News & Insights

On 20 December 2019, President Trump signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act into law*. The bill had already passed the House in a resounding 417-3 vote, and the reasons why it had near-unanimous bi-partisan support are clear.

SECURE promises to herald new ways of thinking about, and preparing for, retirement as the US moves into the 2020s. The Act seeks to enhance the coverage of qualified plan rules, not least by allowing smaller employers to collaborate so they can offer their staff 401(k) plans and, in a move that answers a frequent criticism, by giving long-standing part-time workers access to 401(k) plans.

All being well, when an individual reaches retirement they will have enough cashflow to continue their pre-retirement lifestyle; however, a new study indicates that many in the US will be unable to meet even their basic spending needs once they stop working.

The new report, from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), finds that despite accruing around three decades worth of savings into their 401(k) accounts, most retirement savers between the ages of 56 and 61 have a median account balance of $21,000.*

It would be tempting to think that younger people were better prepared, yet the same study reveals that the first generation of millennials are just as poorly, if not more poorly, prepared for retirement, with a median 401(k) saving of approximately $1,000.*

It is a curious thing that for an industry in which success largely lives or dies on the strength of diversity, it has taken a long time for the finance sector to cotton on to the value inherent in investing in female-founded and female-run companies.

There is a lot of debate, and conflicting advice, regarding the age at which it is best to take Social Security benefits.

Of course, if you are 62 and have no other source of income, the answer is taken out of your hands: you will probably need to claim.

However, for those people approaching retirement age who have made financial plans for the future, there is the liberty of choice. So, what are your options, and what should you do? Here are our Top Tips:

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal* suggested that now might be the time for investors to invest in commodities, particularly as part of a longer-term strategy such as a retirement plan, perhaps. The article stated that the best time to invest in an asset class is typically when its performance is at its worst. Given the recent and extended travails of commodities, it contended, they currently make for a potentially attractive prospect.

Commodities are raw materials that are either consumed without processing or are used as the foundations for other products. Examples of commodities range from timber, oil, nickel, gas or gold, to oranges, corn, coffee wheat, cattle and sheep.

Non-resident aliens and other expats living in the United States have many complex issues to overcome in order to ensure their pensions are both optimised in their best interests and compliant with the rules and regulations of their relevant cross-border jurisdictions.

However, even outside of these considerations, there are many potential retirement planning pitfalls.

Commentators have expressed concern that stocks could be getting too expensive, with some predicting that if the trend continues it could lead to an unwelcome and “nasty” correction*. This follows both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 recently hitting historic highs, while the Dow is only a half-percentage point rise from the same.

Edward Yardeni, a respected analyst of many years’ experience, recently released his market brief for November 2019 and warned that if the S&P forward earnings multiple reaches 19 or 20 – it is currently at 17, while a figure of 15 to 16 is more typical – it could be a sign that equities are significantly overvalued.