Roth IRA’s have long offered investors a great opportunity to grow their wealth in a tax free environment.  But, because Roth IRA contributions are subject to strict income limitations, not everyone gets to benefit from its features.  Investors with traditional IRA’s have also historically been constrained to income limits when converting their IRA into a Roth.  The good news is, as of January 2010, there will no longer be income limitations on eligibility for converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.  Should you consider this, and if so why?

Background

As a refresher, traditional IRAs are funded with pre-tax dollars and defer taxes on investment gains until the day you withdraw the funds. When funds are withdrawn from the traditional IRA, they are taxed as ordinary income (your highest tax bracket). Conversely, Roth IRAs, are funded with post-tax dollars but all of the investment earnings grow tax free and avoid taxes when they are withdrawn (assuming it’s a qualified distribution).  Roth IRAs can’t be opened by taxpayers
making more than $176,000 (joint returns) and $120,000 for single taxpayers. Furthermore, conversions of traditional retirement funds into Roth IRAs have not been permitted for households with annual incomes above $100,000.

The Conversion Process

A Roth Conversion is a distribution of assets out of a tax-deferred IRA, such as a Traditional or Rollover IRA, which is transferred into a Roth IRA.  If the converted assets are held in the Roth for the five-year holding period, qualified withdrawals are tax-free. The conversion from the traditional IRA into the Roth IRA is considered a taxable event, and the account holder will generally owe taxes on the distribution in the current year. However, in 2010 only, IRA account holders have the option of applying 50% of the conversion amount to the 2011 tax year and 50% to the 2012 tax year, or applying 100% of the conversion amount to the 2010 tax year. Steep investment losses in many retirement accounts may make that tax hit easier to take, and will guarantee that any market rebound in investment values will never be taxed if funds are switched into a Roth account. Finally, conversions must be fully completed by December 31st to qualify for current year
tax treatment.

Why Bother?

So, what makes a Roth IRA so great?  If you believe that your tax rates will be higher in retirement than they are now, Roth IRA’s can save you loads of future taxes—that can translate into greater wealth for you.  
Let’s use the following example.  You are age 40 and have a $200,000 traditional IRA.  Your plan is to retire at 65.  Your current tax bracket is 25% and you anticipate that you will be in (at least) a 30% tax bracket upon retirement.  We suppose that the tax due upon the Roth conversion is $50,000, is paid with funds available outside of the IRA being converted. Let us also assume an investment tax rate of 15% capital gains rate now and in the future.  Using an 8% expected return on your investments, the after tax net return from your Traditional IRA (with tax savings) would be worth $1,186,411, while the after tax net return from your Roth IRA would be $1,369,695.  That’s a difference of $183,284 by converting to the Roth.

Other Considerations
       
It is always wise to check with your tax or financial advisor before making a conversion.  This is particularly true because executing a conversion may actually bump you into a higher tax bracket.  Because converted assets will be considered taxable income, perhaps a partial conversion may be the answer. Converting only a portion of the assets may allow you to stay in a lower tax bracket, allowing you the flexibility to convert additional assets in future years. Ideally, individuals considering a Roth conversion should have the cash on hand to pay the income tax on converted assets. A partial conversion could help limit the conversion taxes to an amount your client can pay without dipping into IRA assets.
      
Does a Conversion Make Sense for You?

Clearly, everyone’s circumstances are unique and there is no one-size-fits-all answer here.  After all, the decision to convert to a Roth can be influenced by a number of factors including:

•        Your age and longevity
•        Your income tax bracket now and in the future
•        Your expected rate of return
•        Your investment tax rate (ie. capital gains rate)

The decision to convert can be complicated.  If you want to learn more, Morningstar, has written an informative overview of the conversion decision, and also provides a useful conversion calculator to help determine if conversion makes sense.   For many, there is no better moment to consider this.  The time is right for a Roth conversion.  

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

The third Real Life Retirement quarterly pulse survey by Charles Schwab shows the recent economic downturn has not spurred Americans to change behaviors regarding retirement preparation. Almost four in 10 Americans (39 percent) are not currently saving for retirement and, despite market losses, six in 10 Americans (62 percent) have not adjusted their thinking about what age they will retire – nearly unchanged from the first pulse survey in September 2008, months before the recession was officially declared.

