CIBC estimates that approximately $1.2 trillion in Canadian business assets alone will change hands by 2010 as more baby boomers anticipate retirement. Imagine what that means for American businesses!

Business owners not only have to worry about their own retirement planning, but will also need an exit

strategy and a long-term plan for their employees. The same study found that 60% of small business owners haven’t even begun to discuss their retirement plans yet.

Don’t leave yourself struggling to pay bills or your employees hanging high and dry. Develop a responsible plan for building business after you’ve retired and explore your options today.

Social security and pension plans should be the baseboard for your retirement planning, but you’ll have to think more creatively to continue making money once you’ve left your business.

Many owners, while simultaneously building business, choose real estate investment properties or further their stock and mutual fund investments.

In addition to expanding your business, you should be retirement planning and considering an exit or succession strategy. Recruiting the services of a financial planner can be an invaluable asset.

For many retirees, 31% of their business retirement plan will come from the sale of their business. An additional 28% will come from a registered government savings plan, such as an IRA or 401k, and 25% from stock market investments. The smallest income will be the 16% from social security or pension funds.

Should you offer employee retirement planning? While building business, it’s a good idea to share some of the company profits with hard-working employees. Generally a company with an employee retirement plan will have better productivity, stock purchases, employee retention and a more secure future.

For starters, you may want to consider a Simplified Employer Pension IRA. You will make contributions to a general fund, using up to 15% of employee income, in the employee’s name which they will receive when they retire or decide to dip into the fund.

You can decide what percentage of the company’s profits you’ll distribute among employees and you’ll enjoy easy administration, no additional IRS reporting, tax kickbacks and a better rapport with your employees.

One in five small businesses now offers an employee retirement plan, so don’t hesitate to look into a SEP-IRA or 401k plan when building business.

While it may seem like a daunting task to cover the retirement planning of yourself and your employees while building business, a simple trip to Fidelity Financial or a financial planner could get you on the right track.

By learning more about your investment options and developing an exit strategy, you can ensure that your golden years will truly be the best.

The main idea of the social security program is people welfare. The United States created this program based in what other countries in Europe were doing for its citizens. This program has experimented many changes since its creation in 1935. When this program was signed by President Roosevelt, the idea was to provide retirement income for people 65 or older. Lately the government has made changes on the retirement age and social security income requirements. People in the US are starting to worry about the Social Security funds which they think are getting lower and lower with time. The main question could be: Is there going to be money left when you retire. 

One financial area not receiving media attention in our present economic situation is the large deficits in federal, state and local retirement accounts. In fact the silence is almost deafening. According to the Pew Center on the States, “state government employee pension plans nationwide alone, have racked up nearly $360 billion in unfunded pension liabilities.” Research indicates there is also in excess of $380 billion in unfunded liabilities for other retirement benefits, including health care.

As individuals continue to invest funds with stockbrokers and brokerage firms, the amount of unethical practices among pension funds is on the rise.

The fiduciary obligations of trustees also make it vital that actions be taken to recover losses due to securities fraud. Additionally individuals who have lost their retirement benefits, or whose plan value has significantly declined, may have causes for legal action.

With all the three letter names floating around our society what is one more? Really? It’s not like we don’t have enough to worry about without adding this burden.

However, when it comes to real life, these three letters will have a greater noticeable affect on people than many of the other three letter names that we here on a regular basis such as the CIA, FBI, NSB, ATF, and countless other abbreviations that are hidden behind three little letters.

The good news is that an IRA isn’t nearly as insidious as its name would imply. This is a useful tool to most Americans who hope to someday retire from their life of work and life out a somewhat comfortable existence.There are actually many different IRAs, which is the abbreviation for Individual Retirement Account.

A Traditional IRA is the most common. The only requirement for this particular IRA is that you are employed and that you invest no more than 100% of your income or $4,000 per year, whichever is greater up to the age of 49.

At the age of 50 your maximum investment is 100% of your income or $5,000 whichever happens to be greater. If you meet the requirements of the IRS to their satisfaction your contributions to your traditional IRA will be tax deductible. As a result, the funds are not taxed while in your IRA account but once the funds are withdrawn they are subject to federal income taxes.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, particularly for those who plan to be in a lower tax bracket when the funds are withdrawn. However, there is a growing number of people who are interested in the benefits that Roth IRAs and similar funds present by paying the taxes now when the rates are known rather than risk an even higher rate of taxation in the future, even in a lower tax bracket. The best advice I can give is to discuss the matter thoroughly with your financial planner and listen to their advice.

