The Frugal Habits of Millionaires

The word "millionaire" typically conjures up images of a lavish, jet-setting lifestyle, but behind the scenes, that may not always be the case. Like Warren Buffett, who famously still lives in the relatively modest house in Omaha, Nebraska, that he bought in 1958 for $31,500, many millionaires (and billionaires) live a modest, if not downright frugal lifestyle–a lifestyle that may have helped them become millionaires in the first place. We’ve all heard the saying "It takes money to make money." So how can you find extra dollars to save and invest? If you’re looking to improve your financial position, consider putting some of these habits into practice. Cultivate a frugal mindset Many people equate being frugal with being cheap, but that’s not really correct. Being frugal means carefully watching your dollars and not spending more than you need to–a trait many millionaires employ. To help cultivate a frugal mindset, get in the habit of asking yourself this question: "With a little extra effort and/or sacrifice on my part, is there any way I can save money here?" Having a frugal mindset can really help when it comes time to playing the role of American consumer, where temptation is everywhere. Buy wisely and sparingly We all need "stuff" now and then; the key is not overdoing it or overpaying for it. Try to buy mostly what you really need, not what you really want. Money you save can then be used to build your savings and investment accounts. Don’t let the price tag of your car, home, or designer suit define your character. For example, a reliable car that safely gets you from Point A to Point B may be completely sufficient for your needs. According to the book The Millionaire Next Door, the top car brand among millionaires is Toyota, not Mercedes or BMW. Even Mark Zuckerberg, the billionaire founder of Facebook, has been spotted driving an Acura TSX, an entry-level luxury car whose base price is about $30,000. The bottom line? As you move up the net worth ladder, avoid the temptation to elevate your "status" by overspending on luxury goods. You can be smart about everyday consumer purchases, too. You might be surprised to learn that many millionaires clip coupons, buy in bulk, wait for sales, scour eBay and Craigslist for deals, limit clothing purchases, fly coach, avoid credit cards, and save half their restaurant meal for lunch the next day–habits that can free up cash for the occasional splurge. Shun debt Debt is bad. Well, mostly. At times taking on debt is necessary, for example when buying a home or attending college, because without it, many people won’t have saved enough money. But generally speaking, you should be leery of taking on debt for things that cause you to live beyond your means. Remember, every dollar you borrow today is a dollar you’ll have to pay back tomorrow, with interest. People who turn a modest financial base into wealth often do so by living frugally, saving regularly, investing wisely, and avoiding debt. By contrast, people who end up in a perpetual cycle of debt are often those who spend and borrow excessively to support an unsustainable lifestyle. Take action What do CEOs Tim Cook (Apple), Ursula Burns (Xerox), Robert Iger (Disney), and Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo) have in common? They’re all up by 5:00 a.m., hitting the gym, reading, working. As Benjamin Franklin famously quipped: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." And indeed, many millionaires and leaders aren’t couch potatoes. They don’t sit around waiting for things to happen; they make things happen–by getting up early, working hard, looking for opportunities, constantly educating themselves, taking calculated risks, networking, staying active, and generally trying to improve themselves day in and day out. And with the explosion of information online 24/7, learning new things has never been easier. Visit us at www.beaconplanners.com Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. does not provide legal, taxation, or investment advice. All the content provided by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions is protected by copyright. Forefield claims no liability for any modifications to its content and/or information provided by other sources.

Estimating Your Retirement Needs

Estimating Your Retirement Income Needs

You know how important it is to plan for your retirement, but where do you begin? One of your first steps should be to estimate how much income you’ll need to fund your retirement. That’s not as easy as it sounds, because retirement planning is not an exact science. Your specific needs depend on your goals and many other factors.

Use your current income as a starting point

It’s common to discuss desired annual retirement income as a percentage of your current income. Depending on who you’re talking to, that percentage could be anywhere from 60 to 90 percent, or even more. The appeal of this approach lies in its simplicity, and the fact that there’s a fairly common-sense analysis underlying it: Your current income sustains your present lifestyle, so taking that income and reducing it by a specific percentage to reflect the fact that there will be certain expenses you’ll no longer be liable for (e.g., payroll taxes) will, theoretically, allow you to sustain your current lifestyle.

The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t account for your specific situation. If you intend to travel extensively in retirement, for example, you might easily need 100 percent (or more) of your current income to get by. It’s fine to use a percentage of your current income as a benchmark, but it’s worth going through all of your current expenses in detail, and really thinking about how those expenses will change over time as you transition into retirement.

