I am really hoping you all can give me some guideance.

A little background:
Dh would like to reitre right now :) But, it will be another 12 years before we are empty nesters, so that would be nice too.

We max his 401(k) contributions. We max my IRA contribution. He doesn't have an IRA (I can't remember now if he doesn't have one just because we haven't done it or if it's because he can't have one and a 401(k) at the same time, legally).

We would like to save for retirement while keeping taxes to a minimum, of course. We just can't figure out how to do it. We saw a couple advisors who suggested life insurance annuities, but we are skeptical. This started out because we also need a new life insurance policy (our term life premiums are about to go up drastically). We are concerned about being taxed ordinary income rates when we get the annuity income at retirement. We are also concerned about fees and wonder if there is a better way to save more efficiently.

We are using 529's to save for college for the kids. So, everything else is in a regular brokerage account. Assuming we can even figure out how much our expenses will be in retirement and how much we then need to save, what is the best way to save it?

Thanks for any advice, noodle

Thanks for any advice, noodle

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AngelMay's best advice: Never buy anything that even resembles an "investment" from an insurance company. :)

AM

<<AngelMay's best advice: Never buy anything that even resembles an "investment" from an insurance company. :)

AM
>>


Ahhhh. Always glad to find areas of common agreement with Angel May.




Seattle Pioneer

I am really hoping you all can give me some guideance.

A little background:
Dh would like to reitre right now :) But, it will be another 12 years before we are empty nesters, so that would be nice too.

We max his 401(k) contributions. We max my IRA contribution. He doesn't have an IRA (I can't remember now if he doesn't have one just because we haven't done it or if it's because he can't have one and a 401(k) at the same time, legally).

We would like to save for retirement while keeping taxes to a minimum, of course. We just can't figure out how to do it. We saw a couple advisors who suggested life insurance annuities, but we are skeptical. This started out because we also need a new life insurance policy (our term life premiums are about to go up drastically). We are concerned about being taxed ordinary income rates when we get the annuity income at retirement. We are also concerned about fees and wonder if there is a better way to save more efficiently.

We are using 529's to save for college for the kids. So, everything else is in a regular brokerage account. Assuming we can even figure out how much our expenses will be in retirement and how much we then need to save, what is the best way to save it?

Thanks for any advice, noodle - auctionnoodle | Date: 10/22/2008 12:59:06 AM | Number: 15098

Get thee to an Estate Planning attorney. A living Trust, or a Charitable Trust may be what you are looking to form. You can be the named Trustee of the living Trust. During your lifetimes the Trust can provide for your maintance and support. Following your joint lives, the Trust can be designed to support the Bill & MeLinda Gates Foundation <they need the money :>), since leaving Microsoft(MSFT) in the hands of Steve Ballmer.

Life insurance annunities have low returns and most important HIGH FEES to the seller of the annunities. The High fees to the seller/recommender is the main reason why they are universally recommended.

Kahuna, CFA