This is a case where only you can ultimately decide which decision is best for your needs but he or she can provide valuable guidance. You should also keep in mind that though laws favor non-taxation for Roth contributions that could change between now and the time you are ready to withdraw your funds, which will have you paying double taxes on those funds and is the primary reason that many people elect to stick with Traditional IRAs instead.

There are several distinct disadvantages to the traditional IRA funds. One of those would be the requirements in order to qualify for tax deductions. First of all, if you have the opportunity to invest in another retirement option through your employer you must be below a certain income level in order to qualify for the tax deduction. If you do not meet that qualification all the funds that are deposited into your IRA fund are subject to federal income tax.

You will need to seriously discuss your stock buying strategies before determining if this is the best choice for you as those who buy and hold tend to be penalized when it comes to capital gains.

As things are currently, a Roth IRA is often preferable as the money isn’t immediately tax deductible but not only is the investment not taxed upon withdrawal but neither are the gains that were earned on the investment. Another serious setback when it comes to the traditional IRA is that you are required to begin receiving payments at age 70.5. As we are seeing more and more people work well beyond the traditional retirement age this is becoming more and more of an issue.

There are advantages and disadvantages to traditional IRAs. It is important that you decide which of these you are prepared to live with and which you would rather live without. These differences will matter a great deal when retirement comes. Take the time to discuss your goals for the future with your financial advisor and see what he or she recommends.

Many people do not think ahead about reducing taxes during their retirement years. But actually there are many ways to reduce the amount of taxes that you pay during your retirement years. Some of these include.

Maximizing the nontaxable amount of your retirement plan benefits by taking a lump sum distribution limited to your previous contributions. Planning the order and timing of (a) retirement plan rollovers and (b) IRA distributions to maximize the nontaxable amount.

Eliminating withholding tax on retirement plan distributions by making a trustee to trustee rollover to your IRA. Electing to defer tax on the distribution to you of your employer’s stocks and bonds. Carefully considering whether and when you should convert your regular IRA to a Roth IRA.

Planning the order and timing of (a) retirement plan rollovers and (b) Roth IRA conversions to maximize the nontaxable amount. Reversing your previous conversion of an IRA to a Roth IRA because of change circumstances. Obtaining temporary use of retirement or IRA funds without paying tax or interest on the funds.

Deferring or accelerate income or deductions between tax years to minimize tax on social security benefits. Choosing distribution alternatives that delay taxation of required minimum distributions from retirement plans and IRAs.

Taking a partial lump sum distribution from a personally purchased annuity or a funded nonqualified plan after the annuity has started, rather than before. Carefully consider whether your rollover of retirement plan funds to an IRA should include your previous contributions to the plan. Carefully considering whether to roll over your employer’s stocks and bonds to an IRA.

Electing the most favorable method for computing the tax on a lump sum distribution from your retirement plan, if you were born before January 1, 1936. Deferring income (or accelerate deductions) between tax years to qualify for a Roth IRA conversion.

Choosing the distribution methods and distribution periods for your retirement, IRA, an annuity benefits that maximize the deferral of your taxes. Taking the first required minimum distribution from your retirement plan or IRA in the tax year generating the lowest tax. Structuring distributions from your retirement plans or IRAs to avoid the penalty tax on premature distributions.

Electing the most favorable method for computing the tax on lump sum payments of prior year social security benefits. Determining the percentage of disability insurance premiums you paid a to maximize the nontaxable portion of your disability benefits. Qualifying for nontaxable VA disability benefits to replace taxable U.S. Military retired pay. Preserving your surviving spouses right to elect to own your IRA or Roth IRA.

Preserving the right of your beneficiaries to choose between alternative methods of distribution of your retirement and IRA benefits. Establishing separate IRA accounts for your beneficiaries to maximize their tax deferrals. Designating a trust as the beneficiary of your retirement or IRA benefits to provide better control of funds.

Devising an estate plan that reduces or eliminates federal estate taxes on your retirement or IRA benefits. Making a charitable beneficiary designation that will eliminate taxes on retirement or IRA benefits. Using multiple trusts as IRA beneficiaries to maximize tax deferral.

