Boomers In The Work Force

If you follow the baby boomer demographics and you are a baby boomer (born between 1946-1964) you begin to wonder about a lot of things because the numbers are staggering when it comes to our generation. We are 76 million strong. (39)They numbers say that 64 million baby boomers (over 40 percent of the US labor force) will be eligible to retire in large numbers by the end of the decade. Statistics also show that the average retirement age today is 63 because baby boomers are staying on the job longer, either by choice or because they need to stay employed. (57)The increase in retirement age from 55 to 63 represents a trend for baby boomers and requires a change in our culture to recognize that retirement age is an arbitrary number and must be adjusted to respect the choice many make to stay in the work force. (45)As a society we must change our vocabulary and shift the paradigm that life begins to decline once a person enters the fifth decade of life, to life for many is just getting started in the fifth decade. If we replace the word retirement with “transitional phase”, for example it creates a different image in our minds and leaves more room for individual design of that phrase rather than a “one size fits all mentality”.(75)The word retirement leaves no room for variation on that theme in terms of employment and it is very cut and dry… either you are working or you are retired. Why can’t employers work with employees of retirement age to develop a transitional plan that allows the worker to remain productive and the employer to continue to benefit from the knowledge and skills provided by the experienced employee? (68)

Making Sense of Separately Managed Accounts and Individually Managed Accounts

Individually Managed Accounts (IMAs) and Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) both offer investors a highly transparent managed share portfolio while avoiding the tax distortions that come with pooled investment vehicles such as managed funds.However, there are some important differences between individually and separately managed accounts and while they may sound very similar, these differences can have a significant impact on investment performance, suitability, and tax effectiveness.In General, Separately Managed Accounts are a good alternative to managed funds for many investors, while investors with $1 million or more, are likely to find the features of an IMA more compelling.The key differences between the two types of managed accounts rests in their approach to building an investment portfolio.SMAs are constructed with a ‘model portfolio’ where each investor receives precisely the same portfolio, based on a template created by the fund manager. IMAs however, are constructed individually for each investor, although each account will share some common holdings. These two approaches have some important differences:Investors in a SMA may buy stocks that have already enjoyed most of their returns, but remain in the model portfolio to avoid realising capital gains tax. IMA investors however will receive a portfolio that is assembled incrementally, as attractive opportunities arise.For the same reason, new investors in Separately Managed Accounts will receive a larger position in stocks that have already performed well, while IMA investors are likely to receive larger holdings in stocks the investment manager believes will perform well in future.IMAs also provide the ability to tailor the portfolio to the investor’s circumstances. For instance, an IMA manager may place more weight on generating franked dividends for a SMSF, while long term capital appreciation could be more valuable for an investor with a high tax rate. These differences in investment management help produce good after tax results for each investor. Since every investor in a SMA receives the same portfolio, the Separately Managed Account manager cannot factor individual considerations into their management.Both structures will allow the transfer an existing portfolio, with the IMA providing some additional flexibility and tax advantages. When importing an existing portfolio into a SMA, only those shares contained in the model portfolio will be retained and only to the proportion held in the model portfolio. Therefore, investors may still realise capital gains when entering an SMA. Conversely, a diligent IMA manager will adapt the existing portfolio over time and with consideration to tax events.Both offer tax effective investment management to tax conscience investors.For investors wishing to exclude individual stocks or sectors, an Individually Managed Account manager will hold alternative positions, while the SMA will generally hold cash in lieu of the excluded positions. This can have a significant impact on the portfolio’s overall returns.In executing trades, SMA investors will generally receive ‘at market’ prices on their transactions, while an IMA manager may attempt to get best execution and/or exercise discretion over the timing of buys and sells.Service levels are also different, with holders of Separately Managed Accounts receiving a service akin to a managed fund. while those using Individually Managed Accounts have ongoing access to the fund manager responsible for their portfolio and will likely receive personalised reporting.

Compare Homeowners Insurance Quotes to Get Best Rate

Whether you already own a home or are in a search for a new one, you will definitely need homeowners insurance as a precautionary step taken in present to tackle future issues. But, the fact is, almost every homeowner is spending more than they actually require to get adequate coverage because of lack of awareness. Few minutes and a thorough research online comparing quotes and prices could save you a fortune. There are so many insurance companies that are craving to get your business due to which they offer extremely competitive prices, hence a little bit of research can help in more than one ways.Before you select the best quotes and choose an insurance provider, it is significant to figure out a few things such as total amount of coverage required, whether or not you require any additional coverage that is not previously covered such as flood or earthquake insurance. Once you have filtered the requirements, you may use the power of the web to compare quotes. There are a lot of websites present online that help compare car insurance quotes, homeowners quote, life insurance quotes etc. within a span of just few seconds.By getting numerous quotes from various providers, one may easily find a quote that will offer them the amount of coverage they require at the lowest possible price. A little comparison shopping can go a long way and help save thousands of dollars. The strange part about human beings is that they will spend a lot of hours shopping at the grocery store and searching for matching curtains than spending few minutes to compare homeowners insurance quotes online in order to save home.While selecting the quote, you must keep in mind that the best homeowner insurance quote is not necessary the cheapest one. The very best quote is likely to be the quote offered by the insurance company that carefully examines all homeowners’ insurance requirements. Before shopping for the best quote, make sure to perform a little research so that you are more prepared to discuss coverage options and pricing with agents.Insurance rates may vary by thousands of dollars from one provider to another. In this case, the finest way to get good homeowners insurance quotes is to go the web, search for insurance comparison website where you may compare rates from a number of companies. Getting a correct quote can help us in more than one ways, make sure to take a smart decision!