What We Do

"The best way to prepare for the future is to create it"

More For Your Future

Retirement
Readiness

Americans are generally living longer lives and enjoying more active and vibrant retirements.

IRA Rollover vs.
Employer 401k

If you have recently changed jobs leaving behind a 401k balance at your previous employer you likely are weighing your options.

Need a
Speaker?

Our workshop education helps you individually or your group understand the importance of financial planning.

How Can We Help You Through Your Journey of Life?

Retirement Readiness

With improvements in healthcare, diet and exercise habits, Americans are generally living longer lives and enjoying more active and vibrant retirements. Early retirement has also become more common, thus resulting in many retirees facing the challenge of not outliving their retirement assets.

Income Distribution planning is the process by which the assets you collected as you were preparing for retirement (the accumulation phase) are paid out to you during your retirement (the distribution phase). The strategies that you used during the accumulation phase are very different than the strategies that you would use during the distribution phase.

The assets from which you expect to create a vital stream of income during retirement face risk from economic turmoil, interest rate uncertainty, and market volatility. It is vital to correctly position your accumulated assets into a series of investments at retirement that is designed to provide you income for your lifetime.

The process that we use is called the NextPhase™ Retirement Income Planning Process; it is a time-segmented, inflation-adjusted strategy that is designed to help you find a balance of investment choices with different, complementary risk and growth opportunities.

The graphic below illustrates how your accumulated retirement assets are divided into different time-segments. The optional guaranteed income segment and the first pool are designed to offer immediate, regular income streams, while the other pools of investments are designed to grow over time. As time goes on, each pool is drained to fill the reservoir that provides your regular income stream. The strategy typically plans for 25 years, at which point the last pool can be divided up again to provide for a longer retirement or used for legacy planning.
Navigating the “Retirement Readiness Zone”

At Lifetime Financial Group, we focus on financial planning designed to build income that will last throughout your retirement. Our process pursues one of the most pressing needs of the growing retiree population: how to develop a “predictable and sustainable income that you will not outlive.” We have the software and tools specifically designed to produce a predictable income from your investments during a period in your life when stock market performance can greatly impact your situation. This process also includes optimizing your social security income. We understand that everyone’s situation is truly unique, and we are prepared to help you address your financial life with a plan that is customized and highly personal.

Our goal is for you to have a successful investment experience. We have found that, over time, proper management of a plan can make an impact on when or if a person is able to retire, and how secure he/she feels in retirement. 

Our Client Commitment demonstrates the process of how we add value and earn the trust of our clients.

Client Commitment

I. Overall Wealth Plan Servicing Philosophy

  • We believe that your retirement plan should offer a diversified selection of investments and insurance products.
  • We believe in “hands-on” education for our clients all the way through to the distribution planning stage.
  • We believe that any and all fees associated with your wealth plan should be reasonable.

II. Client Support

  • We will help you evaluate your current investment/insurance strategy.
  • We will help you develop an overall strategy that is tailored to your financial goals.
  • As independent advisors, we can offer a variety of non-proprietary investments and insurance products when constructing your wealth plan.
  • We will work in alliance with your accountant, attorney and other professionals.

III. Commitment to Client Education and Ongoing Service

  • We have the following educational resources available, i.e. website, weekly market commentary, and investor alerts.
  • We will work with you on a regular basis or as needed to answer any questions and to help ensure your wealth plan is up to date.
  • We specialize, with a strong focus on the distribution phase, for our clients that are within 10 years before or in retirement.

Overall Wealth Plan Servicing Philosophy

IRA Rollover vs. Employee 401K

8 Questions to Ask Yourself If you have recently changed jobs leaving behind a 401k balance at your previous employer you likely are weighing your options. Should you leave it or move it to an IRA? Here is a list of 8 of the most important questions you should ask yourself when considering this issue.

1. Is control of my account important to me?
Ongoing service of your 401k account will continue to be provided by your employer and their selected investment platform. Ongoing service of your IRA account would be provided by the financial advisor or investment institution you select.

2. Is investment choice important to me?
Many 401k plans offer a limited number of investment choices. IRAs tend to allow a much broader choice of investment selections. If choice is important to you, look closely at the investment options available in your 401k to determine if they are sufficient.

