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Ask the Money Doctor
Welcome to “Ask The Money Doctor” our online resource for consumers who are looking for guidance about personal financial matters. Qualified CPAs and CPA Personal Financial Specialists (PFS) have volunteered to act as Money Doctors and will answer questions from consumers regarding their financial planning issues and questions. The program is offered as a public service and is designed to help and protect consumers by providing guidance on basic financial planning issues.
If you have an issue or question you would like addressed by a CPA financial planner, simply submit your email address and question in the spaces below. All personal information will be kept strictly confidential. You will receive an email response as quickly as possible.
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Michael Trank,
CPA, PFS |
Jim Kirby, CPA/PFS,
CFP®, CFS
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Leonard C. Wright, CPA/PFS, CFP®, CLU, ChFC |
Jerry F. McCarthy, CPA/PFS, CFP® |
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Personal Finance Question of the Month
Q: My spouce and I have a 20 year differance in ages. I will be 54 this year and he 35. Is there anything special we should be doing, such as full funding my retiremnt or his. We can not afford to fully fund both. Right now we both do 4% 401K, up to the match and both fund $2000 in a Roth. We also have a 4 month saving reserve reserve and no Credit Card debt.
A: Congratulations on being debt free. You no doubt have better peace of mind knowing that the bills arriving at your door are not overwhelming.
With respect to the contributions to your Roth IRA's and your 401k, continue to fund these plans. It is important to understand what your risk tolerance is. Ask yourself, how much can you feel comfortable losing when the market is down. The answer should not be zero, but neither should it be 50 percent. Take a look at where you are in your current portfolios and make sure that the allocation strategy that you have is in alignment with where it should be.
When you get a raise, I would suggest that 1/3 of the raise go to increasing the percentage of your compensation applied to the 401k plan. Today you are saving 4 percent. If you get a 6 percent raise, you should raise your 401k contribution from 4 percent to 6 percent. (4% +1/3(6)).
As time goes on, you will be able to fund greater and greater percentages of your salary.
Thanks for your question.
The Money Doctor
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