Project your retirement expenses

Your annual income during retirement should be enough (or more than enough) to meet your retirement expenses. That’s why estimating those expenses is a big piece of the retirement planning puzzle. But you may have a hard time identifying all of your expenses and projecting how much you’ll be spending in each area, especially if retirement is still far off. To help you get started, here are some common retirement expenses:

• Food and clothing
• Housing: Rent or mortgage payments, property taxes, homeowners insurance, property upkeep and repairs
• Utilities: Gas, electric, water, telephone, cable TV
• Transportation: Car payments, auto insurance, gas, maintenance and repairs, public transportation
• Insurance: Medical, dental, life, disability, long-term care
• Health-care costs not covered by insurance: Deductibles, co-payments, prescription drugs
• Taxes: Federal and state income tax, capital gains tax
• Debts: Personal loans, business loans, credit card payments
• Education: Children’s or grandchildren’s college expenses
• Gifts: Charitable and personal
• Savings and investments: Contributions to IRAs, annuities, and other investment accounts
• Recreation: Travel, dining out, hobbies, leisure activities
• Care for yourself, your parents, or others: Costs for a nursing home, home health aide, or other type of assisted living
• Miscellaneous: Personal grooming, pets, club memberships

Don’t forget that the cost of living will go up over time. The average annual rate of inflation over the past 20 years has been approximately 2.4 percent. (Source: Consumer price index (CPI-U) data published by the U.S. Department of Labor, 2012.) And keep in mind that your retirement expenses may change from year to year. For example, you may pay off your home mortgage or your children’s education early in retirement. Other expenses, such as health care and insurance, may increase as you age. To protect against these variables, build a comfortable cushion into your estimates (it’s always best to be conservative). Finally, have a financial professional help you with your estimates to make sure they’re as accurate and realistic as possible.

Decide when you’ll retire

To determine your total retirement needs, you can’t just estimate how much annual income you need. You also have to estimate how long you’ll be retired. Why? The longer your retirement, the more years of income you’ll need to fund it. The length of your retirement will depend partly on when you plan to retire. This important decision typically revolves around your personal goals and financial situation. For example, you may see yourself retiring at 50 to get the most out of your retirement. Maybe a booming stock market or a generous early retirement package will make that possible. Although it’s great to have the flexibility to choose when you’ll retire, it’s important to remember that retiring at 50 will end up costing you a lot more than retiring at 65.

Estimate your life expectancy

The age at which you retire isn’t the only factor that determines how long you’ll be retired. The other important factor is your lifespan. We all hope to live to an old age, but a longer life means that you’ll have even more years of retirement to fund. You may even run the risk of outliving your savings and other income sources. To guard against that risk, you’ll need to estimate your life expectancy. You can use government statistics, life insurance tables, or a life expectancy calculator to get a reasonable estimate of how long you’ll live. Experts base these estimates on your age, gender, race, health, lifestyle, occupation, and family history. But remember, these are just estimates. There’s no way to predict how long you’ll actually live, but with life expectancies on the rise, it’s probably best to assume you’ll live longer than you expect.

Identify your sources of retirement income

Once you have an idea of your retirement income needs, your next step is to assess how prepared you are to meet those needs. In other words, what sources of retirement income will be available to you? Your employer may offer a traditional pension that will pay you monthly benefits. In addition, you can likely count on Social Security to provide a portion of your retirement income. To get an estimate of your Social Security benefits, visit the Social Security Administration website (www.ssa.gov) and order a copy of your statement. Additional sources of retirement income may include a 401(k) or other retirement plan, IRAs, annuities, and other investments. The amount of income you receive from those sources will depend on the amount you invest, the rate of investment return, and other factors. Finally, if you plan to work during retirement, your job earnings will be another source of income.

Make up any income shortfall

If you’re lucky, your expected income sources will be more than enough to fund even a lengthy retirement. But what if it looks like you’ll come up short? Don’t panic–there are probably steps that you can take to bridge the gap. A financial professional can help you figure out the best ways to do that, but here are a few suggestions:

• Try to cut current expenses so you’ll have more money to save for retirement
• Shift your assets to investments that have the potential to substantially outpace inflation (but keep in mind that investments that offer higher potential returns may involve greater risk of loss)
• Lower your expectations for retirement so you won’t need as much money (no beach house on the Riviera, for example)
• Work part-time during retirement for extra income
• Consider delaying your retirement for a few years (or longer)

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