Call Us Today 931-250-8585

Blog

Some Days are Better than Others to Address Saving

Posted by Nina Whitehurst | Oct 19, 2018 | 0 Comments

Saving over time is a good way to create security.

National 401(k) Day and Grandparent's Day in September were special days to teach grandchildren about saving, but every day presents some kind of teachable moment, according to the Tuscon.com in “Retirement Planning: A 401(k) Day message.”

One point you should stress to kids and grandkids: they've got a great built-in advantage, when it comes to saving for anything, including retirement. Having an extended time in which to save and for money to grow, is something most of us don't understand, until that advantage is long gone.

Try this example:

Let's say you have a 22-year-old granddaughter named Chelsea. She's 22 and works with Becky, 25, and Ben, 30. They both work for a company with a generous 401(k) plan with an amazing dollar-for-dollar match. They each start participating in the program at the same time. They contribute $150 every month through payroll deductions. Add to the fact that contributions increase by 3% every year and assume a nice 8% annual rate of return.

How much of a difference will there be when they reach age 65?

For Ben, who contributes over the course of 35 years, there will be $900,000 by the time he celebrates his 65th birthday.

For Becky, who contributes the same as Ben, has an additional five years on Ben to add to her account, so she'll have $1.1 million.

Your smart granddaughter, Chelsea, who started working at 22, with eight more years than Ben to contribute and benefit from the company match, will celebrate her retirement at 65 with $1.7 in her 401(k).

They each contribute the same amount. But the mathematics of compounding, also known as the multiplier effect, makes a difference of hundreds of thousands a year.

Here's another example. Take a sum of money and invest it at 8%. Leave it invested for nine years, and you will double the original investment. Leave it for another nine years, and you will quadruple the investment. The passage of time drives compounding. The longer time you have, the greater the results.

Reference: Tuscon.com (Sep. 6, 2018) “Retirement Planning: A 401(k) Day message”

About the Author

Nina Whitehurst

Attorney at Law Nina has been practicing law for over 30 years in the areas of estate planning, real estate and business law She is currently licensed in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Tennessee. Her Martindale-Hubbell attorney rating is the highest achievable: 5 stars in peer...

Comments

There are no comments for this post. Be the first and Add your Comment below.

Leave a Comment

Areas We Serve

Aenean lacinia bibendum nulla sed consectetur. Donec sed odio dui. Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Nulla vitae elit libero, a pharetra augue. Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor. Morbi leo risus, porta ac consectetur ac, vestibulum at eros. Cras justo odio, dapibus ac facilisis in, egestas.

Menu