How to Manage Your Own Money

I have been planning and managing my retirement portfolio since age 26 since getting my first full-time employment after college. I have used no consultant other than an estate planning attorney until now to manage the tax issues that will be associated with IRA distributions required by law when reaching age 70.5 in a few years. We have been able to build a sizeable portfolio by spending less than we made for most years, investing the rest in a portfolio that I re-balanced once per year, that after an emergency fund of one year of expenses minimum was built up. Insurance is an important part of my plan that includes a Long Term Care policy for both me and my wife and a life insurance policy so that my wife gets a large lump sum payment to buy an immediate annuity that will provide enough income replace my pension income payments that will stop when I expire. We purchased two new cars with cash in the last three years without touching our retirement portfolio, that after retiring six years ago as our pensions and Social Security have provided more income than we are spending. One reason for that is the fact that our mortage was paid off about seven years before we retired. We will begin taking distributions from our IRAs in a few years, re-investing in taxable assets of one type or another. We will likely leave quite a bit of money to our heirs. If there is one piece of advice I have, it is to start saving for retirement at an early age.

Al of GA 11:47AM June 17, 2012