“Americans may be feeling a lack of control over their retirement which has led to inaction, when in fact this is an ideal time to act,” said Mark Jamison, vice president at Charles Schwab. “Now is the time to reevaluate your financial circumstances. Whether that means delaying retirement or adjusting how much you save for retirement, making changes now can lead to a significant difference in the future.”

Survey respondents estimate they will need just over $1.2 million to comfortably retire, yet those currently saving for retirement have put away an average of $194,000. Despite this awareness, 41 percent of Americans feel positively about their retirement preparedness and another 22 percent feel indifferent.

For More Information

Do you know if you are on track for retirement? Are you aware of how expensive funding your retirement can actually be? To learn more, click on this recent article on our website.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

BY NIRVI SHAH
nshah@MiamiHerald.com

Laptops ready? Take notes: Congress wants it to be harder for the under-21 set to accrue a mountain of credit card debt.

A new federal law affects credit card holders — and those who want cards — of all ages. But because several provisions don’t take effect until February, this could be the last semester of truly easy credit for many college students.

“I don’t want to say credit cards are evil,” said Cathy Pareto, a certified financial planner in Coral Gables. “But targeting that demographic has long been an abusive practice. [Credit card companies] take advantage of the naïvete of teenagers.”

Read the whole article here.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

Here’s a great story published by Rolling Stone (of all magazines), on how Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression.

In Rolling Stone Issue 1082-83, Matt Taibbi takes on “the Wall Street Bubble Mafia” — investment bank Goldman Sachs (click here to read the whole story). The piece has generated controversy, with Goldman Sachs firing back that Taibbi’s piece is “an hysterical compilation of conspiracy theories” and a spokesman adding, “We reject the assertion that we are inflators of bubbles and profiteers in busts, and we are painfully conscious of the importance in being a force for good.” Taibbi shot back: “Goldman has its alumni pushing its views from the pulpit of the U.S. Treasury, the NYSE, the World Bank, and numerous other important posts; it also has former players fronting major TV shows. They have the ear of the president if they want it.” Here, now, are excerpts from Matt Taibbi’s piece and video of Taibbi exploring the key issues.

Here’s the author, Matt Taibi, in his own words, summarizing his piece. Check out the video here.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

The financial services industry is a very crowded space. With so many “advisors” to choose from, how do you distinguish what type of financial advisor you are working with? How do you know who you can trust with your money? Many financial advisors are nothing more than glorified salespeople with a clever title. The investments they sell have a direct correlation with the compensation they receive. Given those dynamics, what are the odds that you will receive objective advice? Don’t be fooled. The following guide will help you make more informed decisions on how advisors are compensated.

Stockbrokers

Commission based advice is great—if you’re a broker or brokerage firm. For the investor, however, it’s not always the right solution. This type of advice is plagued with high costs and opaque disclosure—high costs that chip away at your profits. The registered representative (stockbroker) – unlike a registered investment adviser – has no fiduciary duty to place the client’s interests first. Inadequate disclosure coupled with conflicts of interest guarantees that a fair number of people are going to be victimized by bad advice.

Because broker-dealers are not necessarily acting in your best interest, the SEC requires them to add the following disclosure to your client agreement. Read this disclosure, and decide if this is the type of relationship you want to dictate
your financial security:

“Your account is a brokerage account and not an advisory account. Our interests may not always be the same as yours. Please ask us questions to make sure you understand your rights and our obligations to you, including the extent of our obligations to disclose conflicts of interest and to act in your best interest. We are paid both by you and, sometimes, by people who compensate us based on what you buy. Therefore, our profits, and our salespersons’ compensation, may vary by product and over time.”

If this disclaimer appears in agreements you are signing, you should ask questions of your advisor. Obtain complete disclosure about how he or she is compensated, and where his or her loyalties lie. Then decide if the relationship is in your best interest, running for the exits might be a good option here.

Fee-Based Advisors

“Fee based” advisors (also referred to as fee-offset) can be just as bad, if not worse. Commission based compensation includes “fee-based” compensation which is a particularly evil label referring to both fees and commissions. Fee based advisors have the ability to charge a percentage “based” on the assets they manage, but they also have the ability to sell you a commission based product (like an annuity, a load fund or life insurance). “Double dipping”, as it’s known in the industry, while not illegal is certainly immoral. The broker makes money from both the client and the commission. What a guy! Don’t be fooled. Stay away from advisors peddling investments that charge you front end or back end loads or surrender charges.

