Tag Archives: Lunch & Learn

Lunch & Learn Recap: How to Plan & Navigate Your Retirement Journey

Illustration of white car on yellow backgroundOn April 6, Bud Green, a retirement plan consultant from SageView Advisory Group, presented an overview of fundamentals for retirement planning, including tips for Social Security and Medicare, the mechanics of 401(k) and IRA withdrawals, and balancing risks when investing.

Spending and expenses

When planning for retirement, there are three types of spending and expenses to take into account: predictable, unpredictable, and semi-predictable.

Predictable

  • Utilities, mortgage, etc.
  • Cost of living

Unpredictable

  • Health care such as Medicare supplements

Semi-predictable

  • “Fun” spending such as vacations

Some of the factors to consider when saving for retirement

Long-term care

  • Life expectancy is longer than it was in the past, with couples living longer overall and women living longer than men.
  • Long-term health care insurance premiums can go up, costing an arm and a leg when you’re in your 50s and 60s. Many homeowners use their homes as an investment to pay for long-term health care if it’s needed.

Inflation

  • While you may be spending less in today’s dollars, overall this will look like more due to inflation.

Social Security

  • Waiting to collect your Social Security each year past the age of 65 can get you an additional 8% per each full year up to age 70.
  • It’s worth considering taking your Social Security later if you think your lifespan will surpass 80.

Types of investments

Most people will dip into their principle over time instead of just living off profits.

With cash you don’t earn interest. Following are estimates of earnings for different types of investments:

  • Bonds +1%
  • Real estate +2% 
  • Stocks +4% 

In general, real estate and stocks yield higher outcomes that bonds over time.

Stocks generally have long-term growth no matter what, even if they dip every few years.

Information to keep in mind when trying to minimize your taxes

  • Traditional IRAs, 401(k), and MPI plans are 100% taxable
  • Roth IRAs are tax-free
  • Bank/Brokerage plans are taxable at 0%-100% depending on the plan

Advice on annuities

  • Fixed index annuities: never
  • Deferred/variable annuities: probably not
  • Immediate annuities: sometimes

An annuity is a long-term investment issued by an insurance company. It gives you a fixed amount of money each year for the rest of your life. The idea is to help protect you from the risk of outliving your income. But while it’s good to ensure the same amount of income for the rest of your life, one downside is that a consistent income doesn’t take inflation into account.

When taking out an annuity, it’s only worth it if you think you’re going to live past your break-even point. For example, if you have $1 million dollars and you think you need $1.5 million to survive until you die, it’s worth considering an annuity. But if you suddenly die after being paid out only $300,000, the remaining money will be lost.  

Reasons people move money from a 401(k) to an IRA

  • More flexibility on withdrawals and withholding
  • Pay dividends to cash
  • Want an independent financial manager/planner

Reasons to hire a financial advisor

  • Can understand how you feel about money
  • Can stop you from acting emotionally
  • Can provide planning and investment management

Fee-based advisors are recommended, charging a flat fee or a percentage of assets (0.25% to 1% annually). When working with an advisor, make sure to pay attention to your overall expenses.

It’s suggested to seek retirement advice within 5 to 7 years of your planned retirement date.

Members seeking a customized retirement income plan can contact Bud Green, CIMA, AIF at bgreen@sageviewadvisory.com.

 

 

 

Lunch & Learn Recap: Infertility Diagnosis and Treatment

Cartoon of female doctor

On March 17th, in partnership with the FAM Committee, TAG hosted a virtual Lunch & Learn about infertility diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Connie Cheng, an obstetrician and gynecologist practicing at UCLA Health in the Burbank and Pasadena areas, discussed statistics, referrals, and treatment options to assist those facing infertility issues. Below is an overview of topics covered by Dr. Chen.

Statistics

The rate if infertility increases with age, with the sharpest drop starting around ages 35 to 37. Because of this, early recognition and intervention is important.

Male infertility

Less talked about than female infertility, male infertility is mainly caused by the following issues:

  1. The ability or inability to make the sperm 
  2. The concentration of the sperm 
  3. The volume of the sperm
  4. The appropriate mobility of the sperm

Female infertility

The most common causes of female infertility are the following ovulatory disfunctions:

  1. The ability of the brain to tell the ovaries to ovulate (20%)
  2. Blocked, scarred, or damaged tubes (14%)
  3. Endometriosis, which is uterine tissue growing outside the uterus on the pelvic side wall, ovary, etc. (5-6%) 
  4. Unexplained (25-30%) 

Infertility Specialist Referrals

If you feel you are dealing with infertility issues, your first step should be to talk to your OB/GYN.

  • If you are under the age of 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for twelve months or more, this is likely the time to be referred to an infertility specialist.
  • If you are over 35 and having been trying to get pregnant for six months or more, this is likely the time to be referred to an infertility specialist.
  • Exceptions for an earlier referral include known irregular periods, Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a history of cancer, or an injury to the pelvis or abdomen.

Male referral

Males would be referred to their primary doctor or urologist to have a semen analysis done.

Female referral

Females would be referred for ultrasounds, lab work, and/or Hysterosalpingography x-rays (HSG) to check for the following:

  • Lab work for:
    • Thyroid issues
    • Diabetes
    • Elevated prolactin
    • Multiple ovulations hormones (on day 3 of the period to check if you have ovulated and are able to ovulate)
    • As well as routine lab work for blood type, blood count, immunity to measles, STIs, etc.
  • Tests for:
    • Are enough eggs being produced?
    • Early menopause
  • Ultrasounds for:
    • Dye injected into the cervix and uterus, followed by an x-ray to see if fallopian tubes are blocked.
    • Pelvic ultrasound to check for the amount of follicles.
    • Uterine issues affecting the ability to implant or carry the egg:
  • Fibroids
  • Polyps 
  • Septum

Treatment Options

  • Lifestyle changes
    • Exercise and lifestyle changes can help reduce pregnancy issues. These include stopping smoking and drug use, in particular marijuana which effects male sperm.
  • Uterine treatment
    • Removing polyps or fibroids. 
  • Medication
    • One example is pills to help regulate ovulation
  • IUI – Intrauterine Insemination
    • Ejaculated semen is washed and injected directly into the uterus. (This method has a 5% chance of success per cycle.)
  • ICSI – Intracytoplasmic
    • A single sperm is injected into a mature egg (60% success rate) 
  • IVF – In vitro fertilization
    • The egg is fertilized outside the body and reimplanted into the body (45% success rate) 
  • Alternative medicine
    • Some herbs may help with infertility issues, but there is not evidence that this will work.

Mental Health Care

Dealing with infertility can be a stressful journey. This makes it important to consider working with a mental health care specialist to help relieve the stress.

Resources

The FAM Committee has compiled comprehensive information about infertility in this Google Folder.

For information about infertility coverage by MPI providers, go to this “MPIPHP Coverage Overview” folder.

*This information is for general reference only. Please consult a specialist for all questions about infertility diagnosis and treatments.