How to Transition into Medicare?

Posted on October 11, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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The Timing, Costs, and Factors to Know

By Lon Jefferies MBA CFP® http://www.NewWorthAdvice.com

Lon JeffriesDid you know that the choices you make during your first year of Medicare eligibility will have long-term financial consequences? Yes, it is true!

And unfortunately, most people and even medical professionals have to make these decisions at a time when they are only beginning to familiarize themselves with a complex program.

The Rules

If you don’t follow Medicare’s enrollment rules, you may pay lifelong penalties for coverage. You have a seven-month window to enroll in Medicare as you turn 65. This window begins three months before the month of your birthday, includes the month of your birthday, and continues for the following three months.

The Parts

Part A

In most cases, you should sign up for Medicare Part A, which covers hospital stays, when you turn 65, even if you have other health insurance coverage. There is no cost for this coverage as long as you have 40 quarters of work in which you paid FICA taxes.

However, be aware that you are not allowed to contribute to a health savings account (HSA) if you are receiving benefits from Medicare. Thus, you may want to defer beginning Part A to continue building up your HSA balance to help offset future healthcare costs not covered by Medicare.

Part B

Medicare Part B covers services and supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat medical conditions, and health care to prevent illness. The standard monthly premium for Part B in 2013 is $104.90, but individuals with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) more than $85,000 and couples with a MAGI more than $170,000 pay more.

The premium ranges from $146.90 to $335.70 for those with incomes above the thresholds. If you have group health insurance through your own or a spouse’s employer, you may want to delay beginning Part B.

However, for this to be done without penalty, be sure to enroll in Part B coverage within eight months of the time your employment ceases. Otherwise, for every 12-month period that you could have been enrolled in Medicare Part B but were not, you will pay a 10 percent penalty on your Part B premium for life.

Part D

Medicare Part D covers prescription drugs. This coverage is usually purchased at the same time as Part B.  Part D monthly premiums vary by plan. However, higher-income beneficiaries (singles with a MAGI over $85,000 and couples with a MAGI over $170,000) pay from $11.60 to $66.60 more each month.

There is also a late enrollment penalty for Part D that is one percent of the “national base beneficiary premium” ($31.17 in 2013) multiplied by the number of full months you went without drug coverage.

Part C

Note that Medicare Part C is not a separate benefit. Part C, sometimes referred to as a Medicare Advantage Plan [MAP], is the portion of Medicare that allows private health insurance companies to provide Medicare benefits.

Part C is an alternative method for obtaining the same coverage that Part A and Part B provide, but do so through private insurance providers with different rules, costs and coverage restrictions. You can also get Part D as part of the benefits package if you choose. Although significant research is required, determining whether Part C is a viable option for you is simply a matter of considering your health, the medical services you use regularly, your prescription drug medications, and your budget.

medicare

Assessment

Medicare is a complex program. Enrolling on time and making informed decisions about coverage can save you thousands of dollars each year during retirement.

Conclusion

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On Setting Your Household Budget [ugh!]

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Trim Daily Expenditures or Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff?

By Lon Jefferies MBA CFP® http://www.NewWorthAdvice.com

Lon JefferiesHow often do you see articles containing money saving tips? Make dinner at home more often and eat out less, rent movies rather than going out, bring lunch to work rather than visit a restaurant, take advantage of coupons, and brew your coffee rather than driving-through Starbucks.

Do Advice Tips Work?

Are these tips worthwhile? If we spare the $8 expense of a lunch five days per week, 50 weeks per year, we could save $2,000 – nothing to scoff at!

However, what’s the cost of these savings? Eating at our desk everyday removes our ability to get outside and away from our work for that important hour, and prevents us from spending time, talking to, and laughing with friends. Is there a better way?

The DOL Report

According to a new study released by the Department of Labor, the average U.S household earns $65,132 per year before taxes, and spends an average of $50,631 on annual expenditures (excluding taxes and savings). Of that spending, $20,093, or 39.7%, goes towards housing expenses.

Additionally, $11,211, another 22.1%, goes towards transportation and automobiles. Combined, those elements make up 61.8% of the average household’s spending!

By comparison, only $10,835, or 21.4%, of our spending goes toward food, apparel and services, and entertainment combined. If we are going to explore ways to reduce spending, shouldn’t we start with the elements that are costing us the most?

