from a strictly financial perspective. That will be much harder to achieve given the lack of skilled workers, higher cost of wages and potential labor shortages in the U.S.

The other factor is that Asia not only showed supply chain resiliency during the pandemic, but its growing population represents a tremendous market for U.S. companies. This means they are less inclined to move operations to the U.S. and subsequently incur higher shipping costs to get the goods back to the lucrative Asian consumer market.5

We take pride in assisting our clients with incorporating all aspects of their life into their Retirement Roadmap 360®. Take control of your financial future and give us a call at (734) 769-1719 today to see how we may be able to help you!

1 Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 2021. “Made in America.” https://www.bofaml.com/en-us/content/reshoring/made-in-america.html. Accessed June 22, 2021.

2 Bank of America Merrill Lynch. July 23, 2020. “The USD 1 trillion cost of remaking supply chains: Significant but not prohibitive.” https://www.bofaml.com/content/dam/boamlimages/documents/articles/ID20_0734/cost_of_remaking_supply_chains.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2021.

3 Deborah Abrams Kaplan. Supply Chain Dive. April 8, 2021. “Supply chains do the math on reshoring’s pros and cons.” https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/supply-chains-reshoring-decisions-sourcing-manufacturing-china/597596/. Accessed June 22, 2021.

4 Edwin Lopez. Supply Chain Dive. June 7, 2021. “Supply chain managers shift reshoring focus to total cost of ownership.” https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/inventory-supply-chain-managers-TCO-reshoring-Thomas/601148/. Accessed June 22, 2021.

5 Matt Leonard. Supply Chain Dive. June 17, 2021. “Tariffs, pandemic may not be enough to drive reshoring.” https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/reshoring-china-north-america-supply-chain-biden-forecast/601971/. Accessed June 22, 2021.

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Investment Advisory Services are offered by Imber Financial Group, LLC., a Registered Investment Adviser firm. Insurance services are offered through Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. Imber Financial Group, LLC. and Imber Wealth Advisors, Inc. are affiliated companies

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

They say we don’t always appreciate what we have until it’s gone. That was one of the big lessons learned during the pandemic — but there are others. We learned a lot about the quirks and interests of family members — which tend to change as our children grow and we don’t always realize how much.

We also learned to never take good health for granted. For many who either didn’t contract COVID-19 or did so with mild symptoms, it’s hard to appreciate that one small change in a person’s health — asthma or diabetes — could be the difference between some people not taking the disease seriously and others dying.

We also may have learned a thing or two about financial security and the value of emergency funds and insurance safety nets. If it has occurred to you that your household finances could be in better shape, particularly if we have more pandemics and more shutdowns in the future, please give us a call. We can help you position assets for reliable income and emergency cash.

Family

Students switched to online classes. College graduates moved back home with no job in sight. Breadwinners either worked from home or risked their health to serve in essential positions or to keep their businesses afloat. With fewer entertainment venues available, we were either all living in close quarters or living alone with greater social isolation than ever before. As of last July, 52% of people ages 18 to 29 lived with a parent. That’s the highest number in more than a century, according to the Pew Research Center. While some households may have fared better than others, in the best-case scenarios families learned to spend days upon days together sharing (and negotiating) indoor spaces, preparing meals together, walking and working in the yard, and talking. One parent of a boomerang Millennial observed, “You raise your kids to grow up, and somebody else gets to meet them like this, as adults. But now I get to know her like this.”1

Education

The pandemic may be the catalyst to effectively evolve our nation’s higher education system. At least some form of hybrid classes (online and in-person) are expected to continue permanently. In addition, colleges are becoming more focused on how to better prepare students to work (and find) jobs when they graduate, including more for-credit internships with local employers. Perhaps the growing cost of education may begin to subside, since the fees universities charge for student services has grown four times as fast as those for instruction. With so many students graduating with student debt throughout the last two decades, today’s young adults are questioning the value of a college education altogether. Instead, they are focused on a higher return of investment for taking on that level of debt. Today, only 66% of students say they believe a college degree offers a good return on investment, compared to 78% last August.2