Fee-Only Advisors

Fee-only compensation (not to be confused with fee-based) is non commission driven and eliminates the exploitation of investors, where quality objective financial advice is the only product, and the advisor sits on the same side of the table with the client. The only way the advisor can make more money on your relationship, is to make more money for you. Federal and state law requires that Registered Investment Advisors are held to a Fiduciary Standard. This law requires that an advisor act solely in the best interest of the client, even if that interest is in conflict with the advisor’s financial interest. This includes finding the best investment alternatives with the lowest internal expenses, and one of the best ways of enhancing returns is to control portfolio costs. Investment Advisors must disclose any conflict, or potential conflict, to the client prior to and throughout a business engagement. Investment Advisors must adopt a Code of Ethics and fully disclose how they are compensated.

High net worth, high income households are often easy targets for bad advice. When hiring an advisor, a considerable amount of thought and research should be dedicated to the process. After all, it’s only your money. Here are some things you should ask when engaging a financial professional:

• How are you paid?
• Are your recommendations in any way influenced by compensation?
• What is your investment philosophy?
• Do you provide an Investment Policy Statement?(Don’t know what that is—find out!)
• How much authority will you exert over my accounts?
• Do you have a clean regulatory record?
• What are your credentials?
• What is your educational background?
• How much experience do you have?
• What are your continuing education requirements?

Finally, you should also request and review the advisor’s written disclosure statement, ADV part I and II.

Other Considerations

Unlike other professions like accounting or law, the financial industry does not have one standard designation or brand (think CPA and Esquire or J.D.) Instead we have a wide array to choose from. Most financial professionals would agree that the CFP® designation offers the most robust, well rounded financial education available to financial practitioners and it carries the most clout. It encompasses multiple areas of study which include taxation, retirement planning, insurance planning, estate planning, investment planning and case studies. Yet, this does not imply that every CFP® has the same investment philosophy or standard of care in dealing with clients. In fact, CFP® designation is held by advisors operating in two very distinct worlds: 1) the traditional brokerage firms/Trust companies that may charge commissions or peddle proprietary funds and 2) the more consumer friendly independent fee-only (or fee-based) side of the industry.

In summary, a consumer should demand that their advisor sign on as a fiduciary in writing. Stock brokers and Registered Representatives (RR) cannot do this. Conversely, an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is always a fiduciary, and should have no problem signing a fiduciary oath for his client. But, remember that where an RIA is also an RR, the investor must clearly understand that most likely that advisor is not operating as a fiduciary. Remember that credentials do not always translate into your success.

Bottom line do your homework before you hire!

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

Get ready for higher taxes! The Obama administration is pushing for changes to tax law, along with more regulatory oversight of the financial sector by the end of this year. Here’s a quick intro regarding what policy and tax law changes we might expect, and how these new rulings could impact investors.

Prepare for Tax Increases

With President Bush’s tax cuts expiring at the end of 2010,the timing for tax reform is even more critical. As the deadline approaches,and with President Obama calling for tax hikes on the top two tax brackets, lawmakers are expected to take action before the cuts expire. Indeed, many experts see those top two tax brackets moving from 33% and 35%, to potentially 36% and 39.6% for those earning about $250,000 or more a year.

Without a doubt, the economic stimulus package, the bailouts, plus the cost of proposed new social programs such as health care, will contribute to a significantly higher deficit. So, the current administration wants to try and offset some of these new federal expenses with the revenues collected from higher taxes for “the rich”.

Look for Estate Tax Reform

With estate taxes set to temporarily disappear in 2010, we should expect changes to estate tax law before changes to income tax law. The disappearance of estate taxes would eliminate revenue that Capitol Hill clearly needs as it looks to decrease its deficit. It is highly unlikely that Congress will let the estate tax drop to zero in 2010, particularly at a time when our fiscal policy is in the red.

Another reason Capitol Hill is likely to address estate tax law quickly, is that rules set to take effect at the start of 2010 will make it exceedingly complicated for heirs to figure out exactly what they owe to the government when they get their inheritance.

