Wealth management

Apparently, women are not as prepared for retirement as are men. At least, that seems to be what is coming out of recent pronouncements and surveys. This includes the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau, the AARP, and a new study released from Bloomington, Illinois-based Country Financial. It all points to a gender gap on the subject of saving for retirement. The Country Financial survey, which had some 3,000 respondents nationwide, found that men’s biggest fear about retirement was not having the resources to do what they would like to do while women were closely split between the same concerns and also worrying that they will run out of money. Men, on the other hand, said they were much more likely to have taken adequate steps to alleviate this particular fear. According to Keith Brannan, vice president of financial security for Country Financial, women have to consider that they may have earned less than men and could live some seven to 12 years longer than their husbands. “It takes a lot of planning and prioritizing. If people don’t accept that burden, they won’t feel financially secure for retirement.” One financial advisor told me that he has seen this same concern among his clients where women look to be more troubled about retirement and men are just the opposite, even expressing overconfidence. According to the Labor Department, of the 59 million women currently earning a salary nationwide, only 47 percent have a retirement plan and nearly half of all women working do not have a 401(k). In fact, it is reported that a retired woman’s median income in 2004 was $12,080 compared to $21,102 for men. Another reason for concern. The AARP says that on average, a woman’s monthly Social Security check is around $800+ compared to more than $1,100 for men. So, is it any wonder that women have this concern? Of course, most people do acknowledge a need for early savings toward retirement but in actuality, they don’t do so. Only 42 percent of men and 35 percent of women actually began putting money aside by the time they reached age 30. Brannan says that given all the negative news about the economy, he doesn’t find it surprising that people have become more pessimistic about retirement. “However, the growing disconnect between how men and woman feel emphasizes the crucial need for families to talk about money matters. With proper planning, a secure retirement is achievable for almost anyone, no matter their gender.” For more information on this entire subject, take a look at www.countryfinancialsecurityindex.com.

With tax season now behind us, accountants can turn their attention to the clients who are on extension and provide advice to other clients to help them save money in the year ahead.

People are cutting back on their spending to save money as the U.S. economy slows, according to a survey by Harris Interactive for the American Institute of CPAs.

From what I can glean, there is definitely a retirement crisis beginning to bubble in this country. Or is that an understatement? How so? Well, it seems to be affecting some 50 million retirees because according to MotleyFool.com, more than 39 percent of investors who are presently in or near retirement have saved less than $25,000 for their golden years. Yes, you read that right, $25,000. Astonishing, eh? Clearly, this is the lowest American savings rate since the Great Depression. Jon Hagan Hicks, who is the chief investment officer for J. Hagan/Warren Wealth Advisors based in Louisville, Ky., says that retirees are behind the eight-ball for saving enough for retirement. “We expect interest rates to remain low and the stock market to be very volatile for 2008. This is a very bad combination for retirees to earn a reasonable rate of return in traditional investments.” Hicks has a reputation as being quite astute when it comes to this subject and his words are well respected in the industry. He specializes in alternative investments, financial management theory, and asset management. As president of J. Hagan Wealth Advisors, Hicks has created and managed traditional investments, real estate portfolios, hedge funds, and mortgage-backed securities. He says that although younger investors may have enough time to weather the storm in the equity markets, he expresses concern about retirees. A lot, he notes, have lost principal recently and he sees many savings in low-yielding accounts. “If food, energy, and healthcare costs keep increasing at their recent rates, many retirees’ portfolios may expire before they do.” As to a solution, Hicks maintains that a retiree must seek out expert advice to avoid as much volatility as possible in their portfolios while still looking to maintain a healthy income stream. But he does throw up a red flag. He says the biggest problem is that many retirees are trying to manage their finances on their own without expert help. In fact, it is noted that nine out of 10 investors don’t even have a financial plan. Basically, not only have people not saved enough but they don’t even know where they are going. I can attest to this when I look at many of my friends, again most of whom do not have any specific plan and they are all at retirement age. Hicks doesn’t prop up any specific vehicle. He is too honest for that. When he is asked about specific investments, he simply advises that every individual investor has different objectives and needs and that no specific product is right for everyone. That’s the primary reason he advocates getting expert advice. In sum, he reiterates specific steps that retirees can take to better position themselves.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will decide next Monday on its plans for any requirements and timeline for public companies to file their financial statements in an interactive data format.

