Category Archives: Retirement Income

Posts about creating and keeping retirement income from Mike Branch, certified financial planner in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Important Birthdays Over 50


Photo by Jorge Ibanez on Unsplash

My family has a lot of summer birthdays. My wife and I, both our kids, my dad, two of our siblings, a few aunts and uncles and several cousins all have birthdays within a few weeks of each other.

When my kids were little, they thought everyone had a summer birthday.

This summer my oldest will reach the first of many milestone birthdays: 16! And you know what that means: Vroom, Vroom and Cha Ching!

When you are older, milestone birthdays continue to roll on and eventually even “and-a-half” birthdays start to make a comeback.

In fact, starting at age 50, several birthdays and “half-birthdays” are critical to understand because they have implications regarding your retirement income.

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10 Things To Know About the Required Beginning Date For IRAs

This article, written by Ed Slott IRA Analyst, Sarah Brenner, originally ran on The Slott Report.

Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash

Adding money to an IRA is easy. Knowing when and how to take money out of an IRA while complying with all the rules and regulations surrounding IRAs and retirement plans — that is the tricky part.

All IRA owners must begin taking Required Minimum Distributions or RMDs from their IRA by April 1 of the year after the year they turn 70 ½.

But the rules don’t stop there.

This article, written by Ed Slott IRA Analyst, Sarah Brenner, originally ran on The Slott Report.

You can learn more about IRAs from Ed Slott and his team, by clicking here.

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A Primer on Dividends

How dividends can be used to increase your total return and provide reliable income in retirement

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Many of my clients use dividends as part of their long-term retirement income plan. Dividends provide consistent, recurring income that often rises with inflation.

Even clients who are still in the “accumulation phase” of their investment plan can benefit from owning stocks and mutual funds that pay dividends.

Click here to see how.

 

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7 Strategies To Get More Retirement Income From Social Security

5th and final post in a series

The adage “It’s not what you make, but what you keep” applies to your Social Security benefits in retirement as much as to your paycheck when you were working. How much of your Social Security benefit you actually put in your pocket depends on your income, when you start taking benefits and other factors.

The best way for many people to put more Social Security money in their pocket may be to delay benefits up to age 70. However, that may not be possible or even the best choice for everyone.

If that describes you, consider these 7 strategies to get more retirement income from Social Security.

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How Much Of Your Social Security Benefit Is Taxable?

4th in a series

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

For the past 40 years or more you have paid into the Social Security system with the promise that someday when you retire, you will receive a guaranteed monthly income for the rest of your life. Along the way, your employer has kicked in a matching contribution equal to 100% of your contribution.

At the end of your working life there should be a giant pile of cash with your name on it. And there is (figuratively speaking anyway). But it comes with a giant string attached.

In this case, the catch is that up to 85% of your monthly benefit is considered taxable income once it’s paid out to you. What’s more, depending on the state you live in, you may owe state income tax on those benefits as well. (Bad news fellow Minnesotans. We live in one of those states).

The following post will explain how much of your benefit is taxable and what, if anything, you can do about it.