The world of finance is tricky to navigate. With so many options available for your investments, it can seem complicated and daunting when trying to plan for your financial future.
The three buckets principle is a way of simplifying the complex and is suitable for people with substantial savings as well as people who are just starting out. Whether you’re well established in your career or fresh out of college, setting up your three buckets should be a priority.
How does it work?
The three buckets are:
Bucket 1: Emergency Funds
Bucket 2: The Goal Bucket
Bucket 3: Retirement Bucket
Bucket 1 – Emergency funds
Expect the unexpected and make sure you’ve planned financially for it.
Unanticipated costs can be devastating financially. Getting laid off work, writing your car off or escalating medical costs, for example, can set you on the financial back foot for many years.
Bucket number 1 creates a buffer of cash that is only to be used for such emergencies. By having this bucket available, it means that should the need arise you won't be dipping into other savings or going into debt to cover the cost.
How much to save in your emergency fund bucket
Aim to have 3-6 months’ worth of living expenses here. Add up all your monthly costs, such as mortgage, bills, transport costs, and groceries, and that will give you the total to aim for.
Bucket 2 – The goal bucket
This bucket is for your short to mid-term financial goals. Savings for your kid's college, a down payment on a house, or even saving for a vacation can go in this bucket.
How much to save in your goal bucket
This is effectively disposable income so anything left over after you’ve attended to your monthly outgoings and buckets 1 and 3 can be added to bucket number 2.
If you've managed to fill bucket 1 already, you can use that cash to start filling bucket 2.
Bucket 3 – Retirement bucket
It's never too early to start saving for retirement, so you should aim to have this bucket set up as soon as you possibly can, ideally, as soon as you enter the workforce.
How much to save in your retirement bucket?
Aim to save 15-20% of your gross income for retirement. If your company offers a 401(k) plan, deposit part of your bucket 3 money there. If you don't have access to a 401(k) plan, consider a Roth or traditional IRA to maximize your investment.
Bucket 3 is made for investing as you want to maximize your returns for your golden years.
These three buckets will help you successfully save for your future. It's a good idea to attend to buckets 1 and 3 first. Once you have them filling nicely, you can look to start filling bucket number 2.
This simple strategy is easy to follow yet priceless for effective financial planning. If you haven’t got yours set up yet, make it a priority to do so.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
Contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax deductible in the contribution year, with current income tax due at withdrawal. Withdrawals prior to age 59 ½ may result in a 10% IRS penalty tax in addition to current income tax.
The Roth IRA offers tax deferral on any earnings in the account. Withdrawals from the account may be tax free, as long as they are considered qualified. Limitations and restrictions may apply. Withdrawals prior to age 59 ½ or prior to the account being opened for 5 years, whichever is later, may result in a 10% IRS penalty tax. Future tax laws can change at any time and may impact the benefits of Roth IRAs. Their tax treatment may change.
Planning for retirement amid changing market dynamics can be stressful, especially as retirement age approaches. Fortunately, there are a myriad of ways to prepare for it, even if you plan to retire early.
OPTIMIZE YOUR RETIREMENT INCOME
One of our top tips is to optimize your retirement income by setting yourself up with a diversified portfolio that offers a solid return. If you are in your twenties, there is a big opportunity to let compound interest work its magic. If you are in your thirties or forties, compound interest may not be as lucrative for you, but there are still plenty of ways to maximize your returns.
Here are some of the different options available to help plan for retirement:
SEP IRA – a self-employed retirement plan known as the Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA requires employers to contribute 100% of the accounts' funds and provide equal benefits to all eligible employees.
401(k) – An individual retirement plan for which contributions are not tax-deductible, but withdrawals in retirement are tax-free.
Roth IRA – An individual retirement plan for which contributions are not tax-deductible, but withdrawals in retirement are tax-free.
Each option has its differences, so it is important to work with an advisor to identify which is best suited to your situation and your goals. There’s a lot that can go into your Life Plan and we are here to help.
Senior couple enjoying happy retirement lifestyle
DEVELOP A BUDGET AND SAVINGS PLAN
Budgeting can make a world of difference. If you haven’t already, establish an emergency fund. This will give you peace of mind and will help pay for any unexpected expenses that may arise. Once you’ve set that money aside, you can plan your monthly expenses, retirement contributions and more with the rest of the income you have.