Heirs lose the stepped-up basis in determining the beneficiary capital gains tax starting in 2010, which means they would pay taxes based on the original cost of assets held in the estate, not their worth at a parent’s death. So the savings in estate tax is tempered by increased income taxes imposed on the heirs. Of course, that means tracking down cost basis will be more nightmarish then ever before. This change, if it passes, will be interesting from an administrative perspective.

It is widely expected that Capitol Hill will approve new legislation that would grant a $3.5 million exemption per person, with a 45% rate on anything above that.

Watch for Changes to Dividend Taxes

Another area to keep an eye on is dividend taxes. Taxes on qualified dividends have been at a maximum 15% since 2003—previously the average dividend tax rates were at roughly 28%. But the current rate is scheduled to sunset at the end of 2010 if lawmakers do not authorize changes.

President Obama’s administration has supported increasing these rates for individuals in the top two tax brackets to 20%, beginning in 2011.

According to the current proposal, taxpayers in the lower tax brackets would see their rate stay at 15%, and the lowest tax bracket would see the rate remain at zero. Of course, the outcome may be entirely different in the end.

But unlike the rush to address estate taxes, modifying dividend taxes is not likely to happen until 2010 and is not expected to be effective until 2011. Still, investors and their advisers should be aware of possible changes as they build and adjust their clients’ portfolios.

Consider Municipal Bonds

With income tax rates expected to rise for those in higher-income brackets, certain investors would do well to look to municipal bonds. Municipal bonds, now thought to be undervalued, is expected to increase in value as the public starts to feel more confidence about the financial stability of states.

Some investors have been worried that states will not be able to pay their bonds, devaluing the bonds’ worth. However, the stimulus package is now trickling much needed cash flow down to the states which need it most, alleviating that concern to some extent, which should help the bonds to increase in value.

Expect More Regulation

Investors may also find the increased oversight projected for the financial sector attractive, as regulation is expected to make the way investments are run clearer. In the wake of the meltdown that has affected financial markets, especially the derivatives area, hedge funds and big banks, investors now want more lucidity in their investments. It’s about time!

This trend is already apparent in recent legal changes imposed on the credit card industry with the government cracking down on credit card terms that have grown increasingly confusing to consumers.

We’ll see how all of this unfolds. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

The market news from Wall Street has been positive for a change. But like me, are you wondering if Congress is ever going to change the way Wall Street takes risks with your money?

Right now Congress is looking at the big problems associated with the AIG and credit default problems, but sometime in the near future they will be looking at how to reform the way Wall Street brokers give you financial advice.

To those listeners out there who are still upset with Wall Street misconduct, in a minute I’m going to explain how you can do something about it.

By way of background, the whole advisor area needs serious reform. Years ago your parents clearly knew who was a stockbroker and insurance agent, because that’s what they called themselves. Pretty simple.

The problem is they no longer call themselves brokers or insurance agents. Today the preferred titles are financial advisor, financial consultant, wealth adviser, retirement specialist – the list goes on and on. In reality, brokers and insurance agents are still regulated as sales people and the bottom line is they still need to meet sales quotas to stay in business. This is hugely different from licensed professionals like doctors and lawyers, who are required to act in your best interest. Many in the listening audience may be aware that I am a registered investment adviser, which is different from the brokerage side of the business. Investment advisers, like doctors and attorneys, are required to legally act in your best interest, not meet production numbers.

I believe that if someone talks the talk, they should walk the walk. In other words, if someone markets themselves as a trusted advisor, they should be required to act in your best interest and to disclose conflicts of interest. Some of the conflicts that need to be pro-actively disclosed but are either posted somewhere on a regulatory website or not at all are sales bonuses or payment incentives that might lead a salesperson to recommend a product that benefits them or their firm more than you. Even worse, if they’ve been in trouble with the law before or sued for bad investment advice, current law doesn’t require them to disclose it to you upfront. Investment advisers are required to disclose all of these things.

So here’s what you can do. Grab a pen and write this down. If you know of the name of your members of Congress – including your two senators, there are two easy way to contact them. Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard in Washington, D.C. at 202-224-3121, that’s 202-224-3121, and they will be happy to connect you to either your house or senate member. Just be prepared to leave a short message, since odds are your senator or representative is busy.

If you don’t know your congressperson’s name, or you want to contact them by email, just go to www.congress.org, enter your home address and zip code in the appropriate box and you will find a list and links to your congressperson and senators where you can contact them directly with your own message.