We transition from being a child of a house to adulthood and independence. And we make big transitions through marriage, parenthood and even becoming a grandparent. But of all of these, maybe the one we need to focus on in terms of preparation is the big transition to retirement.

Moving from the world of work and the active life that all that entails to retirement and your golden years is a huge adjustment for people. There are lifestyle changes, changes to your goals and priorities and even in how people view you. But the changes to your finances are perhaps the ones you will notice the most. When you move from getting a steady paycheck to living on your Social Security and retirement, that is a major shift in your expectations and how you plan your life.

The saddest thing we see when it comes to people in late middle age are those who are depending on Social Security to be the sole means of their support in retirement. While Social Security is a fine program, it has created a false illusion that somehow the government will take care of you in your old age. The truth is that if you are depending on any outside agency to be your means of support in your retirement years, your assurance that you will be conformable in your retirement years is not assured.

Even if you are currently working at a job that has a retirement program or a 401K that you put some into, you may still be allowing yourself to work on your job to be there for you when you get to retirement age. And the horror stories of the elderly who finally arrive at retirement age to discover that what they thought they could depend on was not reliable are tragic.

This is why starting now to prepare for you financial future will be the best way you can be absolutely sure you will have what you need as you enter that time when you should be able to relax and enjoy the fruit of your labors. This is a major attitude shift and if you can accomplish it and take charge of your financial future, you will approach retirement with much greater confidence.

The outcome of your decision to take charge of your retirement will be that you won and just let money get put away for you without any oversight on your part. You cannot always trust that the managers of your retirement account at work are handling the money correctly. By staying on top of how those funds are being invested and doing all you can to direct where those funds go, you are making sure that you get maximum return on your investment all along the way. And when its time for you to need those funds, you will be ready to use them because you are acutely aware of their value.

We cannot control Social Security and there is a chance it will be there for you when its time for you to retire. But instead of depending on Social Security, build a financial future that is secure whether it is there or not. Then when you retire and your retirement packages begin to kick and give you that lifestyle of leisure and financial safety that you want, if you do see Social Security add a few dollars to your monthly funds, so much the better.

By taking control over your financial future, you are putting the security of your funds and the planning that you will have what you need when those wonderful years come along. You are depending on the one person you know is in turn with what you will need and has always been abler to plan and provide for yourself and your family and that is you. It is a good feeling to put the management of your financial future in your own hands in preparation for retirement. But it is a wonderful feeling you worked hard to enjoy so you deserve it.

This is a question that I come across quite often when researching and discussing retirement planning and options. Despite the constant news coverage of impending doom in regards to Social Security many Americans are still counting on their social security payments to support them through their retirement.

The sad fact is that it simply isn’t possible because the money isn’t there. Sadder still is the fact that even if the money were there, it is doubtful that it would be enough to get the average American through their twilight years.

Americans are living longer than they have in decades past. In addition to longer lives we are leading more active lives. Gone are the days when retirees sat at home reading newspapers and mowing the lawn every other afternoon.

Today’s retirees are traveling, taking classes, learning to dance, and trying new things that they didn’t have the opportunity to experience while setting aside funds for the future and going about the business of raising their own families. Now they are taking the time to do all these great things and these wonderful activities and pastimes require funds in order to enjoy.

This is the number one reason you should begin as early as possible not only setting aside funds for your retirement but making active plans on methods by which you can invest those funds in order to maximize the potential of limited funds.

This is the time that it is best to take your plans, goals, and concerns to a financial planner and see what advice he or she can give you on setting specific goals, better defining your plans, and making the most of your investment means while establishing a realistic investment strategy that will not leave you feeling strapped for cash month after month.

We often overlook the important role that a good financial planner and good planning play in our financial futures. The same could be said of our financial retirements. We need to take every opportunity that is available to us in order to maximize our money.

A good financial advisor will know of funds and strategies that we have never heard of. It makes sense to go to an expert when it concerns our family’s future. We see experts when it comes to matters of law, health, and taxes-why on earth shouldn’t we see an expert for our finances?

Why is it so important to have a plan? The long and short answer to this question is so that you won’t end up needing a job in order to put food on your table once you’ve reached retirement age.

