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Saving vs Investment

April 8, 2012 By

In all of the financial counseling sessions I’ve conducted; and, in all of the personal finances classes I’ve taught, the subject of saving inevitably comes up.  While discussing the importance of “saving for a rainy day”, one class participant asked me to explain the difference between saving and investing for the future.

Both involve deferred consumption … not spending money today so that it is available for use at some unspecified time in the future.  So, what does differentiate one from the other?  I believe that the distinction is found in two things … where the money is kept and the amount of time that is expected to elapse before the money will be used.

Saving

Let’s talk about time as it relates to where we keep our money.  Saving usually implies that the money will be needed in a relatively short period of time; for example, saving money for a new refrigerator or for a new set of tires for the car.  Both examples imply that the money will be needed relatively soon, possibly within the next year or so.  Since the money will be needed soon, it must be kept where it can be accessed quickly and easily; it must be a liquid asset.  Since it will be needed soon, the saver cannot take risks that might lead to less money being available than will be needed; the asset cannot be subject to possible depreciation.  For these reasons, some assets are far more suitable for savings than other assets.

Cash is certainly an asset that can be kept in a variety of locations.  It can be kept in grandma’s old sugar bowl or under the mattress.  Unfortunately, these carry the risk that the funds may be stolen since neither location is secure; and, sadly, there is no way these funds can grow since they earn no interest.

Suitable places to keep savings include savings accounts, money market funds, and certificates of deposit (CD’s) at their local bank or credit union.  All three are low risk; i.e., the value of the account cannot go down.  All three pay interest with CD’s paying a somewhat higher interest rate in return for the depositor’s promise to leave the money untouched for a specific period of time.  All three are designed for the short-term storage of money.  This is why they are good for saving.

Investing

Investing, by its nature, carries risk … the chance that the value of the asset might decrease … risk that there may not be enough money when it is needed.  There are many kinds of risk which will be discussed in another article.  For now, suffice it to say that the risk of loss makes many investments unsuitable for short-term financial needs.

Investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, and real estate investment trusts (aka REIT’s) are much better suited to long-term financial goals.

Filed Under: Financial Planning, Investing, Money Management, Personal Finances, Saving Money, Saving Money, Savings Acounts Tagged With: , , , ,

Planning For Retirement – Part 3 … ROTH IRA’s

February 20, 2012 By

The ROTH IRA is perhaps one of the best tax advantaged retirement plans available to the individual taxpayer today.  Created in 1997 by the Taxpayer Relief Act, the ROTH IRA is similar to a traditional IRA in that it allows individuals to save for retirement in a tax sheltered environment; i.e., the earnings and growth within the account is not taxed.  However, there are some significant differences.

  • Contributions are not tax deductible.  All money put into a ROTH IRA is “after tax” money.  You’ve already paid income taxes on it.  While this may initially sound like a disadvantage, it proves to be a real advantage when it comes time to withdraw funds from the account.
  • Withdrawals from the ROTH IRA after age 591/2 are tax free.  That is huge!  Where all withdrawals from a traditional IRA are subject to federal income tax, both the principal and the growth are untouched by the tax man when they are withdrawn from the ROTH IRA.
  • There are no minimum annual withdrawals required from a ROTH IRA after age 701/2.  For someone who does not necessarily “need” the money from their retirement fund and who wants to leave it as a legacy to a family member, this allows the money to continue growing in the tax sheltered environment.
  • Where the traditional IRA prohibits any additional contributions after age 701/2, a person can continue to contribute money into his or her ROTH IRA so long as he or she has income.
  • Earnings can be withdrawn without federal tax penalties when the funds will be used for:
    • expenses for a post-secondary education (i.e., college or accredited trade or technical school
    • health insurance after a long period of unemployment
    • periodic payments such as credit card debt
    • catastrophic medical expenses
    • payment on a levy
    • If the money has been invested for five taxable years, earnings can be withdrawn tax-free if the individual:
      • has reached the age of 591/2
      • has become disabled
      • is using the money for a first-time home purchase
      • has died

One final note regarding withdrawals from a ROTH IRA is in order.  If the ROTH IRA owner dies and the spouse is the beneficiary, the spouse has the right to roll the money into his or her own ROTH IRA or postpone taking payments based on projected life expectancy until the owner would have been 701/2.

