I received the following email from Chelsey, a recent college graduate just starting her career.  Chelsey has an emergency fund in place, and is interested in saving for retirement, but hit a snag when her new employer didn’t offer a 401(k) plan.

“I’m 22 years old, just graduated from college. In a few weeks I’ll be starting a new job. It’s very entry-level, so I don’t have benefits or a 401(k) plan. I’m wondering if I should find some other kind of retirement account or what I should do. I don’t understand 401(k)s at all or even know what a Roth IRA is. What would you suggest someone in my position do?”

- Chelsey

First of all, congratulations on finishing your degree.  I’m impressed that you are even thinking about this stuff at 22 years-old!  I sure wish I had been thinking like you at that age.  Your dilemma is not uncommon for people just starting out in a career, but just because your employer doesn’t offer a retirement plan certainly doesn’t mean you can’t begin planning for your own retirement now. When I was in my early twenties I took some time off from school to work a variety of jobs, and none of them offered benefits.  I figured since I didn’t have access to a 401(k) I just wouldn’t pursue investing for my retirement.  Besides, that was decades away and I needed money now.  I lost a few years of potential compounding growth to that lazy way of thinking.

Without the benefit of a 401(k) at your new employer you would be wise to investigate other options for retirement savings such as the Roth IRA.  A Roth IRA is basically an individual retirement account that allows you to contribute after-tax dollars.  The earnings may be withdrawn tax free after you reach the standard retirement age (currently 59 1/2).  Your contributions to a Roth may be withdrawn at any time without penalty.  Roth IRAs are offered through most banks and brokerages, and places like Vanguard, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and TIAA-CREF have solid investment options, and are among some of the lowest cost providers.  Each brokerage website also offers updated information on contribution limits, income eligibility, etc.  A few brokerages have steep minimums for initial investments.  If you find this to be the case with a fund you are interested in simply save in an account at ING Direct, or similar high-yield account, until you have enough to saved to start investing.

In addition to online research, I’d recommend checking out the book The Bogleheads’ Guide to Investing, which is one of the better primers on investing.   As for the selection of individual funds, well, that is a personal choice based on your level of risk tolerance.  Whatever you do, don’t select funds based solely on something you read here, or anywhere else for that matter.  Only invest in things you understand, and move slowly to make sure you fully understand a fund’s objective, its top holdings, its fee structure, etc.  You are well on your way to building wealth for the future.

I know many readers have been in similar situations when starting their careers.  What’s the single best piece of advice you would give Chelsey?

Gone are the days of thirty year careers and an anti-climatic send-off with a gold watch.  Increased labor competition, an economy shifting away from manufacturing and towards service, and a basic impatience from Generations X and Y have just about done away with the idea of retiring on a pension from a working lifetime with one employer.  Add the Enron fiasco to the mix and most people have given up on the idea of “job security.”  With all the uncertainty, creating multiple streams of passive income is a great way to hedge against the risk of unemployment.

A Shift in Thinking About Earnings

To fully appreciate the idea of passive income, one must shift their previously held assumptions on earning income.  Most people, myself included, think of earning money as something we get in exchange for some amount of work.  In its most basic form that is a pretty good definition of “earnings.”  Some people refer to this as “dollars for hours” thinking.  However, the part about exchanging some amount of work, or life energy, is not necessarily a requirement in the income-earning equation.

Passive income refers to income that is generated without any (or very little) additional effort on our part.  Some effort may be put in up front, but the payoff from passive income can last for years.  A few examples of opportunities to earn a passive income are:

Royalties on books. Royalties represent passive income in that the author of the work puts in all the work up front, but does not have to do much work to continue to receive payment for his or her work (with the exception of self-promotion, etc.).

Real Estate.  Passive income from real estate can be derived in two ways, primarily.  Homeowners may choose to rent out their property in which case the rental income is mostly passive, although basic landlord duties do require time to manage.  The appreciation of real estate also has a networth increasing effect without requiring any additional work from the homeowner.

Interest.  Interest income is passive income in that it does not require any additional work on the part of the recipient.  The money invested may have been earned through work, but the residual interest and dividends received is passive income.

Why is Passive Income Important?

