Tax Savings, Asset Protection, New Year's Resolution, Estate taxes, inflation

9 Strategies to Protect Your Retirement Savings From Inflation

Inflation-1
 
What is Inflation? Simply put, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services that occurs over a period of time. From a consumer standpoint, inflation corresponds to a loss in the purchasing power of money. Inflation is the prime culprit for why Dollar Tree now charges $1.25 per item or why ‘penny candy’ now costs several dollars per pound.
 
While many variables are linked to inflation, there are two core categories: demand-driven inflation and cost-driven inflation. Demand-driven inflation is essentially a “supply and demand” issue, where prices increase because consumer demand outpaces supply. This can result from a shortage of raw materials, a labor deficit, or the inability to manufacture at the required rate. Similarly, cost-driven inflation occurs when there is a supply shortage coupled with sufficient demand to allow producers to raise prices. Global supply chain issues are a prime factor
in cost-driven inflation. 
 
The inflation rate is measured on an ongoing basis in several different ways. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes multiple variations of the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) each month, including All Items CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the CPI-U for All Items Less Food and Energy. The CPI-U for All Items Less Food and Energy is referred to as the “core” CPI, and as its name suggests, does not factor the price of food or energy into its measure of inflation. 
 
Below are some examples of index increases as of November 2022, noting that the increases in fuel costs disproportionally impact people in the Northeast.
 
ITEM                                                INCREASE
• Fuel Oil                                         65.7%
• Piped Gas Service                       15.5%
• Transportation Services            14.2%
• Electricity                                     13.7% 
• Food and Groceries                    12%
• Gasoline                                        10.1%
 
Most people think in constant dollar terms, yet every year money saved has the ability to purchase less and less as time passes. If Inflation is occurring at 2-3% annually, as it has historically, you don’t notice its effects until 20-30 years elapse and the price of things has doubled.When you have a 10% or greater rate of inflation in any given year, you notice the effects quite suddenly.  
 
Food and energy costs make up a disproportionate amount of most retirees’ overall expenses. Food consumption is unavoidable and the cost of energy directly impacts heating, electric and gasoline prices. The cost of energy also indirectly impacts us in many ways: anything that is shipped or transported is affected by the price of energy, including your Amazon deliveries, the medicines that you take, and even the food that you purchase at the supermarket. Food prices are also very volatile because of the success or failure of crops at different rates based on storms or natural disasters. Right now, the war in Ukraine is affecting both food and energy prices. 
 
So what can you do to mitigate the inevitable effects of Inflation? 
Here are nine actionable tips that can save you money now and in the long term.
 
1. Long-Term Care Planning  The cost of long-term care is one of the most significant costs for seniors, and it is increasing at high rates. If you and your spouse do not have a concrete plan for protecting assets against the cost of long-term care, consider putting a trust in place to cover these costs. Having a trust in place can help shield against some of the highest costs you may face in retirement. Without proper planning, even a well-crafted financial plan can be completely decimated if one spouse suddenly needs long-term care for an extended period of time.
 
2. Adjust Your Investments   Ensure that a sizable portion of your retirement assets are investments that will rise in value commensurate with Inflation. Examples include real estate, stocks, and inflation-protected bonds.
 
3. Manage Purchasing Power Risk Consider managing risk in your portfolio by looking at the risk to your purchasing power and income, not just your risk to principal. Be aware of the long-term compound effects of inflation on purchasing power.
 
4. Keep Some Assets in Short-term Investments Always keep some assets in short-term investments that will allow you to ride out any recession so you are not forced to sell volatile assets in a downturn. Talk to an investment advisor about managing your investment allocation annually. 
 
5. Look for Strategic Reductions Consider your lifestyle and see if there are areas for strategic reductions to counter the additional costs of living. For example, do you really need a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath house for just two people? Yes, it’s nice to have extra bedrooms for when the grandchildren visit, but is the convenience outweighed by higher property taxes, insurance, energy and maintenance costs? 
 