Example:

For instance, most financial professionals say only 28% of our gross income should be committed to housing costs. Of the average $65,132 gross income, 28% would mean reducing our housing spending from $20,093 to $18,236, saving us $1,857 per year.

Assuming a 250-day work year, this savings could allow us to spend nearly $7.50 per day on lunch, enjoying our friends, and taking a break from the office.

More dramatically, reducing our mortgage payment by $500 per month, saving us $6,000 per year, pays for a whole lot of dinner and movie date nights.

Similarly, assume we spend $4 per day enjoying our morning coffee at Starbucks with friends five times a week, for 50 weeks a year. Annually this would cost us $1,000. Now suppose we purchase a nice used automobile for $15,000 rather than a new car for $25,000. This saves us $10,000 or 10 years worth of coffee breaks with friends (plus interest!).

Prioritize

Of course, everyone has different priorities. I suggest spending your money on what you are passionate about. For the occasional car fanatic, perhaps spending more on a car that makes you happy each day is preferable to other spending options.

Likewise, if homes happen to be your hot spot, heavy spending in this area makes sense.

Different Doctors?

However, I’d suggest that for most people, the experience of constantly eating with friends or spending a night out with your spouse is more likely to bring happiness than the possession of an expensive home or car. After all, would you rather eat out with friends or clip coupons alone in a large kitchen?

But, are doctors any different?

Budgets

Assessment

Consequently, reducing large expenses like a home mortgage or car loan may be the most effective way to stay within your budget and maintain your level of happiness – especially for docs!

Conclusion

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On Target Date Retirement Funds for Physicians

Posted on September 12, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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What You Haven’t Considered

By Lon Jefferies MBA CFP® http://www.NewWorthAdvice.com

Lon JefferiesAn increasing number of physician investors are utilizing target-date funds in their investment accounts and employer retirement plans.

In theory, an individual should select a target-date fund that matches their estimated year of retirement, such as the Vanguard Target Retirement 2015, or Fidelity Freedom 2020 fund. The philosophy of these funds is that as one ages, the proportion of stocks in their portfolio should decline, while their exposure to less volatile fixed-income positions increases.

My Concerns

While I agree with the concept that investors should continually make their portfolios less aggressive as they age, there are two concerns I have about utilizing these funds.

First and most obviously, an appropriate asset allocation for an individual physician investor as they enter retirement is dependent on their risk tolerance and is best not left to generalizations. At retirement, an aggressive doctor may be comfortable holding a portfolio that is 70 percent stocks while a more conservative investor may not be able to tolerate the volatility that accompanies a portfolio that has any more than 40 percent exposure to equities.

Of course, assuming these two investors retired around the same time, a target-date fund would place both in a one-size-fits-all asset mix.

Next, and perhaps less obvious but equally important is the fact that an asset allocation is better designed around when the investor will need the money as opposed to when they will retire.

Case Examples:

Consider two hospital employees who are retiring in 2015, and consequently, are invested in the Fidelity Freedom 2015 target-date fund (which is quite conservative – only 45 percent stocks and a 55 percent mix of bonds and cash). One of these employees will be taking an early retirement at age 59 and won’t be allowed to draw a Social Security benefit for at least three years.

As a result, this individual will need to draw a large amount of funds from his retirement account in order to pay for the first several years of retirement. The worst thing that could happen to a retiree is to endure a market crash shortly after leaving the workforce and suffers an excessive loss right as the funds are needed.

In such a case, the physician investor wouldn’t have time to wait for the market to recover and would be forced to sell at a loss. If money will need to be withdrawn sooner rather than later, sound financial planning says it should be invested in a conservative portfolio that is likely to limit loss, potentially similar to the 45 percent stock and 55 percent bond mix that the Fidelity Freedom 2015 fund provides.

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Financial

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Another Case Example:

Now consider that the second hospital employee invested in the Fidelity Freedom 2015 fund is age 67, will immediately be receiving a full Social Security benefit when he retires, and has a healthy pension from his employer. With two significant sources of income immediately upon leaving the workforce, this employee may not need to withdraw meaningful assets from his investment portfolio during the early years of his retirement.

Now, with a longer investment time frame before funds will be withdrawn, a more assertive portfolio is likely appropriate for this investor as he can afford to endure a full market cycle of pullbacks and advances while attempting to achieve superior gains.