The sad truth is that many of our retired citizens are finding themselves strapped for cash financially and barely able to make ends meet. If they are fortunate enough to have homes that are paid for, they often find the property taxes are a little more than they can handle without some sort of assistance.

Medications are expensive despite government programs to keep costs down for our elderly, and then there are those who are simply living longer than their original retirement plans had accounted for.

Combine all these factors with the fact that the cost of living has gone through unprecedented increases over the last two decades and you have some very real reasons to make plans for your future retirement.

It is best to begin making these plans as early as possible. It is not impossible to recover, however, if you begin the process a little later. The problem is that you will need to make some extra investments along the way in order to make up for lost time.

The sooner you begin making plans for your financial retirement the healthier your retirement options will be. The best way to go about this is to define your retirement goals, make plans, and then take your goals and plans to a financial advisor and get his or her input. Investing smarter is much wiser than investing harder.

Your retirement income investment plan starts now, right now, no matter how old or well heeled you happen to be.

Step One is to understand what a retirement plan is, and to identify the three large numbers you need to keep track of while you are developing your stash. With these three totals on your spreadsheet, it’s much easier to develop long-range retirement income goals that make personal sense. A retirement plan is an income production plan. Guaranteed retirement income – projected expenses = the gap. No gap, add parents and children to the expense number. There’s always a gap.

Employer provided pension plans, Social Security, and (always much too expensive) fixed annuity contracts, are retirement income providers. They are monthly income machines that you have paid dearly for but which may not be adequate to cover your retirement expenses— most of us will need more income than our guaranteed benefits will provide.

And we need to develop these additional income sources while we are still earning some kind of income. The retirement plan is the investment process you employ to eliminate the gap between your projected guaranteed income and a conservative estimate of your retirement expenses. The sooner and smarter you invest before retirement, the easier the transition from full employment to full vacation will be. Smart investing involves separating your security selections by purpose, and monitoring their performance in the same way. You’re never to young to start developing the income side of the portfolio.

Once you start to draw income at retirement, it is much more difficult to invest effectively and unemotionally. Since your income will need to remain secure and constant through several economic, market, and IRE (interest rate expectation) cycles, you really need to develop appropriate portfolio market value expectations if your program is to survive. You cannot afford to take your eye off the income ball, because income is the only thing you can spend without depleting the productive value of the assets in your investment portfolio.

Obvious? Yes, but only until the market value of your portfolio begins to shrink as a result of economic, market, and IRE cycles. If you invest properly, it (the income) should continue to grow in spite of changing market conditions and fluctuating market value numbers. You must learn to expect market value fluctuations and take advantage of them— assuming, of course, that you are following appropriate quality, diversification and income generation standards.

Retirement income planning became more difficult for most of us around the time corporate America realized that defined benefit pension plans were far too expensive to manage and maintain. At around the same time, the Social Security trust fund somehow disappeared (Did it ever exist at all?), and more and more of our hard earned was needed to support our aging friends and relatives. Why haven’t the myriad of defined contribution programs been able to fill the retirement income gap?

Because millions of totally investment-inexperienced people were given discretion over billions of investment dollars that could be tax detoured out of their paychecks and into IRAs, 401ks, 403bs, Thrift, Savings, Thrift/Savings Plans, etc. Self directed investment programs generated a need for an investment media; the investment media fueled the speculative juices of an emotional and naive mass of newbie investor/speculators; Wall Street created tens of thousands of new products and compound income schemes to sponge up the wayward dollars.

The Masters of the Universe were ROTFLOL while the Investment gods gaped in disbelief.

Defined Contribution plans are just not retirement plans— even if your employee benefits department, the media, Wall Street, and Uncle assure you that they are. Most plans are difficult to self-manage with a retirement income objective. Still, these benefit plans are necessary and quite capable of taking you close to where you want to be. Their only drawback is the false sense of wealth and retirement security that they promote. Either the money has to be converted into an income portfolio— a costly and time-consuming process— or far too many mutual fund shares have to be sold to produce the spending money

Most people think of savings and investment programs as retirement plans, and rationalize away the need for additional, outside development of an income investment portfolio. This is because all of the information they receive speaks to market value growth instead of to income. It’s very likely that less than half the money will ever be yours to spend! What, you say— why? Here’s an example. A NYC resident with a $3 million IRA retires with the expectation of maintaining her life style. Even invested for income alone, $15,000 per month is easy to generate. But how much more has to be disbursed to satisfy three levels of tax collection?

