LIFE STAGES

RETIREMENT

Statistics show you'll probably spend at least 20 years in retirement –– hopefully many more. So it's important to develop a strategy for your retirement income. You want to make sure it lasts through all your retirement years.

Most of today's workers plan to retire around age 65 and believe they will have enough money to live comfortably in their retirement years. But the fact is, only one out of every three workers in 2002 has actually calculated how much money he or she will need to have saved by retirement. And the amount of retirement savings currently accumulated by most workers is generally far too small.

Fortunately, there's no need to panic, even if these statistics reflect your situation. But you do need to take a serious look at your finances and get specific about your retirement goal. How do you plan to spend your retirement years? How much money will you need to maintain that lifestyle? As a general rule, you may need about 70% to 80% of your pre-retirement annual income each year you are retired to maintain your current standard of living.

Even if you're in your 50s, reaching the home stretch of your working years, it's certainly not too late to focus on helping to increase your retirement investments so you can enjoy the retirement lifestyle you've dreamed of all these years.

The most important step is to start planning today by contacting a CFS* Financial Advisor at CommunityAmerica Credit Union. Your CFS* Financial Advisor can help you take the guesswork out of your retirement planning.

How? Through our CFS* Financial Advisors –– dedicated career professionals, registered through CUSO Financial Services, LP, our broker dealer, carefully selected and trained to serve credit union members.

Most of all, we want you to have confidence in your CFS* Financial Advisor to act in your best interest –– which means you can expect our advice to be objective, fair and honest.

Your CFS* Financial Advisor can help answer your retirement questions, and make sure you're aware of all the options available to you. For example, we'll show you just how long your money will last earning various rates of return. We can offer different methods for moving money from your retirement plan and help you decide which option is best for you. We'll carefully explain IRA distributions –– when they begin and how these distributions are taxed. We can even review your tax situation as it relates to your retirement plans.

As you get closer to retirement, we'll also look at how your retirement investments are allocated and make adjustments to your overall portfolio if needed. It's important to find a balance of risk and reward with your investments that's right for your situation.

We invite you to call your CFS* Financial Advisor, so we can begin working with you to develop the right plan for your retirement.

Have you been investing for your retirement consistently? Or do you have some catching up to do?

Either way, it's important to remain active and stay focused on your retirement goal and strategy. Doing so can help you get closer to enjoying your retirement years exactly as you have dreamed.

Investing for retirement means making choices. The kinds of investments you choose and the way you put those investments to work can make a big difference in the results you achieve. With sound advice from your CFS* Financial Advisor, you can make informed choices about the retirement plans and strategies best suited to your needs.

•Take Advantage of Higher Contribution Limits.

One of the most important things you can do is to continue investing as much money as you can in tax-deferred retirement accounts, including your employer-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan, and IRAs. And thanks to recent legislation, you can contribute more toward these retirement accounts than ever before.

* Investments and investment advisory services offered through CUSO Financial Services, L.P. (CFS), an independent broker-dealer and SEC Registered Investment Advisor are Not NCUA/NCUSIF insured, are Not credit union guaranteed and May lose value. CommunityAmerica Credit Union is affiliated with CFS. Financial Advisors are employees of CommunityAmerica Credit Union and registered through CFS. (Member FINRA/SIPC)