Tag: Investment

Certificate or Money Market?

Are you looking to generate income from your savings? Why not have your hard-earned money get out there and work for you? Well, we can certainly help by getting you started in either a Money Market or Certificate account.

But how do you decide which is best for you? Certainly, each investment has advantages and disadvantages. By figuring out market conditions alongside your own financial circumstances, you can work to make the best decision to fit your needs.

What is a Certificate?

A certificate is a special type of deposit that earns dividend income. When you invest in a certificate, you are depositing your money into the credit union for a pre-determined length of time (often 1 year and up). At the end of that time, your deposit “matures” and you are returned your money with the additional dividend payment. Generally, (and this can vary) the longer you keep your funds in a certificate, the higher the yield. What’s more is that many folks don’t know these funds are federally insured by the National Credit Union Association (NCUA).

The catch: Should you need access to your funds earlier than the term agreed upon, you’ll likely pay an early withdrawal fee. You may even lose some or all of the money accrued.

What is a Money Market Account?

Money Market accounts are like savings accounts but often pay you higher rates. Like a certificate, they too are federally insured and so have very little risk. Money Markets usually require a higher minimum balance and while you can make withdrawals, the number of withdrawals you are able to make over a given time is restricted. Thus, they are less liquid than a checking account but more liquid than many other investments, for example.

The catch: If you are not planning on using the funds in your Money Market account, you may be missing out on a higher yield.

What are some of the differences between the two?

  • When you invest in a certificate, everything is pretty clearly defined from the get-go. You can calculate the expected earnings. You also know your fixed rate and how long you plan to tie up your funds.
  • It may be harder to plan long-term with a Money Market account, as the rates vary over time and the funds aren’t locked up for any particular term length. This makes calculating your investment results less clear.
  • With a certificate, the longer the term, the more likely you will receive a higher yield. This can be advantageous, should rates decrease as you are tied to a better rate. Of course, you won’t have immediate access to your funds for a longer period of time.
  • Money Market accounts are easier to access than certificates. Although, keep in mind that there are limits on the number of withdrawals you can make.
  • Both Money Market accounts and certificates are federally insured by the NCUA up to $250k.
  • With Money Market accounts the dividend rate is directly proportional to your deposit amount and not to maturity (as is the case with a certificate). That being said, Money Market accounts might make more sense to a larger depositor.

So which is right for me?

Each of these products have their benefits. However, if you’ve a higher cash balance but need quick access to your funds, a Money Market account might make more sense for you. On the other hand, if you don’t mind locking up your savings for a bit, then you may want to look into a certificate.

Clearly, we all have our own, unique financial situation. If you are looking into investing, it’s never a bad idea to get in touch with a financial advisor, or learn more on our website investment page.

Wauna Specialty Accounts: Certificate, Money Market, and IRA Accounts

How to Save for Retirement

It’s never too early to start putting away money for your future. If you’ve ever wondered how to save for retirement when you’re also dealing with day-to-day expenses, these easy tips can help.

1. Get a rough estimate of retirement expenses

It may seem difficult to know how much money you’ll need in retirement, especially if it’s several decades away. Experts say that to keep your same standard of living, you’ll probably need at least 70% of your pre-retirement income.

The reason you probably won’t need 100 percent is because some costs, such as commuting expenses or child care, probably won’t be necessary in retirement. If you already have a budget for your current expenses, then it’s probably easy to get a rough idea of what you may need when you retire.

2. Decide on a savings target

Say you’re 25 years old and your living expenses are about $50,000 a year. Take 70% of that, and it means you’d probably need about $35,000 to retire comfortably, assuming your income remains the same until retirement. So you’d want a nest egg that provides about $35,000 annually.

Many financial experts suggest that you withdraw only about 4% of your retirement savings each year to help ensure that it lasts. That means to get $35,000 in income, you’d need a savings target of about $875,000.

It’s a lot of money, but by using a retirement calculator, you could find that there’s a good chance you could reach your goal by age 61 if you start saving 10% of your income each year. This number assumes your savings earn 7% annually. If your income increases before retirement, you’d probably also need to increase your savings target.

If you can’t quite put away 10% — or whatever your goal percentage is — while also keeping up with your regular expenses, consider starting with a smaller amount and gradually increasing the percentage of income you save until you reach your goal.

You may also have other income sources in retirement, such as Social Security or a pension plan. Look at the Social Security calculator to get an idea of what your monthly benefits might be when you retire and add that to your retirement calculations.

Bear in mind that an income of $35,000 will probably have much less spending power in 40 years than it does today because of inflation, so it’s smart to consider cost-of-living increases in your savings target. It may be a good idea to make an appointment with a certified financial planner to help you weigh your options.

3. Contribute to a tax-advantaged retirement plan

In addition to knowing what percentage of income you should save each year, you’ll also want to decide where to put your money. If your employer offers a traditional or Roth 401(k), consider enrolling. This is especially important if your company offers an employer match, because a match is like adding free money to your retirement savings. You could also contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA.

With traditional retirement plans, you receive an upfront tax deduction for the money you contribute. You then let that savings grow and allow the interest to compound. You’d pay income tax on any money you withdraw, and you’d also have additional early withdrawal penalties if you take money out before age 59½.

With Roth plans, you pay tax on your contributions, but you don’t have to pay tax on your withdrawals if you retire after age 59½.

When you put your money in a retirement savings plan, you’ll have a number of different investment options to consider, including stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

4. Put your savings on autopilot

Once you’ve established your retirement plan, consider setting up automatic withdrawals from your paycheck or bank account. It would be much easier to meet your savings goals when your money has a chance to grow uninterrupted over a period of years.

Learning how to save for retirement is important, but it doesn’t have to be hard. By coming up with a savings goal and contributing regularly to a retirement account, you can help make sure you’ll be able to meet your financial goals for the long term.

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