3. How much do I value regular feedback and personalized advice regarding my retirement savings?
401k plans may offer more limited personal assistance and advice than working with a financial advisor helping you establish a Rollover IRA. Advisors are generally available to meet with you personally on a regular basis to discuss your account. They also may be able to assist in consolidating advice and management of additional assets outside the 401k account.

4. Am I between ages 55 and 59 1/2?
Employees separating from their employer between ages 55 and 59 ½ are generally able to withdraw from their 401k plan without penalty. Withdrawals from an IRA between ages 55 and 59 ½ generally are subject to 10% early withdrawal penalty. All withdrawals are subject to normal income taxes.
5. Am I concerned about creditor protection?
Both IRAs and 401ks generally offer substantial credit protection. 401ks typically are entirely excluded from bankruptcy proceedings while IRAs are typically excluded up to a cap of $1 million. Rules do vary by state, so be sure to verify the specific rules for your state.

6. Do I understand how to compare fees and expenses?
It is impossible to say whether a 401k or IRA is more or less expensive than the other without examining the actual fees and expenses associated with your individual accounts. The financial advisor or investment institution recommending an IRA will disclose the associated fees and expenses. Your 401k, by law, is required to disclose expenses and fees associated with the plan on an annual basis. This information may also be obtained by requesting a copy of the Plan Document from your employer.

7. Do I own employer stock in my 401k plan?
Employee stock held within a 401(k) plan is eligible to take advantage of net unrealized appreciation strategy. Depending on your individual circumstance, this may allow for distributions to be taxed at a lower rate than your ordinary income tax rate. Distributions from IRAs will be taxable as ordinary income.

8. Am I familiar with my other options?
A Rollover IRA is not the only option to compare versus leaving a 401k balance behind in a previous employer’s 401k plan. You could take a lump sum cash distribution and liquidate your account. But remember, cash distributions will be subject to ordinary income tax and an additional 10% penalty if you are under age 59 ½. In many circumstances, you might also have the ability to roll your previous employer’s 401k plan into the 401k plan of your new employer. You should check the rules of your new employer’s 401k plan to determine eligibility.

Small Business Owners

As a Small Business Owner, you may be wearing many hats.  Setting up retirement for your employees that you also will benefit from can be low cost with life-changing benefits to your employees as you are giving them a small push to save and making it simple.  As a bonus, they can take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the financial professional associated with your plan. Win-Win!

As an employer, a company retirement plan may help you:

            • Save for your own retirement – Put away more money for retirement
              through most small-business plans than you might otherwise be able
              to save through an individual retirement account 
            • Receive tax credits and other incentives from the federal government
            • Attract — and keep — better employees 
            • Realize increased worker productivity
            • Deduct all employer contributions from current taxes 

 

Source – Capital Group Brochure – Know Your Retirement Plan Options

Lit. No. IRGEBR-017-0420P Litho in USA CGD/L/10130-S72283 © 2020 Capital Group. All rights reserved

Client Support

Need a Speaker?

Our workshop education helps you individually or your group understand the importance of financial planning. Jay and Teresa are more than happy to come speak at your place of business, conference, networking group, associations, or organization. Lifetime Financial Group provides live educational financial seminars to your members. We provide some great presentations on social security optimization and planning for income in retirement. If you have a group that is around 50 years old and older Lifetime Financial Group is the perfect place to go for help in navigating the "Retirement Readiness Zone."

We can speak on the following topics:

Envision Your future
The First Important Step to Financial Success
Retirement Spending Plan
Methods For Saving Money


Invest Your Money Wisely
The Basics of Investing
Portfolio Structure
Investment Strategies


Utilize Retirement Plans
Tax Qualified Plans
Regular and Roth IRA Plans
Deferred Compensation Plans


The Retirement Process
Listing Your Retirement Objectives
Determining Your Monthly Income
Planning for Longevity


Tax Strategies
Taxes and Retirement
Income Taxes and Tax Rates
Investment Tax Benefits


Distribute Your Estate As You Wish
How Much Does It Cost to Die?
Wills, Trusts, Ownership and the Law

Commitment to Client Education and Ongoing Service