Retirement Planning

At Lifetime Wealth Management Group, we work comprehensively with our client’s wealth management plans. We help them first, to create and grow wealth – Second, to protect and preserve wealth – Third, to plan the distribution of wealth during life and – Fourth, to plan the distribution of wealth at death.

Qualified retirement plan and IRA issues can be complex. Fortunately, our wealth advisors are well versed in retirement planning issues and can help walk you through this process. For example, we will help you answer key questions, such as, how are your qualified retirement plan assets currently invested. Will you live on these assets in retirement or gift them to future generations? Do you own employer securities in your company retirement plan, and if so, are you aware of the possible tax benefits of net unrealized appreciation? How have you coordinated your beneficiary designations with your overall estate planning goals? What are your plans for taking distributions on your retirement accounts and why do you think that is the best strategy?

Change is the only constant in life. In a constantly evolving world, conventional thinking has kept the way investors approach investing relatively unchanged. It’s all about balancing your exposure to risk with your desire for performance. Regardless which way the market moves - up, down or flat – there is always potential for growth. A buy and hold strategy of traditional asset classes, i.e. stocks and bonds, made sense during the 80’s and 90’s when the market headed only in one direction – up. That same philosophy hasn’t held true for this decade. Investors should de-emphasize allocating 100% of their funds into traditional asset classes and branch out into alternative asset classes to attain greater diversification. Diversification doesn’t guarantee a profit or eliminate risk; but, it may reduce volatility and provide more consistent long term returns. We develop highly personalized and customized investment policy statements for each client, thereby helping to reduce these risks.

Most institutions only loan money to individuals and businesses that are considered to be good risks; however, liabilities are not necessarily debt but can be considered leverage. There are two categories of debt: short term debt, which is payable within a year, and long term debt that is a structured loan payable over a year. Issues to consider include: What is the cost effectiveness of the debt structure? What are the fees, rates and tax deductibility issues? What are the impacts of the liability structure on cash flows? What is the return on investment versus the rate on debt? How should the payment terms be structured?

There are two broad classes of stock options: Incentive and Non-qualified. Each carries significant differences regarding the tax treatment and flexibility of the option. Lifetime Wealth Management Group has committed its resources to the use of effective and sophisticated analytical tools that are paired with executives desiring tactics and strategies to maximize, protect and distribute executive compensation packages during life and at death. Our role with clients is to develop an option exercise plan taking into consideration timing, tax issues and funding alternatives.

There are many reasons for failed business transfers. Perhaps there is a lack of any continuation plan. Maybe a plan is in place, but it lacks a funding mechanism. A long range plan may have been discussed, but no written plan exists to address a contingency in the event of a premature death. Whatever the reason, a well formulated succession plan can give a business continuity and substantially benefit an owner’s personal wealth and welfare. There are four alternatives in planning for succession of a business:

1. Transfer to family members during life or at death.
2. Sale to key employee(s) or insider.
3. Sale to an outsider.
4. Liquidation.