Next example. The same portfolio in equity mutual funds during a correction— now you’re dipping into principal!

Even though defined-contribution plans are excellent mechanisms for growing an investment portfolio with your hard earned, pre-tax, dollars, most plans and most plan participants worship the market value god to the exclusion of all others. Most people are too greedy and/or tax-averse to convert them into income producers during rallies— when they can lock in a meaningful cash flow. Additionally, the counter productive IRC encourages our use of owned assets first— a universally ignored phenomenon.

The “buy and hold” mutual fund mentality doesn’t transition well from growth to income— regardless of the fund category or description; the idea of helping people into a comfortable retirement hasn’t stopped the tax collectors; the market cycle is just as likely to be down as up when your gold watch is presented. You have to do more, and less, to secure that comfortable retirement.

Step One of the retirement plan is developing a focus on income, and understanding that spending money and market value are not blood relatives. Step Two is developing the right combination of tax deferred and tax-exempt income— among other things.

It’s a New Year, but few people are feeling optimistic in the wake of the global financial crisis. Americans have recently lost over $2 trillion in their retirement portfolios and $2 trillion in the value of their homes.

Baby Boomers are particularly affected by the economic meltdown. Since millions of Boomers are approaching retirement age, they have less time to resuscitate their dwindling bank accounts and achieve financial security.

Here are five things you can do right now to start rebuilding your investments and weather these economic storms:

1. Revisit all the options offered in your 401(k) plan.

Re-balance your investment allocations so no one industry, sector, geography, company size, or type of investment amounts to more than 20% of your portfolio. (For example, you can divide up your money between a money market fund, bond fund, global large cap fund, commodities fund, and an emerging markets fund.) Compare fund management fees carefully, and choose exchange-traded funds (ETF’s) or mutual funds with low fees where available — some charge only one-third what others do for the same service. Remember, these fees come off your annual return (or make losses in the market hurt even more!).

Also, think three times about staying invested in your company’s own stock if it is offered in their 401(k) plan — remember, in no case keep more than 20% tied up in any one company’s stock. Finally, make sure you put in enough money in 2009 to get 100% of the matching funds offered by your employer (if any). If you are over 50, you should be eligible to make additional catch-up payments — take advantage of it.

2. Take extra precautions to safeguard your health.

Make time to improve your fitness and stress management or try yoga or meditation. Raise your awareness of what to do in the event of a stroke or heart attack (a fast response, including taking aspirin at the first sign of a possible stroke, can reduce any long-term harmful effects).

3. Get started on an accelerated debt reduction plan that also gives you a 10-year or less roadmap to financial security.

Whether you do it yourself, using widely available budgeting or money management software, or invest in an automated debt repayment acceleration system such as the UFirst Financial Money Merge Account, make putting the power of compound interest to work for you a top priority this year. This system should be easy to update (at least monthly) and should give you a little flexibility, while showing the exact long-term cost in compound interest of your spending decisions.

4. Investigate and get a quote for long-term care insurance before you are closed out for health reasons.

Make an informed decision now about whether long-term care insurance makes sense in your situation. Then purchase it as soon as it makes financial sense to do so, rather than waiting for monthly premiums to increase.

5. Open a Roth IRA to hedge your bets against future higher taxes.

This form of IRA uses after-tax money to build it and gives you more options in how you take money from your retirement savings after your retirement. With both a regular IRA and a Roth IRA, you can choose whether to withdraw either taxable or non-taxable income in a given year, or a mix of both, depending on the income and the tax rates you will face that year.

Finally, it’s important to have a stream of financial advice and resources you can trust from a source that acts as your advocate, with informed, unbiased perspectives and second opinions. While not always easy to find, the right sources can help you gain confidence in the future, evaluate your investment options, assure continuing income, and take the needed steps to prepare for your future, without fear.

The Baby Boomers Retirement Club (BBRC) offers advice and resources that Baby Boomers need to stay afloat in the current economic crisis and in the challenging years ahead.

The Club provides a free, easy-to-use 10-step process everyone can use to clarify their priorities, develop confidence and create a sound action plan, regardless of the declining economy. The tools and calculators at www.mybbrc.com can help you develop an intelligent and workable roadmap and financial plan for your retirement years.