Jobs

COVID redefined the concept of an “essential worker.” It is no longer just fire, police, emergency and hospital workers. The category has expanded to include grocery store stockers and clerks, factory floor workers and delivery drivers. Meanwhile, employees at every income level began to question their career choices, some not just abandoning jobs but switching professions. With more people enjoying the work-from-home option, they are less focused on how much they can earn but how it provides for their quality of life. If they earn less but are happier working from home, many are willing to make that sacrifice. As of January, a Pew survey revealed that 66% of unemployed people have seriously considered changing occupations.3

Saving and Spending

Since we could go nowhere and do nothing, millions of Americans saved more money in the early months of the pandemic. The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis reported that in 2020, the personal savings rate grew from 8.3% in February to 33.7% in April. By January 2021, it still remained as high as 20.5%. The ability to work from home meant fewer people dressed for work or paid dry cleaning bills. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Americans spent $23.9 billion less on clothing and footwear in the fourth quarter of 2020 than in the fourth quarter of 2019. There was less driving in both business and commercial markets, reflecting $88.2 billion less spent on gasoline and other energy goods than in 2019. Additional savings resulted from preparing more meals at home and exercising at home in lieu of gym fees. 4

Health

The relatively quick onset of COVID-19 showed just how fast industries could adapt when necessary, particularly the health industry. Policy makers are driven to focus more on wellness, prevention and public health. Employers (and schools) have a greater appreciation of how precautionary measures can help prevent the spread of other airborne and infectious diseases (during cold and flu season). And while the U.S. has been debating health care reform for years, there is now a greater appreciation of how value-based payment models can create a more resilient health care system.5

1 Soumya Karlamangla. The Los Angeles Times. June 9, 2021. “A pandemic love story you haven’t heard before: Parents and their adult children.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-09/adult-kids-parents-have-unique-covid-love-stories. Accessed June 12, 2021.

2 Bianca Quilantan. Politico. Jan. 25, 2021. “How the pandemic forever changed higher education.” https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-education-coronavirus-special-edition/2021/01/25/how-the-pandemic-forever-changed-higher-education-792939. Accessed June 12, 2021.

3 Joanne Lipman. Time. June 1, 2021. “The Pandemic Revealed How Much We Hate Our Jobs. Now We Have a Chance to Reinvent Work.” https://time.com/6051955/work-after-covid-19/. Accessed June 12, 2021.

4 Stephen Schramm. Duke Today. May 5, 2021. “How We’re Saving Money During the Pandemic.” https://today.duke.edu/2021/05/how-we’re-saving-money-during-pandemic. Accessed June 12, 2021.

5 Laura Joszt. American Journal of Managed Care. May 17, 2021. “Building a More Resilient and Sustainable Health System.” https://www.ajmc.com/view/building-a-more-resilient-and-sustainable-health-system. Accessed June 12, 2021.

We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic retirement income strategies and should not be construed as financial advice.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Putting Inflation Expectations in Persepective

Historically, inflation has been highly correlated with unemployment levels. When more people were out of a job, inflation was lower. As more people got jobs, inflation increased. From an economic point of view, this makes sense. Jobs increase income, which increases spending, which increases demand — supplies drop and prices rise. The opposite is true when fewer people hold jobs.¹

That’s one thing that makes economic policy so difficult to set. It requires a careful balance of cause and effect, keeping in mind that what’s good for some portions of the population is bad for others. During periods of rising inflation, it’s important to monitor how it might affect us personally, from buying household goods to managing a portfolio. While economists are keeping an eye on the direction and momentum of rising inflation now, you may want to consider adding inflation-protection measures to your investment portfolio at some point. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about allocations to treasury inflation-protected securities (known as TIPS), real-estate investment trusts or commodities to help hedge the effect of rising inflation.²

In April, the inflation rate grew to 4.2%, which drove speculation that the Federal Reserve might reconsider its current stance on interest rates and monetary policy. The consumer price index (CPI) rose significantly for used cars and trucks, food, housing, airline fares, recreation, motor vehicle insurance, household furnishings and operations.