The ROTH IRA has the same contribution limits as the traditional IRA discussed in Part 2, including the availability of the “catch-up contributions” if the person is over the age of 50.

Because the ROTH IRA empowers us to accumulate money in a tax-sheltered environment and permits tax-free withdrawals in retirement, this may well be one of the very best retirement planning options available to U.S. taxpayers today.  If you haven’t looked into this great plan, you might want to do so today!

NEXT UP … 401(k)’s

Filed Under: Financial Planning, Personal Finances, Retirement Planning, Saving Money

Planning For Retirement … the ultimate level of unemployment – Part 1

January 29, 2012 By

Long ago and far away, in a time and place where cars sported lots of chrome and fins, the head of household (we’ll call him Joe) got out of bed each morning and went to work at The Big Company, Inc.

Joe started working at The Big Company right out of school and it was understood that he would work there for his entire career.  When he retired, The Big Company’s pension plan would send Joe and his wife a pension check each month that would allow them to enjoy their golden years with some degree of comfort.  The Big Company accepted the responsibility for investing the right amount of money each year to ensure that Joe’s retirement (along with the retirement of all of Joe’s fellow workers) would be safe and secure.  Joe could count on that pension check arriving like clockwork each month and he could never outlive that income.  That’s just the way things worked “back then”.

Today, Joe’s grandson (affectionately called Joe3 by family members faces a much different employment future.  The Big Company (TBC) no longer offers its employees a pension plan.  Instead, TBC invites its employees to contribute money into a Qualified Retirement Plan.

This Qualified Retirement Plan allows TBC to deduct money out of Joe3’s paycheck each week.  Joe3 decides how much will be taken from the check and how that money will be invested.  While TBC makes sure that there are many options for Joe3 to choose from, Joe3 is responsible for selecting his investments and monitoring them from month to month and year to year to make certain that he sufficient money to fund his own retirement.  If he plans well and the investments perform well, Joe3’s retirement should be safe and secure.  If he fails to put enough money into the plan; or, if the investments don’t perform as well as he had hoped and he has too little to retire on … oh well, that’s Joe3’s problem and TBC has no responsibility or culpability for the shortfall.

Since it’s Joe3’s responsibility to make sure he has enough money when he retires, we’re going to take a look at the different plans that Joe3 can choose from; the opportunities that those plans offer and the limitations that are included in those plans.  In Part 2, we’ll look at one of the most prevalent Qualified Retirement Plans … IRA’s

Filed Under: Financial Planning, Money Management, Personal Finances, Retirement Planning, Saving Money, Saving Money

An Old Idea is New Again

November 11, 2011 By

Once upon a time, in a time and place long ago, Santa never bought presents for all of the good boys and girls with plastic money.  He only used green pieces of paper with pictures and numbers on them.  When he didn’t have enough green papers, Santa would tell the store what he wanted to buy and ask the store to hold it for him.  Each week, when he got paid, Santa would go to the store and give the manager some money as a partial payment on the toy that the store was holding.  When the toy was completely paid for, Santa would take it to the North Pole and have the elves wrap the present and put the name of the child for whom it was intended on the package.  The North Pole was a very happy place.

One day, an ogre gave Santa a piece of plastic and told him that he no longer had to take green paper to the store.  He could fill his sleigh with all the toys it could carry and not worry about the green papers.  In fact, he wouldn’t need green papers for a long time.  Over time, the North Pole became a very sad place.  There was never enough green paper and Santa received calls at all hours of the day and night from angry people demanding that he give them green papers immediately; lots of green papers that he didn’t have.

Finally, the head elf approached Santa with an idea … stop using the plastic … give the angry people green papers until all of the plastic bills were paid in full.  Then, ask the stores to hold the toys and allow him to bring a few pieces of green paper to the manager every week.  When the manager had received enough of the green papers, Santa could bring the toy back to the North Pole and have the elves wrap it in bright paper with shiny ribbons and bows.

On the day after Christmas, with no plastic swords hanging over his head threatening to make the coming year unpleasant, Santa could begin planning for the next year and getting presents ready for the good boys and girls.  The North Pole was once again a happy place and Santa could enjoy each day of the year as he looked forward to the next Christmas Eve.

