2018 Planning & Progress Study: Many Expect to Delay Retirement

One clear point of concern in the data is the increasing number of Americans who anticipate retiring at 70 years or older than in the “traditional 65 to 69 range.”

Northwestern Mutual has published its 2018 Planning & Progress Study; this year the annual research report is subtitled “Living Long and Working Longer” and focuses on the sizable opportunities and challenges facing U.S. workers and their long-term financial security.

The underlying data set represents some 2,000-plus U.S. adults, including an “over-sample of 601 interviews with U.S. Millennials age 18 to 34.” Responses were weighted to be representative of the U.S. population based on Census targets for education, age, gender, race/ethnicity, region and household income.

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Across this broad group, nearly eight in 10 people say they are “extremely” or “somewhat” concerned about affording a comfortable retirement, and two-thirds of U.S. adults believe there is a real chance they will outlive their savings. At the same time, Northwestern Mutual reports, about one in three Americans have less than $5,000 in retirement savings, and one in five have no individual private retirement savings at all. The average amount of retirement savings reported came in at just about $85,000, which is far short of what most Americans can expect to pay for health care expense alone in retirement.

Thinking about the deeper future, three-quarters of Americans believe it is “not at all likely” or only “somewhat likely” that Social Security will be available when they retire. While nearly half of adults say they have taken no specific steps to prepare for the possibility of outliving their individual savings, 23% say they have recently increase the amount they save each month. Another 18% say they have put together a financial plan, nearly the same number who have purchased new investments (17%) or sought professional financial advice (17%).

Another point of concern in the data is the increasing number of Americans who anticipate retiring at 70 years or older than in the “traditional 65 to 69 range.” Within the group expected to work beyond 70, 55% suggest this will be due to necessity and 45% say it is their choice. Importantly, these figures contravene real-world statistics showing most people still retire in the 65 to 69 range, if not earlier.

According to the Northwestern Mutual survey, among the more than half of Americans expecting to work past the traditional retirement age by necessity, the main reasons were inadequate savings and a lack of confidence in Social Security’s ability to take care of their needs. Other concerns cited touched on rising healthcare costs or caring for loved ones.

(b)lines Ask the Experts – Can a Church Have Two 403(b)s With Two Different Vendors?

“A church has an existing 403(b) plan with one insurance company providing the investment options.

“This plan covers two pastors. Pastor 1 does not want to leave this plan and wishes to continue his contributions to the current plan. Pastor 2 wants to start a new 403(b) with a separate 403(b) plan provider. I know he cannot move his money from a prior plan over to his new plan unless the prior plan has an in-service distribution provision. Main question is: Can the church have two separate plans with two separate vendors?

 

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Stacey Bradford, with Groom Law Group, answers:

 

Assuming these pastors are church employees, the church, as the employer, may have two separate 403(b) plans, one for each pastor at different vendors, but it could also have one 403(b) plan with two different investment options. Whether a participant can transfer from one investment option to another will depend on the terms of each investment option. Also, although a church plan is not subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) (provided it has not made an election to be), its terms should still be stated in a written plan document that should be followed. Also, it is important to make sure the plan document fits a church plan as opposed to an ERISA plan.

 

 

NOTE: This feature is to provide general information only, does not constitute legal advice, and cannot be used or substituted for legal or tax advice.

 

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