6. Consolidate Accounts to Reduce Fees Assess the fees you may incur by having investments scattered among multiple advisors or custodians. Consider consolidating your accounts to obtain lower rates and avoid hidden fees.
 
7. Review Your Insurance Policies Evaluate your insurance and make sure you have adequate coverage. Perhaps there are things that you are insuring that you no longer need or want or use frequently. Unused boats, cars and jewelry can be sold or donated, allowing you to reduce your cost of coverage.
 
8. Triage and Sell Some Extra Heirlooms Ask your heirs if they want all the heirlooms you’ve collected; if not, liquidate them to defray other costs. For example, you may be surprised to learn that your children are not interested in your antique jewelry, pocket watches and collections of figurines.
 
9. Pay Attention to Taxes Finally, if you’re paying more than $50,000 per year in taxes, you may wish to consult with one of our attorneys to discuss how to optimize the tax strategies for your unique situation and your investment portfolio.

January 18, 2023

Tax Savings, Will, Elder Care, Estate taxes, executor help

Five Common Mistakes Made by Executors & How to Avoid Them

Stressed

Administering a trust or an estate is an important responsibility. In addition to keeping track of all relevant assets, income and expenses, executors must attend to the interests of the beneficiaries while often undergoing the grieving process themselves. Here are five common mistakes to avoid:

1. Failure to Consider Carrying Costs

Carrying costs can quickly accumulate and eat away at the value of an estate, so when it comes to the estate settlement process, time is money. The executor should ensure that ongoing costs such as property taxes, insurance and lawn care or snow removal are met, while acting decisively to liquidate assets that cost the estate money.

Other costs may include making necessary repairs and reviewing insurance coverage for a vacant home. It is recommended that the executor organizes the sale or transfer of the home as soon as is practicable.

2. Failure to Consider Opportunity Costs 

Just as the value of a decedent’s residence is subject to carrying costs, there are opportunity costs to leaving assets in an estate as well. Inflation will inevitably diminish the value of assets held in an estate. Also, some assets may be subject to unexpected losses and could be put to better use in other investments or be used to pay down debt and thereby reduce interest payments and fees. Over time, these opportunity costs can reduce a person’s legacy by 10 percent per year or more. A prudent executor will work quickly to gather and distribute all assets from the estate as soon as is legally permissible, giving the beneficiaries the opportunity to use or grow their inheritance.

3. Sentimentality and Slow Decision Making 

As the executor of a loved one’s estate you will need to process your own grief while also making practical decisions. It may be helpful to think of your role as an executor as a professional responsibility, separate from your obligation to the decedent as a family member or friend. This will give you the distance to make business-like decisions for the estate, and not sink into sentimentality. The decedent trusted you to be organized, diligent and professional in carrying out their final wishes in a prudent and expeditious fashion. If the decedent was a loved one, it may be beneficial – even healing – for you and other beneficiaries to spend some time examining their possessions and revisiting memories. Beware, though, of getting lost in minutiae as it can quickly increase your costs while not significantly increasing your inheritance.

4. Not Hiring Professional Help

Many individuals adopt a “do it yourself” approach to administering an estate instead of hiring professionals, such as accountants, appraisers, lawyers and contractors. What many people don’t realize is that by “DIY-ing” it, the savings to any one beneficiary is low, but the liability for the executor can be extremely high. If you or another non-professional unknowingly violate building codes, miss deadlines, or simply fail to acquire necessary licenses or permits, beneficiaries may seek to impose liability. In addition, a good accountant and attorney are well worth their fees for what they may save you in taxes and time.

5. Ignoring the Calendar 

Be sure to keep track of tax filing dates, real estate cycles, and seasonal costs. For most clients, filing estate and trust income tax returns on a calendar year (vs. fiscal year) basis makes the most sense. As a result, you will want to keep an eye on the calendar so that you can reduce the number of years required for filing returns. Imagine a client who passed away late in the year: most likely, it will be impossible to close out his or her estate in a few months, and therefore tax returns may be required for two years at least. 

