Considering that we don’t know how long we’ll live, or what our future costs might be, running out of money during retirement is understandably one of the biggest concerns for retirees. The cost of healthcare is on a steady incline, people are living longer and let’s not forget – inflation. While proper financial planning can’t completely eliminate the risk of running out of money during retirement, it can make it less likely from happening.

Whether you’ve chosen to retire, or it’s been forced upon you, retire­ment is inevitable. The key to a comfortable retirement is proper financial planning and making sacrifices pre-retirement that allow you to save more for the future and to essentially enjoy retirement.

Minimising your fixed expenses (things that you can’t go without, i.e. food and shelter, etc.), starting a retirement spending plan where you set aside ‘fun money’ to do things during retirement like travel or enjoy a day out with friends, and monitoring the performance of your pension to ensure that you are getting good returns on your investments are all things that can contribute to a more comfortable retirement.

If you own your own home, in a lot of cases that is consid­ered to be your largest asset and using it during retirement may be something to consider. You could potentially rent out your home and find somewhere less expensive to live while using the rental income to help fund your retirement.

Typically, people who are retired have been working for forty to fifty years and have developed some kind of skillset that may allow them to do some consulting while retired, which will also help to gen­erate income.

Depending on your healthcare needs, you may want to look at the differences in cost between private and government health care, and even decide between a landline or mobile phone. These are just some ways to hold on to some extra funds.

Imagine you’ve recently retired, and a friend calls you one day to tell you that your favourite musical group will be performing in NYC next month and suggests that the two of you make a weekend out of it. Wouldn’t it be great to just say, ‘Yes, let’s go!’ without too much hesitation? Or on a smaller scale, a trip to the movies or how about a nice dinner out with friends? These are all things that can be achieved through proper financial plan­ning and making small sacrifices pre-retirement.

Retirement is supposed to be a time of freedom and relaxation, when time essentially is your own. I met with a retiree and her husband recently, and while we were chatting about life and their retirement plans, her husband mentioned that he had recently retired and got rid of his watch and cell phone because he is now ‘On his own time’ – wow, what a powerful realisation!

In my position, I am fortunate enough to meet with such a versa­tile group of people; I take away a little something each time I meet with someone, and although it’s my job to educate people on the importance of saving for the long term, I walk away from each meet­ing learning something from each of my clients.

Whether you are 21, just start­ing out in life and are already think­ing long-term, have elderly parents who are currently retired, and this has made you start to think about your own financial plans, or you are already retired, I believe that at each of these ‘stages of life’ there are ways to save.

Being able to fund your own retirement without relying on friends or family to help is a con­siderable achievement. With the proper financial planning set in place before retirement, this can be achieved.

‘Retirement is wonderful if you have two essentials – much to live on and much to live for.’ – Author Unknown

Danielle Pacheco is a Pen­sion Sales Advisor at Freisen­bruch-Meyer Insurance Services. If you would like any further details, please contact her at dpacheco@ fmgroup.bm or call 294-4660.

The post Costs Keep Rising but My Pension is Fixed – What Can I Do? appeared first on RG Magazines.

As many readers will be aware, the Government of Ber­muda recently decided to make amendments to the National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pensions) Act 1998. These changes reflect the fact that both regulatory practice and pension provider practice has evolved since the Act was introduced 20 years ago.

The Act is administered by the Pension Commission, which is a quango (otherwise known as a private entity with a public purpose). The primary functions of the Pension Commission are to register pension plans, provide oversight for the ultimate protection and benefit of all pension plan members by serving as a market conduct regulator inter­facing between the pension providers and their individual pension plan members, and advising the government on any pension-related matter as required.

Essentially there are 3 pillars, (or layers of coverage), that combine to make a private pension scheme. The first pillar is government social insurance; the second is the nation­al pension scheme (which supplements social insurance), and the third pillar is discretionary income which individuals invest privately.

According to Peter Sousa, the Pension Commission­er, “employer pensions are becoming a primary source of retirement income and the changes are being made to the National Pension Scheme in keeping with changes being implemented in other jurisdictions such as the UK.”

These changes will provide the Commission with more re­sources through the collection of fees from pension provider companies that cannot be passed on to plan members. In turn, the Commission will initiate provisions to ensure pen­sion providers are giving good advice and require employers to keep comprehensive records in relation to pension plans. The Commission will also be empowered to assess new penalties on employers who fail to meet their obligations under the Act, and even require employers to pay interest on any delinquent contributions.

In keeping with policy in other jurisdictions, once these changes have been fully phased in, all employed persons over the age of 23 who have not reached retirement age will be required to have an employer pension regardless of their immigration status, and all individuals will now have greater access to their funds upon retirement.

At retirement, any account balance below $50,000 can be taken as a lump sum cash settlement. Additionally, for ac­counts in excess of $50,000, a member will be able to make an application to take up to 25% of their account balance (or 25% of the commuted value of their benefits if they are en­rolled in a defined benefit plan) in a lump sum cash payment. This will enable individuals to use the money more effectively then would be the case if they were only able to access a small monthly payment over a prolonged period of time.

Non-Bermudians who have paid into a pension scheme will be able to transfer their pension balances to another plan overseas when they leave the island, or apply to receive a cash withdrawal if the Commission is satisfied that the individual has no existing connections to the island (such as a Bermudian spouse) and does not ever intend to return to Bermuda.

The Pension Commission plays an important role in ed­ucating the public. “A holistic retirement plan does not just provide money for expenses in retirement,” says Sousa, “it is the foundation of dignity and quality of life as you age”.

Equally, the public needs access to trustable information regarding the financial impact of these lump-sum withdraw­als on monthly retirement income, and good advice regard­ing how to invest retirement income so that it continues to grow throughout your retirement life.

To address financial hardship situations, Sousa says that individuals have always been able to make an application to receive up to 20% of their occupational pension con­tributions balance to offset uncovered medical expenses, mortgage arrears, rental arrears, or educational expenses for themselves or a dependent.

These hardship Applications are limited to once every 5 years and a maximum of twice in a lifetime and the total amount cannot exceed 20% other pension balance.

As a result of the recent amendments, both employed persons and retirees (regardless of age) are eligible to apply for financial hardship payments, and the funds are also available to meet the cost of on-island funeral expenses or to cover the cost of housing for University students studying abroad who live off-campus.

Retirement planning is about more than just your pension fund accumulation. The core issue according to Mr Sousa is to understand your pension plan as early as possible and ask questions with your pension provider on a regular basis. It’s your pension and you must be aware of how it works today, in the future, and especially in retirement.

The Bermuda Pension Commission is located at Wessex House, 45 Reid Street, Hamilton (441) 295-8672 info@pen­sioncommission.bm

The post Making Your Pension the Foundation of Your Holistic Retirement Plan appeared first on RG Magazines.