Filed Under: Holiday Savings, Personal Finances, Saving Money, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

“… Making A List and Checking It Twice …”

October 24, 2011 By

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, or another holiday, the holidays are a time of gift giving.  For some, the temptation is there to spend more than the budget really permits.  Here are some tips for managing gift giving expenses.

  • Make a list of those for whom you intend to buy gifts and set a dollar limit for each one.  The price of the gift is never indicative of your love or respect for the recipient.
  • Shop early … don’t wait until the last minute to go shopping.  Shopping early and often gives you the opportunity to comparison shop and make certain that you are obtaining the best price on the product you’re purchasing.  It also affords you the luxury of not being pressured into buying “what you can get” rather than “what you want to get”.
  • Large, extended, families may decide, as a group, to draw names and only buy a gift for a limited number of people (perhaps only one person) rather than for every family member.  My friend Brenda tells me that her family elected to do this; and, that it allows each family member to give a special gift to each person on their exchange list rather than having to give small inexpensive gifts in order to stay within budget.

As we move into the month of November, Santa is not the only one who should be making a list and checking it twice.  A little bit of planning now will empower you to enjoy the spirit of holiday giving without fearing the costs.

Filed Under: Holiday Savings, Money Management, Personal Finances, Saving Money

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (Already?)

October 18, 2011 By

Anyone who knows me knows how much I, and my family, love the Christmas Season; and, how much we enjoy decorating and entertaining.  Typically, we can’t wait to get started.  But, I must confess that I was truly shocked this past weekend when I went into my favorite warehouse store and found an entire section of the store offering a HUGE array of holiday decorations for sale.  I mean, come on!  The ghosts and goblins of Halloween haven’t even begun to fly about the neighborhoods yet!!  Obviously, neighborhood merchants and national retailers are already implementing plans to help us overspend for the holidays … which got me to thinking.  How can we save money and still enjoy the holidays and make them memorable for our loved ones?

Ironically, the first thing that I thought of was the year my wife and I became engaged and decided that, since we would be paying for our own wedding, we needed to find ways to save money that could otherwise be spent.  With Christmas fast approaching, we decided that this was as good a time as any to put our savings plan into action.  We decided that, rather than spend large amounts of money on gifts for friends, we’d make gifts instead.

One of the gifts was a wreath made with a metal wreath ring and macramé yarn.  The yarn was cut into pieces of approximately 3”.  Each piece was then formed into a “U”, placed under one of the ring wires, and the two ends were fed through the closed end of the “u”.  When each ring of wire on the wreath was full of yarn, a wire brush was used to brush out the yarn creating a fluffy, cloth wreath that could then be decorated with inexpensive artificial poinsettia blooms, pine cones, bells, and red ribbons.

When these gifts were given, our friends received a very special and unique gift.  While these wreaths did not cost a lot of money, each was special.  Each was made with its intended recipient in mind and decorated in a way that we felt was most appropriate and would be most appreciated by the recipient.

At the mid-point of October, some will say that it’s far too early to think about Christmas gifts.  But, I would suggest that now is the time to begin planning the gift giving and deciding how we can make these holidays special for those we love without breaking the family budget.

In the coming days and weeks, I’ll share some ideas and would welcome suggestions that each of you can provide.  Together, we can enjoy the season without having to fear the bills that come in January.

Filed Under: Holiday Savings, Personal Finances, Saving Money

Charge Cards vs Credit Cards

October 14, 2011 By

While working with a client recently, I noted that she was using the terms credit card and charge card interchangeably.  When I pointed this out to her, she asked if there was actually any difference between the two.  In fact, there is a significant difference.  To fully understand the difference, it is necessary to review a little bit of history.

Prior to the advent of either type of card, consumers generally could not buy merchandise until they had accumulated sufficient cash to pay the price in full.  There simply was no way to obtain the goods or services without the cash.

In the 1920’s, some merchants began offering “buy now and pay later” plans.  These plans allowed consumers to buy that specific merchant’s products or services and make payments over time.  This type of account is representative of charge cards.  They are only accepted by the specific merchant or firm that issued the line of credit.

In the very early 1950’s, a program was introduced that allowed people to purchase meals at any participating restaurant regardless of brand or affiliation.  At the end of the month, the balance on the account had to be paid in full.  Although it was not possible to carry a balance from month to month, this program was an early type of a credit card.