Currently, the federal funds target rate (which serves as the benchmark for bank interest rates) ranges from 0 to 0.25%. Previously, the Fed indicated that it expects to maintain a near-zero interest rate through 2023. The central bank targets an average inflation rate of 2 percent throughout time, so it appears not particularly concerned with the recent spike. In recent comments, Fed chairman Jerome Powell noted that the committee was monitoring “a broad range of financial conditions,” rather than focusing on addressing just one.³

Besides, Fed officials expected inflation to increase as the U.S. economy reopened. The surge in prices is expected to be temporary, as it is simply a matter of a supply crunch after months of pent-up demand. It’s normal that prices for hotel rooms, rental cars, used vehicles, sporting events and restaurants will go back to their pre-pandemic levels. Once jobs, consumerism and inflation reach a level of normalization, the Fed will consider whether it needs to raise the target federal funds rate.⁴

In terms of the investment market response, CNBC’s Jim Cramer observed that people expected high inflation due to stimulus and jobs numbers. As a result, when the numbers were announced the market didn’t panic – thus far it has taken the high inflation number in stride. Cramer went on to note that raising interest rates won’t solve all the problems that occurred last year. In many cases, only time can resolve them.⁵

Likewise, time may resolve the current labor shortage, as restaurants and hotels struggle to find enough workers to fill open jobs. Additionally, the current strong economy could solve for the national minimum wage debate without the need to pass new legislation. For example, retailers Amazon, Costco and Target have all voluntarily increased wages to $15/hr or more to meet demand. This strategy follows the traditional economic principle of supply and demand, in which the only way to stay competitive in the labor market is to increase wages. After all, workers have to keep up with the rising costs of housing, childcare, food and transportation.

Speaking of childcare, after decades of working mothers in the labor market, it will be interesting to see if the rising economy also can address the problem of childcare. During the pandemic, more women than men left their jobs to stay home with children sidelined from schools and childcare centers. This phenomenon may continue until employers — or legislators — come up with a solution. It will be difficult for the American economy to advance while there are millions of unemployed women staying home because of trouble securing child care.

The pandemic also convinced twice the number of Baby Boomers to retire than the previous year. Raising wages and providing more childcare resources, paid parental leave and paid vacation time may be the only way to woo more people back into the labor force.⁶

¹ Greg Depersio. Investopedia. Aug. 22, 2020. “What happens when inflation and unemployment are positively correlated?” https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/040715/what-happens-when-inflation-and-unemployment-are-positively-correlated.asp. Accessed June 11, 2021.

² Greg Iacurci. CNBC. June 8, 2021. “Gold as an inflation hedge? History suggests otherwise.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/08/gold-as-an-inflation-hedge-history-suggests-otherwise.html. Accessed June 11, 2021.

³ Knowledge@Wharton. June 1, 2021. “Inflation: What Lies Ahead?” https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/inflation-what-lies-ahead/. Accessed June 12, 2021.

⁴ Patti Domm. CNBC. June 11, 2021. “Inflation is hotter than expected, but it looks temporary and likely won’t affect Fed policy yet.” https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/10/inflation-hotter-than-expected-but-transitory-wont-affect-fed-policy.html. Accessed June 11, 2021.

⁵ Tyler Clifford. CNBC. June 10, 2021. “Jim Cramer reacts to red-hot inflation number: ‘The market took it in stride’.” https://www.cnbc.com/video/2021/06/10/jim-cramer-reacts-to-inflation-report-the-market-took-it-in-stride.html. Accessed June 11, 2021.

⁶ Sarah Hansen. Forbes. May 15, 2021. “Could Covid-19 Worker Shortages Create A $15 Minimum Wage—Even Without A New Law?” https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhansen/2021/05/15/could-covid-19-worker-shortages-create-a-15-minimum-wage-even-without-a-new-law/?sh=1ae0db234929. Accessed June 11, 2021.

