Wealth Management Blog | WrapManager (56)

Are Households Positioned to Maintain Their Standard of Living in Retirement?

Posted by WrapManager's Investment Policy Committee

January 16, 2014

During our working years, the amount of income we earn is ultimately what shapes the spending and lifestyle choices we make. Over time, we become accustomed to living a certain way and having certain resources available to us and our families. These parameters are what create a person’s standard of living.

Retirement is different, of course, since we derive retirement income in different ways and from different sources. As a person makes the shift from the working world to the retirement world, an important question must be addressed: do you have the resources and assets needed to maintain the same standard of living in retirement as you did during your working years? Is your nest egg big enough?

Almost Half of American Households Won’t Have Enough Retirement Income

Research suggests that when it comes to maintaining a standard of living during retirement, many investors could be in trouble.

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Retirement Planning Outliving Money

Zacks Investment Management and Dividend-Focused Money Managers

January 15, 2014

With uncertainty surrounding the current and future interest rate environment, some investors are seeking potential alternatives to holding bonds in their portfolios. Dividend strategies surface as a popular alternative, given they can provide income and the potential for equity-like returns. When searching for dividend strategies, many investors inquire about money manager Zacks Investment Management, which has appeared on our Monthly Top Ten Most Researched Money Managers. For investors wanting to learn more, below we’ll provide information about Zacks’ Dividend Strategy and its investment objectives. (This is for informational and comparison purposes only. WrapManager is not affiliated with Zacks Investment Management, and it has not approved for use nor entered into contracts with them.) [+] Read More

ClearBridge Multi-Cap Growth: Investors Seeking a Growth Portfolio

January 14, 2014

In today’s fast paced investment world, it’s often tempting for investors to search for the “next hot thing,” or to seek out an investment approach they think could be the future of innovative investing. But what about looking for veteran money managers whose investment disciplines have withstood the test of time? ClearBridge Investments, a money manager with 45 plus years of experience.1 Below, we’ll take a closer look at the firm and its Multi-Cap Growth strategy. [+] Read More

An Investment Plan Can Help You Monitor Spending in Retirement

January 10, 2014

An investment plan is a tool you can use to help you understand where you stand in retirement at every step of the way. Are you still on track to reach your retirement goals? How likely is it you be able to maintain your current lifestyle throughout retirement? Can you afford your current and potential healthcare costs? How much will you be able to leave behind for your loved ones? A well-constructed investment plan can give you a good sense of the answers to these questions. Instead of figuring it out as you go, you can examine a variety of outcomes to help you make more informed choices. Factoring Spending Goals into Investment Plans Before you can use an investment plan to help monitor your spending in retirement, it’s important to provide detailed answers to some fairly basic questions: what are your income needs/desired income in retirement? How might those needs change over time? [+] Read More

Charles Schwab Recommends ThomasPartners – Is It a Good Investment for You?

January 9, 2014

Many investors are increasingly seeking out alternative income sources such as dividends. Perhaps recognizing this, Charles Schwab strategically acquired dividend money manager ThomasPartners and their Dividend-Driven Income strategy to provide this investment option to their clients. [+] Read More

New Year’s Resolution: Polish Up Your Investment Plan in Four Steps

January 7, 2014

As we enter the New Year, many folks will set out to focus more attention on their health and wellbeing. Indeed, the month of January experiences almost 50% more gym membership sign ups than other months. According to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, “more than 12 percent of gym members join in January, compared to an average of 8.3 percent per month for the full year.”1 While improving your personal health is a wonderful goal, we are encouraging investors to put more time and energy into strengthening their financial health. Taking a fresh look at your investment plan—or creating one for the first time—is a great way to get started. Four Steps to Strengthen the Health of Your Investment Plan Taken together, the below four steps can help put you on a better path to knowing where you stand financially, relative to your long-term goals. Try you to review these four things in detail with your financial advisor. If you don’t have one, it could be a good opportunity for you to seek one out, using this process as a means to evaluate the type of job a financial advisor could do for you. [+] Read More

2014 Tax Planning Tables

January 3, 2014

Tax season is gearing up and there are various deadlines depending on your tax situation. The below report lists out important dates throughout 2014. It also contains useful 2014 tax planning tables and information for several items, including: Income tax rate schedules, alternative minimum tax (AMT), capital gains, losses, and dividends, education planning, retirement accounts, Social Security benefits, Medicare tax rates, health and long-term care, federal trust and estate income tax, estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax, corporate income tax and municipal bond taxable-equivalent yields. Download the Full Report Here [+] Read More

Are Investors Really Saving Enough for Retirement?

January 2, 2014

The short answer is no, according to a recent study conducted by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Data in the study suggests that the gap between what people have saved, versus what they need for retirement, is quite significant and by any measure staggering. The funding gap is $6.6 trillion.1 The study examines several reasons why many investors are underfunding their retirement, but three factors stand out as particularly influential. When reviewing these findings below, it’s important for investors to weigh them respective to their own savings and investment plans, including how much retirement income they’ll need, in order to help determine how prepared they are for retirement. Three Reasons Why Nest Eggs Aren’t Big Enough 1) Investors Aren’t Saving Enough Some investors haven’t saved enough simply because they never determined how much they actually needed for retirement. This involves speaking with a financial advisor about what your retirement income needs are, and then determining an appropriate savings level and a desired return on investments over time needed to get there. [+] Read More

Windhaven Investment Management: Managing Risk in a Down Market

December 27, 2013

Money manager Windhaven Investment Management has ranked consistently in our Monthly Top Ten Most Researched Money Managers for some time. Many investors request information about Windhaven because they are attracted to Windhaven’s stated potential ability to capture returns in up-markets, while also seeking to limit losses during market downturns. Below are some insights to help investors who are evaluating Windhaven’s investment strategies. (This is for informational and comparison purposes only. WrapManager is not affiliated with Windhaven Investment Management, and it has not approved for use nor entered into contracts with them.) Windhaven Investment Management Investment Strategies Windhaven Investment Management is a Registered Investment Advisor firm based out of Boston, MA, with over $15 billion in assets under management.1 In November 2010, Charles Schwab acquired Windhaven in an effort to broaden their investment offerings to their clients.2 Windhaven’s investment strategies include Diversified Conservative, Diversified Growth, and Diversified Aggressive, of which Diversified Growth is the most popular.3 [+] Read More

ClearBridge Investments - The Coming Global Rebalancing

December 20, 2013

Money manager ClearBridge Investments' December commentary explains their view that many things remain out of balance in today's economy and are therefore unsustainable. Over time, many of these things should adapt to a more sustainable state. "More than five years after the global financial crisis, investors continue to grapple with volatile capital markets, political and social instability in many key regions of the globe, and lackluster economic growth. Interwoven with these challenges are numerous unsustainable conditions that have kept the global economy from achieving full recovery. From our semi-optimistic perspective, the environment is improving, the result of market forces that are attempting to reconnect society and the global economy, while replacing artificial distortions with real, sustainable economic factors." Download ClearBridge Investments' Full Commentary Here Get Free Research Reports on ClearBridge Investments [+] Read More