Have you thought about estate planning for Gen X? Gen X’ers, adults born between 1965 and 1980, are often called the “sandwich generation” as they sometimes support older children who are still figuring out who they want to be when they grow up and caring for aging parents. While retirement may feel far away, says a recent article from Kiplinger, “Come as You Are: Wealth Management for Gen X,” it’s on the horizon, and planning for the future should start now.
Some of the tools used for estate planning for Gen X include 401(k) plans, which are tax-deferred plans from an employer. If your employer offers matching funds, try to contribute enough to take advantage of the match. You can also use a personal IRA to make tax-free annual contributions.
With changes from the SECURE 2.0 Act, you can open and contribute to a 529 College Savings Account and then roll a portion of unused funds into a Roth IRA once the account has been opened for 15 years and the funds have been in the account for at least five years. There are rollover limits, but this might be a good fit for retirement savings. Commonly, 529 funds are used for various educational purposes, so even if your children are past college, your grandchildren might use them for private school, not just college.
The one constant in life is change, and estate planning documents created when your children were little need to be reviewed and possibly updated. If the last time you thought about your will was when your adult children were born, you should schedule a review with your estate planning attorney. Changes like marriage, divorce, death, financial ups and downs and changes in the tax law all call for updates to wills.
If you don’t have long-term care insurance, now is the time, while you’re still relatively young and healthy enough to be able to buy it. Insurance companies now offer hybrid policies combining life insurance with a long-term care insurance policy rider.
Digital assets are a relatively new asset class requiring estate planning. Speak with your estate planning attorney to be sure your estate plan documents reflect your digital life. If you are active on social media, investing in cryptocurrency, or own an online business, you have digital assets and need to protect them.
Be proactive about estate planning for Gen X to protect yourself now and your loved ones after you’ve passed. Just as retirement is on the horizon, so are the inevitable events of aging. Make an appointment to see an estate planning attorney to learn your needs, now and in the future.
Reference: Kiplinger (Oct. 7, 2024) “Come as You Are: Wealth Management for Gen X”
