Saturday, April 25, 2015

Retirement Accounts (Update) - April 2015


As our readers already know, our family has switched our focus towards diligently building our Dividend Stocks Portfolio and P2P Lending Accounts in an effort to building additional income streams for retirement so we don't have to solely rely on the typical retirement vehicles.

We will still continue to track are retirement accounts (pension, 457K, Roth IRAs) as they are still part of our retirement plan.  Plus, although they are mainly invested in mutual funds, we still need to keep an eye on them and re-balance them periodically.

EXISTING RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS (APRIL UPDATE):

 
Below is a quick update to show the current values of our retirement accounts as of April 1, 2015.  For a more comprehensive list of values (beginning January 2014) and details of these accounts, please visit the Retirement Accounts page on our blog.
 

As of April 1, 2015

PENSION
Cash Value of Pension$218,494
($2,329 increase from March update of $216,165)
 
457K
Total value of 457K: $122,304 
($185 decrease from March update of $122,489)
 
Roth IRAs
Total value of Roth IRA accounts: $56,633
($161 decrease from March update of $56,794)
 
Overall, the month of March was not very generous to our retirement account balances.  Although we saw an increase from our pension balance, the balance in our 457K and Roth IRAs both saw decreases. And since both my employer and I contributed towards my pension every paycheck, the gains are mainly from new contributions.  The $1,983 overall gain (from all three accounts) is certainly welcomed over a month with a net loss, but we would much rather have the  $8,388 gain we saw last month! :) As it stands, the total amount of our retirement accounts is currently valued at: $397,431 (slightly up from the $395,448 reported last month). 

We currently contribute to my 457K (up to my company's match - 3%) and also $200 each to a Roth IRA for both myself and my wife. Although we are not entirely happy with their growth, we still feel that the 457K and Roth IRAs should remain part of our retirement plan.  If for nothing more, the 457K and Roth IRAs will help supplement my pension. With some of the uncertainties around government pension these days, they could very well serve as back-up plans as well. 
 
Click below to view retirement accounts page 

RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS

6 comments:

  1. Almost over the $400K mark -- nice! I think April will put you over, should be a fun sight to see for ya.

    -Lanny

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    1. Hope you're right Lanny. It sure would be nice to reach another milestone in our journey. Wish us luck! AFFJ

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  2. Your retirement accounts are looking good! Keep it up. I'm happy that you are consciously preparing for your retirement. May I ask if you also had your long term care planned? Long term care is expensive, if ever, it will be the most debilitating expenses you will ever face during your retirement. It is better to prepare for it also. Just a friendly reminder. Wish you luck!

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    1. Thanks Vanessa. We do eventually plan to buy long term care. I know there are certain schools of thought as far as LTHC goes. According to Suze Orman, you probably don't need it until your 50s. I am planning to retire at 55 and will be looking into LTHC then, especially since our mortgage will be gone by then. :)

      Thanks for stopping by. AFFJ

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  3. Hey FFJ. You guys are doing wonderful. I'm happy for your progress and you're reach financial independence in no time. Thank god for our blessings and wish us wealth and health. Take care and keep up the hustle my friend. Cheers to us!

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    1. Thanks for the kind words DivHustler. One day, month, year at a time. We know its not a sprint...simply trying to stay disciplined and continue to building wealth through compound interest/dividends. AFFJ

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