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What are the Pros and Cons of Defined Benefit Plans?

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If you were employed at Lockheed Martin and eligible before January 2016, you are one of the few lucky employees to partake in their pension plan. A pension plan is the most known type of defined benefit plan and isn’t as popular these days as the 401(k), which is a defined contribution plan, because 401(k)s have cheaper administrative costs and the employee bears the investment risk. While defined contribution plans have their own pros and cons, this post will be focusing on defined benefit plans only. Even though defined benefit plans don’t require much involvement on the employee side of things, it’s still important to understand how such a plan can benefit your retirement.

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Related

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Pros

  • If plan is insured, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Company guarantees most if not all of the earned benefit if the employer can’t afford to pay
  • May offer cost of living adjustments
  • Tax-deferred savings
  • Assets are managed by professional money managers
  • No employee contributions and therefore no investment risk for the employee
  • Retirement benefit amount is known in advance
  • Survivor options available

Cons

  • Some plans don’t allow lump-sum payments
  • Benefits usually not payable until normal retirement age
  • Typically won’t benefit an employee that leaves employment prior to retirement
  • Employee has no control of investments
  • With no employee contributions, growth may be smaller compared to a defined contribution plan
  • More costly to administer for the employer

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While the idea of a guaranteed income stream during retirement sounds wonderful, in reality, the defined benefit payments may not be enough to support the desired lifestyle in retirement. That said, retirees likely will have to utilize additional sources of income such as Social Security and/or withdrawals from the portfolio. For those that have access to a defined benefit plan, other savings accounts can be contributed to help supplement retirement income such as an IRA or non-qualified brokerage account. Determining a livable retirement budget is one of the most complex areas of financial planning. Thankfully our Lockheed Martin retirement specialists can help run the calculations for you, as we work with employees that have defined benefit and defined contribution plans alike. Visit our website to see how we can help you achieve the retirement you’ve always wanted!

For more tips like these, click here to sign up for our weekly email blog newsletter. If you would like to get better educated on Lockheed retirement strategies, click here to download our Free Report titled Retire with Confidence: The Top 4 Things You Can Do Now to Maximize your Lockheed Retirement. And, if you want to have face time with a Lockheed Retirement Specialist², you can click here to schedule an appointmentclick here to sign up for our Lockheed Retirement Workshop or click here to just give us a call (817) 210-3444.

Be sure and check back next week for more incredibly valuable information. Cheers!

Disclosures*

Financial Planning and Investment Advisory offered by SWMG, LLC a Registered Investment Advisor.

Lockheed Martin Retirement Specialist is not an official title or professional designation nor is it conferred by Lockheed Martin on any individual or company.

Our Complementary consultation and free report are for informational purposes only and provided free without any obligation to utilize or retain our investment advisory services.

SMWG, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by Lockheed Martin Corporation. Our expertise comes from working with LMT employees for several years and helping them to retire with confidence.

Investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment products are not FDIC insured, have no bank guarantee, and may gain or lose value. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that any specific investment will be profitable for a client’s investment portfolio.

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