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Retirement Withdrawal Strategies

As hard as retirement saving and investing may seem, that’s the easy part. The real challenge is figuring out how to make your accumulated savings last throughout your and your spouse’s retirements. You need a strategy, and it’s best to have that strategy developed before retirement begins.

Because life expectancy is longer these days, many retirees need to maintain a growth component in their investment portfolio during retirement. That adds an extra challenge to your distribution strategy. The goals for drawing down funds include minimizing market risk to an equity allocation, coping with variable income that may be impacted by market returns, minimizing taxes, and supporting an increase in income needs associated with late-stage medical and long term care. It’s important to understand how these goals and needs interact to customize a retirement distribution strategy, and we can help you with that. Contact us to learn more.

Given that an investment portfolio may need to keep growing even after you retire, it’s important to consider “sequence of returns” risk. This basically means that if you retire around the time of a significant market decline, you can greatly deplete the principal from which you draw retirement income throughout the long term, subsequently having to reduce your retirement lifestyle or risk running out of money. To combat this risk, retirees should remain flexible. For example, continue to work past your planned retirement date if the market has a setback, or even re-enter the workforce post-retirement to help supplement your income and give investments time recover.¹

Once you retire, you can set up a systematic withdrawal plan if you need to supplement your regular household income. If your retirement plan indicates you’ll need more money at different stages, consider the bucket strategy, wherein you allocate certain investments (“buckets”) for different stages so you have new assets to tap as you age. This strategy may also enable you to retain a more aggressive equity allocation in buckets you plan to tap later.²

To help minimize taxes in a retirement portfolio, alternatives could be to first withdraw from taxable assets (e.g., brokerage account), then tax-deferred plans (e.g., 401(k) and traditional IRA) and finally tax-free assets (e.g., Roth IRA). This approach gives your tax-advantaged accounts more time to grow tax-deferred. By planning to tap tax-free assets last, there’s a better chance of leaving tax-free income for your heirs.

However, it’s important to tailor your draw-down strategy for your personal circumstances, taking into account your retirement tax bracket. For example, a moderate-income household with multiple account types may want to draw a combination of tax-free, taxable and tax-deferred assets from the beginning to stay within a lower marginal tax bracket.³

It’s also important to consider the best time to start receiving Social Security benefits. Here, too, conventional wisdom recommends delaying as long as possible; preferably to age 70 for maximum accrual. Wayne Pfau, co-director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income, would like to see the Social Security Administration extend the age to which additional delayed retirement credits (8% a year starting at full retirement age) accrue on benefits until age 72. This would be an effective way to encourage people to work longer and reward them for doing so. Even if they don’t work longer, investors can draw down income from their taxable accounts to reduce the value of their employer accounts and IRAs. Then, when they do begin drawing their larger Social Security benefit for life, they also benefit from lower required minimum distributions (RMD) to help them stay in a lower income tax bracket.⁴

The key is to customize a retirement distribution strategy for each household’s situation, taking into consideration factors such as health and life expectancy (of both spouses), retirement income needs, where assets are invested, tax bracket management and what assets are best positioned for an inheritance.

¹ BlackRock. 2021. “Will my income last a lifetime?” https://www.blackrock.com/us/individual/insights/retirement-income. Accessed June 4, 2021.

² Curtis V. Cloke. Retirement InSight and Trends. May 4, 2021. “Advanced Annuity and Tax Strategies for Retirement Income.” https://www.retirement-insight.com/advanced-annuity-and-tax-strategies-for-retirement-income/. Accessed June 4, 2021.

³ T. Rowe Price. February 2021. “How to Get More Out of Your Retirement Account Withdrawals.” https://www.troweprice.com/content/dam/iinvestor/resources/insights/pdfs/how-to-get-more-out-your-retirement-account-withdrawals.pdf. Accessed June 4, 2021.

⁴ Ginger Szala. ThinkAdvisor. May 6, 2021. “Wade Pfau Makes Case for Raising Top Social Security Claiming Age to 72.” https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2021/05/06/wade-pfau-makes-case-for-raising-top-social-security-claiming-age-to-72/. Accessed July 7, 2021.