The message is pretty simple. Tell them that a) you are an investor and voter, b) that you are upset with Wall Street greed, and c) the public needs congress to come up with common-sense regulation of all financial advisors. Tell them that no matter if the adviser is regulated under insurance, banking, or brokerage laws, if they are giving investment and retirement advice to the public, they should be subject to a fiduciary standard that requires them to put your interest first. You deserve no less than that.

For more info on the differences between advisors, click on my article here.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

When it boils down to fundamentals, planning for women is not much different than planning for men. After all we share common goals: wealth maximization, risk minimization and cost containment. Both ought to strive for an optimal investment mix and both should start investing for retirement at an early age to take advantage of compounding. So, with regard to investing, there is no difference between genders and there is no special need that women have. Yet, unlike men, women face many unique issues that most men don’t. Here are the challenges (and solutions) that we need to consider:

Longevity

One of the challenges that women face in terms of retirement planning is our extended lifespan. On average, women outlive men by 7 years (mortality for women is 79 years vs. 72 for men). Many women are faced with caring for their husbands later in life, but after his death they may be left with no one to care for them. Because of this, women’s health care needs will likely be substantially higher than men, making it much more expensive for us to live longer. What does this mean? It means we may not only need to consider products like Long Term Care insurance, but we also need to have much more money in the retirement pot than men in order to not outlive our funds. Unfortunately, the challenges that follow are even greater…

Earnings Disparity

As little as I’d like to admit it, it’s no secret that men out earn women. Of course, this is true in general terms, and may not be true in all cases. But most statistics will tell us that the “gender income gap” is persistent and well-documented. In fact, he Labor Department claims that women earn only 76 cents for every dollar earned by a male counterpart in the same occupation. And although the gap is shrinking, women are forced to play catch up with their retirement nest egg, as compared to men.

So assume that each gender saves the recommended 10%-15% of earnings over their working years. Dollar for dollar the male will accumulate a larger nest egg and at a quicker pace than the female. The differences in earnings rates between men and women are difficult to explain, but I suspect that as long as women are responsible for child birth and primarily responsible child-care, this differential will likely continue.

Women have to make a conscious effort to take charge of their own retirement planning early on in their careers. And while we can’t change the facts (men earn more than women), women can try to (partially) overcome their retirement challenge by saving a higher percentage (aim for 15% to 25%) of their gross income as compared to men. My advice to all women is to max out their contributions to qualified retirement plans and IRA’s in addition to using some portion of disposable income toward after-tax investments.

Maternity and Benefits

Being a woman is a blessing, no doubt. As women, we get to experience biological miracles that men will never be able to imagine. But our biological blessing can be a double edged sword when it comes to money. Here’s why:

Most women leave paid employment for at least a short time after having children, and many leave for a substantial period of years. Some women may never return to the work force and others that re-enter the workforce may be forced to start their careers all over again. These gaps in a woman’s earnings history may result in lower Social Security and/or pension benefits. Unlike men who receive higher pension benefits because they’ve worked steadily throughout their career.

In fact, the vast majority of men have 35(+) years of substantial earnings by the time they reach 62. Conversely, only a minority of women today has such consistent earnings. Here is how the benefit calculations work. If a worker has fewer than 35 years of cumulated earnings, Social Security requires that zero years be included for those years that the individual did not work. So, let’s say a woman has only 25 years of lifetime earnings, her retirement benefit is computed using those 25 years plus 10 zero years. This number is then divided by 420 to determine the AIME (averaged indexed monthly earnings), which reduces the average benefit. This problem affects very few men.

Here are some frightening statistics to consider:

•For every year a woman stays home caring for a child, she must work five extra years to replace lost income, pension coverage and career promotion.(The National Center for Women and Retirement Research, 1997)

•A woman who takes seven years off over a 40-year career can expect to receive one-half the pension benefits of someone with 40 years of uninterrupted service.(Money Magazine , July 1997)

Investment Responsibility

Unfortunately, most women still defer the investment responsibilities to their husbands. Dreyfus and the National Center for Women and Retirement Research conducted a study in 1997 which found that 33 percent of female investors avoided making decisions out of “fear of making a mistake’” versus 22 percent of male
investors. As a consequence of this fear, women often defer financial decisions and money management to the men in their lives. (Journal for Financial Planning, 2000)

I can attest to that. In my financial planning practice, I’ve encountered far too many women that have never taken the time to learn about investing because they’ve:

1) been too intimated by the process
2) lacked the interest or
3) suffered from the “Prince Charming” effect—expecting to be “taken care of” by their current (or future)husband.