Real estate cycles are also important to keep in mind regarding the sale of the decedent’s home, which is often their largest asset. Allow appropriate time to clear out a residence, make needed repairs, and hire professional cleaners to present the property in a good light, but do not embark on a program of major capital improvements. Realtors say that March, April and May are the best months to list a home, while November and December are the worst. In addition to putting a home on the market when it has the best chance of selling for a high price, it is important to think about allowing yourself enough time between the sale and the applicable filing deadlines to file all necessary paperwork and tax returns.

Summing Up

As you can see, an executor is trusted with dozens of projects, many of which interrelate. Getting stuck at any one stage can lead to delays and disruptions which over time compound and can create enormous opportunity costs which in turn can result in liability to the executor or trustee. Navigating the winding path between decisive action and careful consideration can prove tricky without the guidance of a seasoned professional. At Donohue, O’Connell & Riley, our attorneys have “seen this movie before” and even though this might be your first time serving as an executor or trustee, it is definitely not ours. Our attorneys have collectively spent over 100 years administering trusts and estates and can guide you along the long road to the conclusion of the estate administration process, while providing an independent perspective at one degree of removal from the difficult emotional circumstances that you will be handling.

January 7, 2022

News, Tax Savings, Tax Exemption, Estate taxes

Retirement Landscape: Estate Taxes

Estate_Taxes

The quality of your retirement can be impacted by state-level taxes, such as income, sales and property taxes. Taxes tend to lead to inflation, meaning the cost of living trends higher in high tax states. Your spending power will thus be greater in states with low state taxes. Retiring in a state with high taxes, such as California where income taxes alone range up to 13%, means paying a large chunk of your retirement income to the state, diminishing your spending power. Consider how you plan to spend during retirement; do you prefer to make your home a vacation destination for others, or do you want to be the one travelling? If the latter, putting down roots in a small home in a state with low taxes may give you the financial freedom you want to see the country or the world. 

Still another factor to consider is the taxes payable upon death, commonly called estate taxes or inheritance taxes. An estate tax is based on the value of the decedent’s gross estate (all the real and personal property the decedent owned); whereas an inheritance tax is based on the relationship between the decedent and the beneficiary. The chart on the right identifies the states with a state-level death tax. Estate taxes are highest in Washington, which currently has a 20% estate tax on estates over $11.2 million. Other tough tax jurisdictions include Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Oregon and Hawaii. Retirees who have family in these states may benefit from maintaining a primary residence in a low tax state, with a second home in the higher tax state.

Six states have an inheritance tax: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Nebraska and Iowa. Although bequests to spouses are exempt from inheritance tax, bequests to children, siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins, or close friends may bear a high tax. Crossing the border to a state without an inheritance tax can save your loved ones hundreds of thousands of dollars. For example, a niece who inherits from an aunt who passes away in New Jersey with a $5 million estate will pay approximately $750,000 to the State of New Jersey; however, if the same aunt died a New York resident, there would be no inheritance tax liability. 

Another way to take advantage of tax-friendly jurisdictions is by establishing a trust in that state. In New Hampshire, trusts are exempt from state-level income, sales and estate taxes. Consider again a woman living in New York or New Jersey with a $7 million estate. If she were to transfer her investments to a New Hampshire trust, her niece could inherit from the trust without having to pay estate or inheritance tax. Often people find that the tax savings they enjoy by establishing a New Hampshire trust more than pay for the costs and fees associated with setting up and maintaining the trust. Each individual’s circumstances are different. Working with your investment advisor and accountant, our attorneys can create a custom estate plan that will maximize your spending power in retirement and help you navigate your own retirement map.

Estate_Taxes_Map_Legend

 

 

January 18, 2021