Every dollar you earn in passive income is a dollar you didn’t have to earn by working.  In this way, passive income puts you closer to financial independence, a stage of life where you no longer have to sell hours for dollars in order to earn an income.  A simple example assumes you have $1,000 saved in an interest-bearing account earning 3% (the current interest rate on ING Direct’s Orange Savings Account).  Over the course of a month that $1,000 capital is working to earn you roughly $2.50 in passive income. If you had $100,000 in that same account it would bring $250 in passive income each month.  Of course, money parked in investments earning an even higher yield, such as CDs, would bring in even more monthly interest income.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take long to earn enough in interest alone to cover your basic life expenses, especially if these earnings are reinvested (or compounded) until income from the fund is required.

How are you creating a passive income?

I currently receive a healthy employer contribution into my retirement plan, and have considered opening a Roth IRA before adding any of my own contributions to the retirement plan at work. While investigating brokerages, investment minimums, etc. I ran across the term “Spousal IRA.” I had heard this term tossed around before, but never really taken the time to read up on the rules. Apparently, non-working spouses are eligible to use a portion of their working spouse’s income to fund their own Roth IRA. Before starting my own Roth IRA I think we’ll start one for my wife, and we’ll use her account to further diversify our overall portfolio.

Eligibility

Spousal IRA contributions can be made to either a Traditional or Roth IRA. Even though they don’t offer the same upfront tax deductions as the Traditional model, we’ve elected to invest in Roth IRAs because the earnings grow tax free. The limits for contributing to a spousal Roth IRA are the same as those listed for individual investors – $5,000 per tax year if under age 50, and $6,000 for those 50 and older. The following income limits also apply:

• For married filing jointly — $169,000 modified adjusted gross income for tax year 2008
• For married filing separately — $10,000 modified adjusted gross income for tax year 2008.

We shouldn’t have to worry about the $169,000 combined income any time soon, although that would be a great problem to have!

Diversify Your Strategy

My wife and I agreed we would take a more conservative approach with her investment selections, sticking to well-diversified mutual funds aimed at both capital preservation and appreciation. I’m the risk taker in the family when it comes to investing, but at the age of 30 I can afford to take some risks. I don’t mean to imply my wife is older (in fact, we are the same age), but if I were to kick the bucket she would need to preserve the proceeds from insurance and investments for as long as possible. It makes sense to us to lay the foundation for such a plan now while I’m still around. While the proceeds would be invested outside of retirement accounts, her strategy would be much the same.

Inside my employer’s retirement plan I’ve selected an aggressive portfolio from the mutual funds available. To offset some of this risk, my wife’s spousal Roth IRA will be comprised of less-risky mutual funds, a few of which offer a balanced mix of equities, bonds and other fixed-value investments. In times of market expansion my employer plan will likely grow much faster than her Roth IRA will. But in rough times, while my balances are falling, her Roth IRA should hold much of its value in tact. This seems to be a good way to hedge against market fluctuations over the next couple decades.

What’s Mine is Hers; What’s Hers is Hers

Sorry, I couldn’t resist the joke. Actually, my wife and I pool all of our earnings together and consider any savings, investments, and debt to be both of ours, as it should be. I’ve never liked the idea of separate finances, unless you have a situation where older couples remarry and both have their own set of income and expenses. Even then, why not just share everything. After all, isn’t marriage the ultimate partnership?

Consider opening your IRA at E*Trade, where you will receive 100 commission-free trades.

Do you dream of one day leaving the rat race? Who doesn’t? For me the idea of “retirement” does not evoke visions of fishing and golfing, rather the ability to do whatever it is that I truly want to do. Personally, that looks a lot like writing, coaching youth sports, and perhaps working with a non-profit for a cause I strongly believe in. Unfortunately, much talent is wasted doing the 30-year corporate shuffle to pay for “stuff.” What if you could begin to eliminate some of this “stuff” and find new ways to diversify your income to cover basic expenses?

Step 1: Tracking Expenses

One of the best ways to begin any new plan is to figure out a baseline. Dieters often begin a new fitness plan with the dreaded measurements of weight, BMI and bodyfat percentages. Think of this portion of your plan for an early “retirement” as your financial fitness evaluation. The very first thing you should do is figure out what you’ve been doing. Stop reading this and estimate in your head how much your monthly expenses are (debt payments, utilities, food, gas, etc.). Keep that initial estimate in mind as you move forward with this exercise.

At the beginning of the next calendar month start recording all expenditures, from the $2.00 cup of coffee to the $1,000 mortgage payment. If it is early in the month you may begin this step retroactively, assuming you can account for expenditures up to this point. For now, don’t be overly concerned with the method of recording these figures, just record them. Some people like to set up elaborate Excel spreadsheets; others prefer a ledger pad and pencil. During this first month resist the urge to reduce your spending. Try to spend and save as you have been doing to get an accurate representation of your starting point.

