Financial Tools

When you reach retirement, and if your company provides a pension program, you will be offered a number of payout options. Typically, they will be the Single Life and the Joint Survivor payout options. Single Life pays a higher monthly amount but stops paying once you die, whereas, the Joint Survivor will pay a lower monthly amount but will continue until both you and your spouse are deceased. This calculator will help evaluate total payout amounts under both scenarios given specified life expectancies.

Many factors can affect your eligibility and contribution limits to either the Traditional IRA or Roth IRA — tax filing status, your current earned income level and whether or not you participate in a retirement plan at work. Use this calculator to help you determine whether or not you are eligible to contribute to both the Traditional IRA and Roth IRA and the maximum amount that may be contributed.

Your retirement income can vary widely depending on what type of IRA holds your savings and what assumptions you make about return and tax rates during the accumulation and withdrawal periods. Use this calculator to help estimate your monthly and annual income from various IRA types.

Roth IRA is a great way for clients to create tax-free income from their retirement assets. Yet, keep in mind that when you convert your taxable retirement assets into a Roth IRA you will generally pay ordinary income tax on the taxable amount that is converted. The conversion amount is not subject to the 10% early distribution penalty. Your tax-free potential is maximized if you pay the taxes from your current income or personal savings and not from your IRA. Individuals of all income levels are eligible to convert to a Roth IRA.

It may surprise you how significant your retirement accumulation may be simply by contributing regularly to a qualified plan. Use this calculator to estimate how much you may accumulate by saving in a qualified plan.

Current tax law specifies that once you reach age 73, you must begin taking RMDs annually from your IRAs and other retirement plans. Generally, the RMD amount is determined based on your prior year's IRA balance of all of your IRA assets divided by your life expectancy. If RMDs are not taken annually, you may be subject to an additional 25% penalty for the amount you were supposed to take. Please note this tool is designed to provide an estimate for individuals age 73 or older.

Current tax law specifies that once you reach age 73 (75 if born after 1959) you must begin making taxable withdrawals from your Traditional IRAs and many other retirement plans. These minimum distributions are calculated annually based on your age, account balance at the end of the previous year, marital status and spouse's age. If you do not meet the annual minimum distribution, you may be subject to a 50% penalty on your underpayment, plus ordinary income tax as the funds are withdrawn.

You've spent a long time accumulating funds in your retirement account. When you retire and take distribution of your funds you have many options to consider.

Many employees are not taking full advantage of their employer's matching contributions. If, for example, your contribution percentage is so high that you obtain the $23,000 (year 2024) limit or $30,500 (year 2024) limit for those 50 years or older in the first few months of the year then you have probably maximized your contribution but minimized your employer's matching contribution.

Some qualified retirement plans include the option for qualifying participants to take a loan against their retirement account balance. Many people borrow from their retirement plan to pay off high-interest debt or to make a major purchase. Although the borrowing rates may be favorable, usually 1-2% above the prime rate, the impact on future retirement earnings needs to be taken into account. This calculator can help you make a more informed decision about whether a loan is the right approach for your financial situation. During the loan repayment period, if you elect to suspend ongoing contributions to the plan, your future retirement account balance may be further impacted. This analysis does not take into account any loan initiation fees that might apply. It also does not consider the impact of taking a withdrawal from the plan for financial hardship (purchase of a primary residence, college tuition, funeral expenses, etc.). Contact your plan administrator for details on the loan and withdrawal options available to you.

Many people feel the need to withdraw funds from their 401(k) plan due to hardship or other emergency. Use this calculator to help determine the impact of lost contributions and retirement funds due to early withdrawal.

Compensation for a self-employed individual (sole proprietor or partner) is that person's earned income.* The starting point to determine the individual's earned income is the net profit amount from the Schedule C (or Schedule K-1 for a partnership). Use this calculator to determine your maximum contribution amount for the different types of small business retirement plans, such as Individual(k), SIMPLE IRA or SEP-IRA.*Earned Income = Net Profit – 1/2 of Self-Employment Tax – Contribution

Consideration of NUA strategy is important if you are distributing highly appreciated employer securities from your prior employer's qualified plan, such as 401(k). Cost basis, the value of the employer contribution on your behalf is subject to ordinary income tax upon distribution. In addition, the 10% early distribution penalty may apply unless you have an exception (i.e. attained age 55 or older and separated from service). Taking in-kind distribution allows the appreciation (NUA) above the cost basis to be taxed at the more favorable capital gains tax rate. For this reason, upon separation from service it may be more tax advantageous to transfer the employer securities to a regular taxable account instead of rolling the asset into an IRA where future distribution will be taxed as ordinary income.