It's Better late Than Never
Case 7 answers: It's better late than never!
7
Retirement Planning
It’s Better Late Than Never!
“Boy, this is all so confusing,” said Ryan as he stared at the papers on his desk. If only I had taken the advice of my finance instructor, I would not be in such a predicament today.” Ryan Daniels, aged 27, graduated five years ago with a degree in food marketing and is currently employed as a middle-level manager for a fairly successful grocery chain. His current annual salary of $70,000 has increased at an average rate of 5 percent per year and is projected to increase at least at that rate for the foreseeable future. The firm has had a voluntary retirement savings program in place, whereby employees are allowed to contribute up to 11% of their gross annual salary (up to a maximum of $12,000 per year) and the company matches every dollar that the employee contributes. Unfortunately, like many other young people who start out in their first “real” job, Ryan has not yet taken advantage of the retirement savings program. He opted instead to buy a fancy car, rent an expensive apartment, and consume most of his income. However, with wedding plans on the horizon, Ryan has finally come to the realization that he had better start putting away some money for the future. His fiancée, Amber, of course, had a lot to do with giving him this reality check. Amber reminded Ryan that besides retirement, there were various other large expenses that would be forthcoming and that it would be wise for him to design a comprehensive savings plan, keeping in mind the various cost estimates and timelines involved. Ryan figures that the two largest expenses down the road would be those related to the wedding and down payment on a house. He estimates that the wedding, which will take place in twelve months, should cost about $15,000 in today’s dollars. Furthermore, he plans to move into a $250,000 house (in today’s terms) after 5 years, and would need
7
Retirement Planning
It’s Better Late Than Never!
“Boy, this is all so confusing,” said Ryan as he stared at the papers on his desk. If only I had taken the advice of my finance instructor, I would not be in such a predicament today.” Ryan Daniels, aged 27, graduated five years ago with a degree in food marketing and is currently employed as a middle-level manager for a fairly successful grocery chain. His current annual salary of $70,000 has increased at an average rate of 5 percent per year and is projected to increase at least at that rate for the foreseeable future. The firm has had a voluntary retirement savings program in place, whereby employees are allowed to contribute up to 11% of their gross annual salary (up to a maximum of $12,000 per year) and the company matches every dollar that the employee contributes. Unfortunately, like many other young people who start out in their first “real” job, Ryan has not yet taken advantage of the retirement savings program. He opted instead to buy a fancy car, rent an expensive apartment, and consume most of his income. However, with wedding plans on the horizon, Ryan has finally come to the realization that he had better start putting away some money for the future. His fiancée, Amber, of course, had a lot to do with giving him this reality check. Amber reminded Ryan that besides retirement, there were various other large expenses that would be forthcoming and that it would be wise for him to design a comprehensive savings plan, keeping in mind the various cost estimates and timelines involved. Ryan figures that the two largest expenses down the road would be those related to the wedding and down payment on a house. He estimates that the wedding, which will take place in twelve months, should cost about $15,000 in today’s dollars. Furthermore, he plans to move into a $250,000 house (in today’s terms) after 5 years, and would need