Assessment

Hopefully this example illustrates the importance of considering other potential income sources and the timing of your expenses during retirement rather than simply treating target-date funds as your entire asset base. While the theory of target-date funds is sound, other factors should be considered before utilizing them as a significant portion of your investment nest egg.

Conclusion

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Is a Stock Market Correction Imminent?

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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Destined for a significant pullback; or not!

By Lon Jefferies MBA CFP® http://www.NewWorthAdvice.com

Lon JefferiesThe market has allowed itself a well-deserved “cool down” period during the month of August. The S&P 500 was down 3.13% while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 4.45% for the month.

After Running of the Bulls

After the roaring bull market we’ve enjoyed since April 2009, it is natural for investors to question whether this is a turning point and the market is destined for a significant pullback.

Currently, it is valuable to remind ourselves that even through the woes of August, the S&P 500 is only down 4.5% from its recent all-time high.

Wall Street Writes

Additionally, it is useful to define some terms, as Josh Brown, one of my favorite Wall Street writers, recently did:

Percentage    Drop: Defined    As: Feels    Like:
less than   5% Pause “whatever”
5% to 10% Dip Refreshing
10%+ Correction Nerve-wracking
20%+ Bear Market Panic
50%+ Crash Can’t Get   Out of Bed

The Market Pause

You may have heard the word correction in the financial media lately. With a market pause still under 5%, it’s probably a bit early to start talking about a correction. Still, let’s assume we are headed for an actual correction, or a loss of 10% to 20%.

Expectations

What should we expect? Here are some interesting numbers that Mr. Brown accumulated:

  • Since the end of World War II (1945), there have been 27 corrections of 10% or more. Only 12 of these corrections evolved into bear markets (a loss of 20%+). The average decline during these 27 episodes has been 13.3% and they’ve taken an average of 71 trading days to play out.
  • On average, the market has endured a correction every 20 months. Of course, the corrections aren’t evenly spaced out — 25% of the corrections occurred during the 1970′s, and another 20% occurred during the secular bear market of 2000-2010. However, from 1982 through 2000, there was just four corrections of 10% or more. This is relevant as it illustrates that bull markets can run for a long time without a lot of drama.
  • Since the stock market’s bottom in March of 2009, there have been two corrections. In the spring of 2010 the S&P 500 lost 16% over 69 trading days. In the summer of 2011, the S&P 500 dropped a hair over 20% before snapping back. Technically, this qualified as a bear market, which would mean the current rally is only two years old as opposed to almost five years old if dated from March of 2009.
  • The market pulled back 9.9% during 60 days in the summer of 2012. While not quite a correction, this dip set up one of the greatest rallies of all time.
  • There have been 58 bull market rallies (defined as market advances of 20% or more) in the post-war period, and they have run for an average of 221 trading days and resulted in an average gain of 32%. Comparatively, when measured by both length and magnitude, the current bull market is overdue for a correction and has been for awhile.

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Financial Action Plan

So what should you do assuming we are heading for a correction?

First, it is critical to remind yourself that if you are following sound financial planning principals, you already have an investment portfolio that matches your risk tolerance and investment time horizon.

Remember that just because the market loses 10% doesn’t mean your portfolio will lose 10%. In fact, if you scaled back the assertiveness of your portfolio as you transitioned into retirement and your portfolio is only 60% stocks, your portfolio would likely only be down approximately 6%.

Second, in the instance of an investor with a portfolio that is 60% equities, recall that you selected such a portfolio because you deemed a 6% loss to be acceptable. In fact, if due diligence was completed when you selected an asset allocation, you were aware that the largest loss a 60% stock, 40% bond portfolio suffered during the last 44 years was -19.35% (2008).

Additionally, you were aware that such a loss could (and likely would) happen again and you determined that was acceptable.

Grinding Teeth

Thus, for medical professionals and other investors who have done their planning, the best thing to do in the event of a market correction is grit your teeth and do very little!

For those doctors who haven’t planned in advance, now would be an ideal time to do your homework and create a portfolio that matches your situation and behavior patterns.

Assessment

Once you’ve done your planning, all you need to do is remember what Josh Brown calls the ABCs of investing: Always Be Cool.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

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Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

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