#104 - Is tax deferral really the best way to save for retirement?

Welcome back to the Retirement Answer Man… my name is Roger Whitney and I am a certified financial planner, and your host of every episode of the show. This show is all about you - your retirement, your future, and your life. I want to help you think about your finances and retirement planning in a way that enables you to make wise decisions that lead to the kind of lifestyle that best fits the future you want to enjoy. On this episode I’m going to answer some listener questions, fill you in on the impact of “negative interest rates,” and give you some thoughts from my own life about a happiness perspective that can make your life much more peaceful. Interested? Be sure to listen. Be sure you get in on my next free webinar!  If you’re at the stage in life where you need to begin putting together an investment portfolio, you’re reading this at exactly the right time. Coming up in March of 2016 I’m going to be doing a free webinar that addresses how to construct and manage an investment portfolio. It’s going to be packed full of valuable information and allow for questions and answers at the end. If you’d like to be a part of that helpful webinar, I’d love to have you attend. Just listen to this episode of the show to find out how you can get signed up. Negative interest rates? Is that even a thing?  Believe it or not, yes - negative interest is a real thing and we just found out about it in the real world right here at the end of January, 2016. Japan’s central bank announced that it is putting a “negative interest” policy in place in an effort to prop up the country’s economy and get a recovery of sorts underway. The move allows for banks and lending institutions to actually charge depositors for putting their money on deposit with the bank. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Why would anyone pay to have their money in a bank? I’m going to walk you through it and tell you how it could impact you, on this episode. Did you know there’s a point where tax deferred investments are NOT the best way to go?  It’s true. Depending on quite a number of variables, you may not want to put your retirement savings, or at least a portion of it, into tax deferred accounts like IRAs. It has to do with tax brackets and income levels during retirement, and it’s an important thing for you to understand so you don’t put yourself in a position where your tax deferred accounts are actually hurting you financially. Find out the details on the Q&A section of this podcast episode as I respond to listener questions about the topic. One way to increase your happiness is through trust.  You don’t have to be a religious person to benefit from learning to trust. There are simply too many things in life that are difficult to comprehend and impossible to predict for us to go around trying to figure them all out. There comes a point where we simply have to trust that things are going to work out for the best. In this week’s “Be Happy” segment, I share my own trust journey with you and ask you to consider, “Where could you learn to trust in a way that benefits your journey?” OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN  [0:21] Roger’s introduction and welcome to this episode.[0:44] Thanks to all the Retirement Plan Live participants![1:14] An upcoming webinar: Constructing and Managing an Investment Portfolio.WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SEGMENT  [2:41] What are negative interest rates?[4:40] Why would a bank charge negative interest rates? HOT TOPIC SEGMENT  [6:14] Why are negative interest rates of interest to you and me? PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT  [9:39] 3 listener questions…[10:15] Advice for people who want to pull everything out of the stock market.[18:06] What is better financially, tax-deferred investments or something else?[24:55] Should I be investing in IRAs at my age?[27:20] How to ask your questions. TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT  [27:31] An easy sprint: create a folder!  THE “BE HAPPY” SEGMENT  [28:23]   RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE  Contact Roger: http://www.rogerwhitney.com/retirementanswers/ Roger’s retirement learning center: www.RogerWhitney.com/learn The Retirement Answer Man Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/RetirementAnswerMan