Yet, in the face of a crisis (death/incapacitation of a husband or divorce), too many women are forced to abruptly take the financial reins, leaving them ill prepared to handle their own economic affairs.

The National Center for Women and Retirement Research claims that the average age for a woman to be widowed is 56. And the U.S. Census Bureau claims that at some point their lives, 9 out of 10 women will be solely responsible for their financial affairs. With statistics like that, I can’t understand why any woman would relinquish participation in her financial future. There are no excuses, women need to become informed and get involved. I don’t care if you are single, engaged, married, widowed or already working with an advisor—it’s your future—shouldn’t you be an active participant in the financial decisions?

The Good News

Despite all of these negative statistics I’ve just discussed, there is one positive regarding women and finances. Once women begin to invest, they actually tend to fair better than men!

A behavioral finance study conducted by Terrance Odean (professor at University of California) concludes that men’s overconfidence and hyper active trading actually results in lower investment returns as compared to women. Women tend to be more conservative (investing for preservation AND growth) while men invest for
growth.

As a result, women turn over their portfolios an average of 53% a year; while men’s portfolios turnover at a rate of 77% a year. This excessive trading leads to lower performance. Here’s what Odean found: married women actually get better returns than men — 1.4 percentage points better, and single women did even better — 2.3 percentage points a year over single men.

Conclusion

So, what can we learn from this and how should women plan any differently for retirement? From an investment design perspective, we’ve established that women are no different than men. Every one of us ought to own a globally diversified portfolio designed to capture global market returns and minimize portfolio risk. But when building a nest egg, ladies need to make some slight adjustments.

First, we have to get informed and get involved. It’s nice to believe that our prince charming will forever take care of us, but the fact is, at some point in our lives, we’re on our own. So, it’s better to be actively aware of your finances and investments long before you might be forced into crisis mode. Second, we’re not going to stop having babies–why should we?! Yet this means we spend a lot less time in the workforce as a result of our biological gifts and to add insult to injury we’re paid a lot less. How do you counter that? You save more…lots more! Finally, believe in yourself. Investing does not have to be a mystery and we’ve already established that women make better investors than men. So, as the Nike ad proclaims…”just do it”. Your future depends on it.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

When it boils down to fundamentals, planning for women is not much different than planning for men. After all we share common goals: wealth maximization, risk minimization and cost containment. Both ought to strive for an optimal investment mix and both should start investing for retirement at an early age to take advantage of compounding. So, with regard to investing, there is no difference between genders and there is no special need that women have. Yet, unlike men, women face many unique issues that most men don’t.

Women’s life histories and the way they interact with employer-sponsored benefit plans, individual savings and insurance plans, Social Security, and other social safety net programs often create financial shortfalls. High divorce rates and the high probability of widowhood also have a substantial impact on the financial circumstances of women.

Some of the challenges women face:

Longer life spans

Shorter and interrupted working careers

Earnings disparity

Financial literacy

Listen to Cathy Pareto on Roaring Women Radio discuss the issues Women face when it comes to money and what they can to overcome the challenges.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.

One of our favorite mutual fund providers, Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), has developed a great presentation on the markets and investing. Check out their multi-part series on what investors should consider as they move forward. The videos include an examination of capital markets, the effects of recession and government policy on stock prices, how the current market stacks up to previous downturns.

Cathy Pareto, MBA, CFP®, AIF® is the Founder and President of Cathy Pareto & Associates, Inc. For over twelve years, Cathy has been helping financial consumers and professionals understand the world of investments and finance with a sound, but down to earth money management approach. For over a decade Cathy was a Senior Financial Advisor for another Miami based investment advisory firm, where she managed over $200 million in assets for high net worth clients and retirement plans. She has extensive experience in retirement issues, asset allocation, investment selection, investment management, education planning, estate planning coordination, and asset protection strategies. Additionally, she was an Adjunct Professor and Faculty Coordinator for the CFP® Program at Florida International University’s College of Business.