It is my belief that despite the various newsletters, publications and sections on the AICPA Website, what the AICPA is doing that directly impacts its members can be publicized better by the AICPA.

Grizzled business veterans can pontificate about how successful enterprises are built from strength, character and luck. These elements, they say, together serve as the underpinning of business and of life beyond it. And it can be tempting to believe that earnest effort based on this foundation alone will be rewarded when the time comes.But when company owners look down the highway at the shimmering sale in the distance — the event towards which they have driven for decades — they should put those intangibles behind them. Planning, not fate, is the only real mechanism for ensuring the most value and the smoothest transition when a company changes hands.

FIDELITY: RETIREES NEED $225,000 FOR HEALTH CAREFidelity Investments has released a report estimating that a 65-year-old couple retiring in 2008 would need approximately $225,000 to cover their medical costs in retirement, a 4.7 percent increase over the 2007 estimate of $215,000. Fidelity has been calculating retiree health care cost estimates annually since 2002. The number has risen a total of 41 percent since then, with an average annual increase of 5.8 percent. The 2008 estimate assumes that individuals do not have employer-sponsored health care coverage. The estimate includes expenses associated with Medicare Part B and D premiums, Medicare cost-sharing provisions such as co-payments and deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. It does not include other health-related expenses, such as over-the-counter medications, most dental services and long-term care.

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service have issued proposed regulations to provide funding guidance for single-employer defined-benefit plans.

UHY Advisors has become a services partner of business software developer SAP America.

At the Financial Planning Association business solutions conference last month, Julie Littlechild, president of Advisor Impact, presented new information based on a survey of investors about the economics of loyalty. In effect, she was showing what turns a client from satisfied-but-passive to actively engaged in the growth of an advisor’s business. “Client engagement is the outcome of a practice that is structured effectively and a driver of future growth in an advisor’s business,” she says. “Advisors can achieve a balance between a level of service that is both meaningful to their clients and profitable to then, but which encourages clients to be actively engaged in the growth of the advisor’s business.” Vanguard Financial Advisory Services sponsored the study and notes the results underscores that there is a direct economic correlation between having engaged clients and having a thriving practice. Littlechild says that of the investors surveyed (some 1,000), 17 percent were disgruntled, 19 percent were complacent, 31 percent were content, and 33 percent were “engaged.” Actually all of those in the disgruntled section had thought about switching advisors. Obviously, the thrust of any practice is to move clients into the “engaged” category because the economics of loyalty are simply too great to ignore. Keep in mind that the higher up the scale clients move—from disgruntled to complacent to content to engaged—the more services they utilize, including comprehensive financial planning, retirement income planning, tax planning, estate planning, and trust services. Also, it may go without saying that the engaged clients are more loyal clients. They are unlikely to switch advisors. So, how to get clients into this category? Littlechild offers a few tips:

The Securities and Exchange Commission is offering investors a new interactive tool for comparing the costs, risks, investment strategies and past performance of mutual funds using Extensible Business Reporting Language.

The Treasury Department has released a report on The Changing Nature and Consequences of Public Company Financial Restatements as part of an effort to encourage U.S. capital markets competitiveness.

In the midst of what he termed the "mother of all crises," former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker maintained that the worsening economic climate sends a clarion call to repair and reform the U.S. financial system.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed securities fraud charges against five former San Diego officials who failed to adequately disclose problems with the city's municipal bonds in 2002 and 2003.

Many clients of CPA firms are Boomers who will be retiring in increasing numbers over the next decade. What does that mean? Obviously that means firms will be looking to continue to retain many of those retirees as clients,and it will also mean there will be a need to find a steady supply of new clients.

Financial Web site myStockOptions.com has opened an online Tax Center that explains issues related to equity compensation for tax year 2007.

The first waves of Baby Boomers have turned 62 this year and started claiming Social Security benefits. But, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), many are confused about their post-retirement health insurance options. As a result, the association has offered 10 tips that planners should consider with their clients:

The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony from Roby B. Sawyers, a professor in the College of Management at North Carolina State University and a member of the American Institute of CPAs' Tax Executive Committee, about the institute's recommendations for estate tax reform.

The International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation's XBRL Team has released the near-final version of the IFRS Taxonomy 2008, translating International Financial Reporting Standards into Extensible Business Reporting Language.