Neither the firm nor its agents or representatives may give tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult with a qualified professional for guidance before making any purchasing decisions. We are an independent firm helping individuals create retirement strategies using a variety of insurance and investment products to custom suit their needs and objectives. This material is intended to provide general information to help you understand basic financial planning strategies and should not be construed as financial or investment advice. All investments are subject to risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss in periods of declining values.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Monday, August 9, 2021

Midyear Market Outlooks

In its midyear review, market analysts at Charles Schwab say that economic growth in the United States may have peaked in the second quarter of this year, and it believes China experienced its peak in the fourth quarter of 2020. However, Schwab is bullish on Europe’s prospects for the rest of this year. It notes that the rollout of Europe’s largest-ever stimulus plan should aid growth and the region still has some way to go before peaking — meaning eurozone stocks could deliver further gains.1

Consider that, because the overall stock market performed well in the first half of the year while bonds underperformed, it’s possible your asset allocation may be skewed. Feel free to contact us for advice on rebalancing your portfolio midyear. This will enable you to cash in on gains and reassess how to potentially position your equity allocation given market projections for the second half of 2021.

Morgan Stanley is bullish on sustained growth in the U.S., citing three factors that appear to be driving the economy. The first is the high savings and consumer spending rate. Despite job losses throughout 2020, U.S. households were bolstered by stimulus payments and supplemental unemployment benefits. As a result, the average household income has already exceeded its pre-COVID level. Consumer demand fuels corporate prospects, so the money manager expects capital spending to continue here and in other developed countries throughout the globe. And finally, Morgan Stanley economists predict that the nation’s core inflation will rise above 2% by year’s end, but not enough to trigger the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.2

At JP Morgan, economists believe that robust growth and rising inflation in the U.S. will prompt the Fed to taper bond purchases by the end of this year and begin to raise short-term rates as early as the fourth quarter of 2022. Investors should consider that rising rates will produce higher yields that will increase pressure equity valuations. Furthermore, the falling dollar will benefit international equities. The money manager recommends investors consider higher allocations to international equities and alternatives in the near-term.3

In the fixed income market, Raymond James emphasizes the importance of strategic asset allocation to maintain portfolio balance, regardless of the current interest rate environment. The firm’s fixed income experts believe the 10-year Treasury will end the year in the range of 1.25% to 1.80%. By diversifying assets with a balanced approach, investors can preserve principal and allocate for growth in assets expected in appreciate in price.4

In the stock market, given the reopening of the U.S. economy, Ameriprise Financial expects continued price growth among cyclical value stocks, improving business trends and strong year-over-year profit growth. While stock fundamentals remain strong, they suffer more from investor views that the market isn’t performing as strong as it could be, which can damper enthusiasm. Going forward, Ameriprise analysts caution that share prices may fluctuate due to changes in growth expectations. Given the uncertainties related to higher inflation and supply shortages, they recognize that short-term conditions may be volatile through the summer but, in the long term, the current environment favors stocks.5

1 Charles Schwab. June 15, 2021. “2021 Mid-Year Market Outlook: Peak or Pause?” https://www.schwab.com/resource-center/insights/content/quarterly-market-outlook. Accessed June 16, 2021.

2 Morgan Stanley. June 9, 2021. “2021 Midyear Economic Outlook: A Business Investment Surge Ahead.” https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/global-economy-midyear-outlook-2021. Accessed June 16, 2021.

3 JP Morgan. 2021. “The Investment Outlook for 2021: A Midyear Review.” https://am.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/jpm-am-aem/global/en/insights/market-insights/investment-outlook-2021-us.pdf. Accessed June 16, 2021.

4 Doug Drabik. Raymond James. June 14, 2021. “Midyear Rate Review: Markets and Investing.” https://www.raymondjames.com/commentary-and-insights/markets-investing/2021/06/14/bond-market-commentary. Accessed June 16, 2021.