Step 2: Tracking and Diversifying Income

This step will take much less time, unless you are already in the enviable position of receiving daily income from multiple income streams. Most of you are probably like me. My first month of tracking income had exactly three records. Two paychecks and about $0.16 in interest from a savings account. Some of you may have even less. That’s fine – as they say in the book that inspired this entire exercise, Your Money or Your Life, “No shame, no blame.”

If you really want to step off the corporate treadmill one day, you simply have to increase your passive income either by investing current earnings in high-yield accounts, or by developing multiple income streams from part-time or freelance work, or some combination of the two. As long as you rely on your current full-time paycheck to pay for your expenses you are trapped in the rat race.

Step 3: Creating a Freedom Chart

At the end of the first month you should now have a detailed cash flow statement listing all of your expenditures and your household income. You may need to sit down for this step. For most people this is the point where they realize they are spending more than they earn. This overage accounts for what I refer to as “lifestyle debt.” It is the two hundred dollars you charged at the grocery store to float until you got paid, or the insurance bill you paid with your credit card because there wasn’t enough in checking. Lifestyle debt is a killer when it comes to early retirement plans. It ties up your income from future investment, and the interest accrued cheapens your future earnings.

Step 4: Project the Intersection

At some point in the future, as your passive income increases and daily living expenses decrease, your monthly expenses will equal your passive income. It is at this point that you are technically free from the rat race. If you received a pink slip from your job tomorrow you could survive indefinitely assuming your expenses did not increase significantly due to health coverage, etc. From this point of intersection forward you are continuing to work, save and invest to improve the quality of life in your early retirement. The more you have invested in high-yield accounts the higher your passive income will be, allowing you a few more expenses each month. You may decide to continue working at your full time job to generate some capital to put into your own business, adding even more to your passive income stream. Whatever you decide, the choice is now yours. At this point of intersection you are officially free from the rat race.

photo by davidandnasha

A reader recently asked whether or not they should stop contributing to their 401(k) plan to get out of debt faster. This is a question anyone eager to become debt free has asked themselves, and there is really no right or wrong answer. I do have a couple guiding principles that may help you decide, but in the end it is a personal finance decision between you and your family. Similar to other unconventional financial advice, the best plan is not always the smartest one, mathematically. Mathematically, it makes sense to continue retirement contributions to take full advantage of compounding interest. However, laser intensity can sometimes make up for math and by focusing all your resources on becoming debt free can immeasurably improve your life.

photo by: Thiru Murugan

Dave Ramsey is Right: Intensity Changes Everything

I don’t agree with everything Dave Ramsey says, but he is right on this one. Ramsey advocates suspending retirement contributions while working to become debt free. However, he also offers a couple stipulations that I also agree with. First, do not suspend retirement contributions if it will take longer than eighteen months to become debt free. Giving up eighteen months to two years worth of compounding growth may prove too costly for those hoping for an early retirement. So if you have thousands of dollars in debt, and don’t have enough cash flow, even after suspending retirement contributions, to clear this debt in less than a year and a half then do not suspend your retirement contributions. Consider continuing contributions to your 401(k) and as quickly as possible continue paying off your debts.

If you do suspend retirement contributions make getting out of debt your number one priority. The longer you do not contribute to your 401(k), the more you are sacrificing in potential growth. In a down market like the one we are currently in, it is tempting to want to buy mutual funds at a deep discount. However, contributing a couple hundred dollars towards retirement each month can significantly slow your debt elimination progress, possibly costing you much more than you could earn in growth.

Reminder, it is a Personal Decision

Many people will provide a host of reasons why this idea is flawed, and I suspect a few will do so in the comments here. That’s fine. Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the decision to suspend retirement contributions to attack debt is a personal one. You could run some elaborate formulas to determine the money paid in interest on debt versus the money earned by contributing to a retirement plan and come up with many different conclusions based on different factors. Two points for paying off debt:

• Eliminating a 14% credit card is a sure 14% net gain, but investing in a stock or mutual fund averaging 14% is not a sure thing. As the prospectus states, “past performance is not a predictor of future gains.”
• Removing debt from your life reduces risk, something most mathematical formulas fail to include in their calculations. Living debt free gives you options, and frees up earnings for future investments.

Ask the Readers: Have any of your temporarily suspended retirement contributions to become debt free?

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