Financial Intel Monthly

One silver lining in the current bear market is that this could be a good time to convert assets from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Converted assets are subject to federal income tax in the year of conversion, which might be a substantial tax bill. However, if assets in your traditional IRA have lost value, you will pay taxes on a lower asset base when you convert. If all conditions are met, the Roth account will incur no further income tax liability for you or your designated beneficiaries, no matter how much growth the account experiences.

With approximately 94% of American workers covered by Social Security and 65 million people currently receiving benefits, keeping Social Security healthy is a major concern.1 Social Security isn't in danger of going broke — it's financed primarily through payroll taxes — but its financial health is declining, and benefits may eventually be reduced unless Congress acts.

Each year, the Trustees of the Social Security Trust Funds release a detailed report to Congress that assesses the financial health and outlook of this program. The most recent report, released on June 2, 2022, shows that the effects of the pandemic were not as significant as projected in last year's report — a bit of good news this year.

The Markets (as of market close July 29, 2022)

During the intensely volatile first 100 trading days of 2022, the stocks of companies in the S&P 500 index delivered their worst performance since 1970.¹ The S&P 500 continued to tumble, and the benchmark index descended into a bear market — typically defined as a sustained drop in stock prices of at least 20% — on June 13, 2022. When the market closed, the S&P 500 had dropped 21.8% from its January 3 peak, and the tech-heavy NASDAQ, already in bear territory, had plunged 32.7% from its November 19, 2021 peak.²

Interest rates are trending upward, and if this trend continues ExxonMobil lump-sum payments will drop again in the fourth quarter of this year. The IRS has recently released the Segment rates for the month of May, recorded at: 3.23% / 4.59% / 4.69%. May's segment rates saw an increase of about 0.3% (in the second segment), which is a substantial jump for a single month.  This ongoing trend upward looks to be an early indicator of bad news for ExxonMobil employees opting for a lump-sum in the future.

Investing in 2019 was fairly easy. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P) returned nearly 28% for the year with only a few bumps along the way. Today, however, we're faced with a very different market. More and more uncertainties are seemingly hitting the headlines every day, from the global spread of COVID-19 and its potentially wide-spread economic impact, to a historically low Treasury note, and plummeting oil demand, resulting in a 13% drop in the S&P year-to-date, substantially wiping out gains from the past 12 months.

Interest rates are trending upward, and if this trend continues ExxonMobil lump-sum payments will drop again in the fourth quarter of this year. The IRS has recently released the Segment rates for the month of April, recorded at: 3.00% / 4.22% / 4.17%. April's segment rates saw an increase of about 0.5% (in the second segment), which is a substantial jump for a single month.  This ongoing trend upward looks to be an early indicator of bad news for ExxonMobil employees opting for a lump-sum in the future.

What is it? 

In today's corporate environment, cost cutting, restructuring, and downsizing are the norm.  We have found many employers are offering their employees early retirement packages. As you near retirement age, you may find yourself confronted with an early retirement offer from PG&E. PG&E may refer to the offer as an early out package or retirement offer or golden handshake or a golden parachute. While many early retirement offers seem attractive at first, it is important for you to review an offer carefully before accepting it to ensure that it is indeed a "golden" opportunity.

Details of the PG&E 2022 VSP:

Participation in the VSP is voluntary and offers the following benefits:

• Lump sum payment equal to 52 weeks of your base salary.
  
• $10,000 transitional lump sum payment.
  
• $50,000 retiree medical subsidy to your Retiree Health Account (RHA).
  
• Prorated 2022 STIP (Short Term Incentive Plan), consistent with Company’s overall STIP program. Participants understand STIP is a discretionary at-risk compensation program.

Typical elements of an early retirement offer
IAn early retirement offer usually consists of severance payments and post-retirement medical coverage coupled with already existing retirement benefits.  These may be in the form of healthcare financial incentives or a severance tied to years of service. 

Want to see our most updated article on ExxonMobil interest rates, click here.

Interest rates are tending upward, if this trend continues it will decrease the value of ExxonMobil employees' pension lump-sums. The IRS has recently released the Segment rates for the month of March, recorded at: 2.44% / 3.71% / 3.94%. Over the course of 2021 and now into 2022, interest rates at ExxonMobil increased significantly, which greatly reduced many lump sum payments. With record low rates culminating in the first quarter of 2021, ExxonMobil employees have since seen a significant increase in interest rates. We saw rates rise consistently in 2021 and with the announcement of March segment rates those waiting until the third quarter will likely see an even further reduction in lump sums. This ongoing trend upward looks be an early indicator of bad news for ExxonMobil employees opting for a lump-sum in the future.

Interest rates are tending upward, if this trend continues it will decrease the value of ExxonMobil employees' pension lump-sums. The IRS has recently released the Segment rates for the month of February, recorded at: 1.88% / 3.35% / 3.70%. Over the course of 2021 and now into 2022, interest rates at ExxonMobil increased significantly, which greatly reduced many lump sum payments. With record low rates culminating in the first quarter of 2021, ExxonMobil employees have since seen a significant increase in interest rates. We saw rates rise consistently in 2021 and with the announcement of February segment rates those waiting until the third quarter will likely see an even further reduction in lump sums. This recent trend upward looks be an early indicator of bad news for ExxonMobil employees opting for a lump-sum in the future.