Get a RISE Out of Your Retirement Savings

Published on October 17, 2019

You’ve been contributing to your IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan—but are you retirement-ready or on track to be? Many Americans are not saving enough, or quickly enough, to sail smoothly into a comfortable retirement. Moreover, they are not properly calculating their anticipated expenses during their later years.

The Retirement Income Security Evaluation (RISE) is an online tool that evaluates where individuals are along their path to retirement in terms of their savings and their necessary income needed for the future. Based on data you provide, RISE gives you a score that measures how well you’ll be able to live on what you have saved today. The tool was developed by a provider of actuarial products and services and is provided by the Alliance for Lifetime Income, a non-profit organization. It’s flexible, so users can adjust data to see how they’d fare based on different financial information.

Consumers are asked to input their expected Social Security income, pension income if relevant, current savings, and their monthly living and medical expenses. The tool then calculates a score that tells users how well they can expect to live based on today’s numbers. Many people may be surprised by the gap their score reveals, since health care expenses are often left out of the equation—and can run into the thousands annually in a person’s later years. Plus, depending on the source, financial institutions recommend having up to 10 times your pre-retirement annual income in your retirement plans as a savings benchmark.

Knowing your score and where you stand can help you gauge whether you may need to ramp up your savings or—in the case of self-directed investors—further diversify your retirement portfolio with alternative assets.

Self-direction empowers individuals to achieve their retirement goals in more unique ways, by including nontraditional investments in their plans. These investments—such as real estate, private equity, unsecured or secured loans, precious metals, and more—have the potential to return greater ROI than the stock market and provide a hedge against market volatility. Savvy investors who are comfortable making their own investment decisions can invest in what they already know and understand, and take advantage of certain market opportunities.

If you’re thinking about how to boost your retirement score through self-direction, you can learn more about this strategy in one of Next Generation’s complimentary educational sessions. Or, you can contact our team with any questions about self-directed IRAs and the many types of nontraditional investments these plans allow. We’re available via phone at 1-888-857-8058 or email: NewAccounts@NextGenerationTrust.com.

DISCLAIMER

Next Generation Trust Company (“NGTC”) does not review the merits or legitimacy of any investment. NGTC does not endorse or recommend any companies, products, services or investments. NGTC does not provide any financial, legal or investment advice.

If the services of NGTC were recommended by any third party, such persons or entities are not in any way affiliated with NGTC. All information provided is for educational purposes only. All parties are encouraged to consult with their professional advisors prior to making any investments. 

Next Generation Services (NGS) is a third-party administrator of self-directed retirement plans, located in Roseland, New Jersey. NGS handles all the back office administration, record keeping, mandatory reporting, and transaction support. Accounts are named with Next Generation Trust Company as the custodian and holder of assets, for benefit of the individual account. 

NGS does not review the merits or legitimacy of any investment. NGS does not endorse or recommend any companies, products, services or investments. NGS does not provide any financial, legal or investment advice.

If the services of NGS were recommended by any third party, such persons or entities are not in any way affiliated with NGS. Next Generation Services is not a “fiduciary” as defined in the IRC, ERISA, and/or any applicable federal, state or local laws. All information provided is for educational purposes only. All parties are encouraged to consult with their professional advisors prior to making any investments.