As you develop this budget and savings plan to get you to your retirement goals, ask yourself the following questions:
What quality of life do I want to experience in retirement?
What medical expenses do I anticipate?
Do I plan on working during retirement?
Will I have a flow of income during retirement?
These are all important considerations and will help you develop an actionable plan to achieve the retirement lifestyle you dream of.
DETERMINE YOUR TAX BRACKET AND MINIMIZE YOUR TAXES
In retirement, taxes can eat into your available income, leaving you with less to live on. It's important to remember that taxes don't stop once you're retired. Our financial advisors are here to help guide you take steps throughout your working life to minimize your IRS obligations now and later.
The same basic tax brackets that apply to working taxpayers also apply to retirees. Determining your tax bracket in retirement is just like determining your tax bracket while you’re working – which is determined by your filing status and taxable income (income minus deductions).
Common sources of retirement income that are taxable include:
Distributions from traditional 401(k)s and IRAs
Investment income
A portion of your Social Security benefits (in some situations)
Some pension income
Income from work (full or part time)
INVEST TO ADD ADDITIONAL CASH FLOW IN RETIREMENT
If building wealth is your goal, the stock market or other investment strategies are common options. Investments such as annuities, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and income-producing equities can offer additional retirement income beyond Social Security, a pension, savings and other investments.
DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF RISK THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOU
It is important to keep in mind that all investments come with risk. If you are young, you can probably tolerate more risk. If you are in your thirties or forties, however, you might benefit from taking a lower risk approach. This is because people in their twenties have more time to correct and mitigate losses. A financial advisor can help you decide if you would like to take a low-risk, slow-and-steady approach, or guide you through a high-risk approach with the potential of yielding higher returns.
PAY OFF YOUR DEBTS
It’s important to pay off credit card debt and student loans as soon as possible. Systematically chipping away at debt now, can have a significant impact on your future debts and purchasing power.
A mortgage can be looked at as both a good debt and a bad debt, depending on your goals. Many people choose to rent a home to avoid being tied to a mortgage, and others use that property as a cash-positive asset. Depending on your goals, it’s important to discuss each of these approaches with a financial advisor so they can help guide you through something that will ultimately benefit you and your family.
MAXIMIZE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
Navigating Social Security income can be complicated, but there are several ways to maximize your social security benefits, including:
Work for 35 years or more
Earn as much as you can right up until full retirement age (or past it)
If you can, wait until you are 70 years old to claim – this can increase your benefit by 8% a year beyond your full retirement age
The goal is to maximize the income you will receive from Social Security, but the answer for you will depend on your age, current income, marital status, spouse’s income, and the age disparity between you and your spouse. With all the complexities to Social Security planning, there is no substitute for meeting with a trusted financial advisor so you can best navigate your life in retirement.
CONSIDER ESTABLISHING STREAMS OF PASSIVE INCOME
It's important to remember that there are multiple ways to set yourself up for prosperity during your golden years.
These include:
Investing in real estate
Investing in the stock market
Starting an ecommerce business
Writing books
Earning royalties of any kind
Investing in collectibles
Investing in gold and silver
In short, it's best to invest in as many financial assets as you possibly can in order to establish streams of passive income so that you are not solely reliant on one source for your earnings and returns.
ESTABLISH MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME
You may want to consider continuing to work during retirement. This provides many people with a sense of satisfaction and purpose, AND you will be able to keep your benefits.
The earlier you establish multiple sources of income the better. Ideally, at least a few of these would be passive.
You deserve to be comfortable during retirement, and planning for this phase of life right now will likely help you achieve your goals, perhaps even surpass them. You have worked hard for most of your years around the sun, and you deserve to relax and enjoy every moment on your own terms during your golden years.
Why Choose Trilogy Financial
Planning your retirement strategy is important but not something to stress over. If you’ve already started saving, one of our certified financial planners can help you optimize your savings, investing and risk approach so you can live the retirement life you dream. However, if you haven’t started planning for retirement yet, there’s no better day than today!
