8 Proven Ways to Boost Your Retirement Income - 100

With so many retirement planning strategies and the plethora of information on the internet, it can be hard for some to prioritize where to start when it comes to planning for their retirement. Joe Anderson, CFP® and Alan Clopine, CPA share eight proven ways to boost your retirement income. Original publish date January 28, 2017 (hour 2). Note that content may be outdated as rules and regulations have changed.

02:02 “After age 70 ½, you cannot do an IRA contribution but you can do a Roth IRA contribution.”

04:49 “Why do we not want to solely focus on dividend paying stocks? There’s a lot of risk involved.”

07:52 “If you are in a high dividend strategy and you don’t necessarily need the income, you may want to readjust and be more sophisticated in your strategy.”

10:18 “Delay your retirement by a few years…sometimes we run analyses for people if they retire at 65 versus 68 and it’s incredibly different because what happens in a lot of cases is people are in relatively high earning years so they’re putting maximum amounts in their 401(k) and getting maximum matches from their employers.”

12:17 “When you add the Social Security to components, sometimes working just a few more years could add ten years to your portfolio.”

12:35 “See whether a reverse mortgage makes sense for you…we did a webinar on home equity and that was one of the things we talked about.”

17:59 “Can I claim a loss from my Roth IRA? I have a Roth IRA open for over 10 years now. I have contributed about $15K, but I lost around 80% of it due to some stocks that I invested in. Can I claim this 80% lost in my tax return? I know that I can claim up to $3,000/year for capital losses in regular investment, but can I claim my losses in the Roth IRA when I withdraw the money, or sell the stock(s)?” *Question from Investopedia Advisor Insights

18:35 “Once any dollar goes into a Roth IRA or regular IRA, the capital gains rules don’t apply anymore, so you don’t get to claim the gains or losses.”

20:26 “It’s difficult to get money into a Roth IRA because a) there are contribution limitations…b) if you convert money, that’s unlimited but realize that you’re paying tax as you convert those dollars.”

29:35 “Should I retire early to take care of my parents? Within the next six months, I plan to quit working so that I can relocate and take care of my parents. I will be 50 years old at that time. I have no debt, am not married, and have no children. All of my living expenses will be paid for by my parents as compensation for taking care of them. In addition, I have a $700,000 nest egg. Many friends and colleagues are telling me I am ridiculous to retire so early. I don't agree. What is your opinion?” *Question from Investopedia Advisor Insights

31:44 “Well, how bad of shape are mom and dad? Are they going to live another twenty years or two years? If they’re going to live another twenty years, then sure, go for it.”

32:53 “This may not be forever; you can always go back to work.”