The first credit cards that permitted account holders to carry balances from one month to the next were introduced in the late 1950’s; and, the marketing and use of these accounts became very widespread in the 1970’s.  Today, consumers in the United States are carrying in excess of $790 billion in balances on revolving credit cards!  1

As we consumers move forward in our economic lives, debating how to pay for the goods and services that we want or need, it will be important to keep these differences in mind as they will impact how (and how much) we pay for our purchases.

1 Federal Reserve Statistical Release dated October 7, 2011; data is through August 2011.

Filed Under: Banking, Checking Accounts, Money Management, Personal Finances, Saving Money

Will That Be Debit or Credit?

October 7, 2011 By

The news that several major banks are planning to charge consumers a monthly fee for using debit cards appears to be an attempt to drive consumers to a greater use of credit cards.  Why?

  • First, new regulations have taken effect that limit the fees that these banks can collect from merchants whenever a consumer uses a debit card.  It does not appear that these same limitations will apply to the use of credit cards.
  • Second, consumers have been making a conscious effort to pay down credit card balances and to voluntarily limit their use of credit.  Lower balances mean less interest can be collected by the banks, further cutting into their profits.  If the banks can drive credit card balances up again, interest receipts should increase and profits should rise.
  • Third, many banks are already charging consumers fees for the privilege of carrying one or more of the bank’s credit cards in their wallets.  The fee may be called a monthly or annual service fee; a membership fee (one must wonder what the consumer is a member of); or any one of a number of other euphemisms for a cardholder fee.  Increased use of credit cards is likely to lead to new accounts being opened and an increase in fees that can be collected by the banks.

If you are one of the many consumers who has resolved to reduce your debt and live within your means, stay firm in your commitment to living in a personal cash economy.  It may be hard to break the credit habit; but, your family’s financial well-being hangs in the balance.

Filed Under: Banking, Checking Accounts, Money Management, Personal Finances, Saving Money, Saving Money

Major Banks Plan to Charge Fees for Using Your Debit Card

October 2, 2011 By

News reports on Friday, September 30th, indicated that several major banks were planning to begin charging customers a monthly fee for using debit cards.  These fees could be as high (at least for NOW) as $5 each month.  That’s $60 each year!

After spending years and millions of dollars convincing customers that using a debit card was THE way … fast … convenient … easy … to pay for purchases at the grocery store, gas station, dry cleaners, and every other merchant with a swipe machine at the register, now the banks want to charge you, the consumer, for the privilege of spending your own money.  The bankers have decided that they aren’t making enough money by charging the merchants for this service.  Now, they want to dig into your wallet, too!

I’m confident that the bankers will tell you that you really have no alternatives … you can’t slow down or stop the wheels of commerce from turning.  However, I’m going to suggest that you DO have options.  They are …

  • Pay Cash – the commercials will try to convince you that the use of real money (rather than plastic) will cause the wheels of commerce to come to a screeching halt if you don’t swipe your card.  That’s OK!  It’s YOUR money and you have the right to spend it in whatever manner is best for you.  If you aren’t in the habit of carrying cash, the good news is that, at least for now, the bankers aren’t planning to charge you for withdrawing your money from your own bank’s ATM’s.  Rather than getting charged for swiping your card through the merchant’s machine, get your cash from you own bank’s ATM and pay cash.  This saves both you and the merchants money … and lower merchant expenses could lead to lower prices.  Don’t believe me?  Look at the gas stations that charge one price for their gasoline if you pay with cash and a higher price if you pay with a credit card … and, in some cases, with a debit card!
  • Change banks – yes, it is inconvenient; but, as a consumer, you have a right to demonstrate your genuine displeasure with your bank’s new policy.  Vote with your feet, and with your money, by taking your business to a bank that values your business and doesn’t feel compelled to squeeze every last penny out of your pocket in order to enrich its stockholders.
  • Join a Credit Union – credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions that are owned by their members and operated for the benefit of those members.  Traditionally, credit unions have avoided many of the fees that traditional banks have charged and kept costs low for their members.  Many credit unions offer the same services as their traditional banking counterparts but charge lower, more reasonable, fees … in some cases, services are provided without the imposition of (yet another) fee.

Yes, you do have choices … but only if you are willing to make the changes that are necessary in order to send a message to your banker

Filed Under: Banking, Checking Accounts, Money Management, Personal Finances, Saving Money