5 Anthony Saglimbene. Ameriprise Financial. June 15, 2021. “Midyear market review: What’s ahead for stocks.” https://www.ameriprise.com/financial-news-research/insights/midyear-market-review. Accessed June 16, 2021.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Demographics Differing on Retirement Plans

According to PwC’s recent Retirement in America report, the median retirement savings among people ages 55 to 64 is $120,000. Unfortunately, that likely would provide less than $1,000 per month for a retiree, for only 15 years.¹

There’s an interesting dichotomy among demographics when it comes to retirement planning these days. There are those who believe they will work beyond age 70, or even never retire. Some believe they’ll need to keep working for financial reasons, while others simply want to stay engaged.² But then there’s another cohort (one-third of workers younger than 54) who aspire to retire by age 55, according to a 2020 survey by the research firm Hearts & Wallets.³

Clearly, the pandemic affected some households’ financial situation more than others. But the primary way to successfully fund retirement is to have a plan, and those who want to retire early generally do. Those who think they’ll never be able to stop working may have either failed to plan adequately or circumstances conspired to send those plans awry. Wherever you are in your planning stage, it never hurts to get advice. We’d be happy to review your current finances — and your retirement plan if you already have one — to either get you on track or ensure you’re still on the right path to retiring when and how you want.

Bear in mind that approximately 40 million people do not have the advantage of investing in an employer-sponsored retirement plan because they work for a small business. There appears to be a growing trend to address this situation, as multi-employer and pooled-employer plans (MEP/ PEP) are starting to come on board. These plans are designed to allow small employers to share investment and administrative costs.⁴

A 2019 survey of retirement plan participants by American Century Investments found that the number one regret among retirees was not saving enough money for retirement. Not saving enough could lead to working longer than you wanted or scaling back to a lower-cost retirement lifestyle.⁵

For current retirees or those expecting to retire soon, recognize that the recent rise in inflation is not without its advantages. For example, in April the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased to 4.7% over 12 months ago. This inflation measure is the one that Social Security uses to make annual cost of living adjustments (COLA) to benefits — which means the next COLA increase could reflect that 4.7% increase next year. For context, Social Security benefits rose by only 1.3% in 2021. The actual adjustment will be calculated later this year based on how inflation continues to perform, with the final determination generally announced after the third quarter.⁶

Content prepared by Kara Stefan Communications.

¹ PwC. 2021. “Retirement in America: Time to rethink and retool.” https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/asset-wealth-management/library/retirement-in-america.html. Accessed June 15, 2021.

² American Advisors Group. May 6, 2021. “Nearly One in Three Seniors Plan to Work Past 70 or Never Retire, According to AAG Survey.” https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nearly-one-in-three-seniors-plan-to-work-past-70-or-never-retire-according-to-aag-survey-301285256.html. Accessed May 31, 2021.

³ Hearts & Wallets. March 16, 2021. “Retirement Resurgence: Americans Who ‘Aspire to Retire by 55;’ Anticipation of Increasing Number of Income Sources.” https://www.heartsandwallets.com/docs/press/press_release_2021-03-16_Retirement_Resurgence_Americans_Who_Aspire_to_Retire_by_55_Goal_More_Income_Sources.pdf. Accessed June 15, 2021.

⁴ Stephen Miller, CEBS. Nov. 16, 2020. “DOL Final Rule Paves the Way for 2021 Launch of Pooled 401(k) Plans.” https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/dol-final-rule-paves-way-for-2021-launch-of-pooled-401k-plans.aspx. Accessed June 29, 2021.

⁵ Brian Mayfield. American Century Investments. 2021. “4 Reasons to Rethink Cashing Out Your Retirement.” https://www.americancentury.com/content/direct/en/insights/guidance-planning/retirement/saving-for-retirement/rollover-options/cashing-out-retirement-401k-ira-four-considerations.html. Accessed May 31, 2021.

⁶David Payne. Kiplinger. June 28, 2021. “What is the Social Security COLA?” https://www.kiplinger.com/article/retirement/t051-c000-s010-what-is-the-social-security-cola.html. Accessed June 29, 2021.

The information contained in this material is believed to be reliable, but accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed; it is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.