Our Advisors will work with you to develop a deeper understanding of your alternatives, pinpoint practical needs and make plans for the care you and your family deserve. Please contact us to start your retirement planning today.
FIRE, an acronym for “Financial Independence, Retire Early” is trending as a new financial lifestyle. In a nutshell, FIRE promotes extreme savings in your 20s, 30s, and 40s, with the goal of being able to live off passive income from the accumulated nest egg much earlier than typical retirement age. Some proponents suggest saving 70% of your income until you have collected 25x your annual salary, cutting your working years in half. Extreme saving is not a new idea, but the phrase has taken off in the last couple of years, creating a cult following online.
Putting aside additional savings to fund a “work optional” lifestyle is a fantastic idea in theory, but most Americans would find it quite difficult to only live on 30% of their income without making DRASTIC changes. If you are willing to downsize, live with roommates in a cheaper part of town, eat beans and rice, drive an old car/take the bus, and limit purchases, you could be successful at FIRE. However, this level of deprivation may cause unintended sacrifices that impact your social life and happiness.
Our take on FIRE is to find your happy medium. For example, you absolutely should increase your savings rate incrementally every year if you can afford to do so, but initially choose an amount that’s attainable. To help you get started, these are the questions we encourage clients to consider:
1) What is your current cash flow?
Do you have a firm grasp on how much you spend on monthly groceries? Going out to eat? Gifts at the holidays for friends and family? The key here is to consider all expenses, not just big-ticket fixed items like your car payment or mortgage. Once you have an idea of how much you are spending compared to household income, you can then evaluate your current savings rate.
2) Where can you cut back to increase your savings rate?
Can you meal prep on Sundays to avoid going out for lunch during the week? Can you stay in to watch a movie instead of going to a theater for date night? Are you willing to have a “no-spend” week? Some people use tracking software (our firm provides EMoney to our clients) to help set up electronic budgets to alert you when you are close to going over set categories of spending. Alternatively, can you bring in additional income via a side hustle? Can you work additional hours at work to qualify for overtime pay? Make an honest assessment to determine where you could potentially improve your cash flow on a monthly basis.
3) Are you debt-free, or leveraging debt appropriately?
A mortgage with a low-interest rate is an appropriate means of financing a lifestyle you want, while potentially building equity via real estate. If you still have student loans or credit card debt, though, your increased cash flow should go towards paying this off ASAP. Just make sure you have 3-6 months of living expenses built up in an easily accessible emergency savings account as well.
4) Outside of your emergency savings, are your accounts keeping pace with inflation?
Historically, inflation rates average around 3% annually. This means that your purchasing power decreases, as the cost of goods increases over time. Remember when you could buy a Coke bottle out of a vending machine for a dollar? Your parents or grandparents may even recall purchasing a soda for a quarter! That’s inflation at work. If you’re planning to retire early, this means you need to account for inflation over several decades. The best way to maintain your purchasing power is by investing excess savings in the stock and bond markets and taking advantage of compounding interest over time. A Financial Advisor can determine the best investment strategy for you.
5) Are your investments in a diversified portfolio in line with your risk tolerance?
Trying to time the market to buy and sell holdings is incredibly difficult to do. Diversification via broader index funds and investing consistently (to take advantage of pullbacks) has proven to be a more successful investment plan for most Americans. The concern with the FIRE movement is knowing how risky you can or should be with your asset allocation depending on your time horizon to retirement. For example, if you are closer to reaching your retirement goal, you don’t want 100% of your assets invested in the stock market. A comprehensive financial planner can help determine how much risk you should be taking on by looking at your finances holistically, and ensuring portfolios are rebalanced regularly according to your needs.
The road to early retirement is still a long one, so you’ll need to regularly evaluate your progress, reassess as needed, and don’t forget to acknowledge small victories!
Our advice is to push yourself to save more, without going to the extremes of the FIRE lifestyle. If you would like additional accountability, Trilogy offers progress checks through our Decision Coach process more frequently than annual reviews. And if you need a road map to help find your path to success, reach out with any questions here.
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine what is appropriate for you, consult a qualified professional.
