Smart Retirement Planning: Balancing Taxes, Risk, And Returns

• (1:00) - What Retirement Account Works Best For You?
• (5:40) - Should You Consider A Roth IRA Conversion?
• (8:50) - Do Buffer ETFs Fit Into Your Portfolio Right Now?
• (11:30) - Should You Be Using TIPS ETFs To Protect From Inflation?
• (14:40) - Is Now a good Time To Invest In Commodities?
• (16:30) - Should You Be Investing Into Municipal Bonds or High Yield Bond ETFs?
• (21:20) - Breaking Down The Current State of The AI Trade Right Now
• (23:20) - Episode Roundup: SPYM, VOO, IVV, VIG, DGRO, PDBC, MUB
• Podcast@Zacks.com

In this episode of ETF Spotlight, I speak with Dr. Derek Horstmeyer, a professor at the George Mason University School of Business and a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal. His research focuses on ETF and mutual fund performance. We discuss investing for retirement and several other interesting topics.

Both traditional and Roth retirement accounts offer significant tax advantages. Financial advisors often recommend a 50–50 split between the two. However, research has found that the “optimal” mix depends mainly on when you retire and when you start withdrawals.

Many investors close to retirement have the bulk of their savings in traditional retirement accounts, and they have the option of a Roth conversion, where they can move funds from a traditional retirement account into a Roth IRA. Should you do a Roth conversion, and if so, what is the best way to do it?

Defined outcome, or “buffer,” ETFs, often called “Boomer candy” for retirees, provide market upside participation up to a cap while limiting downside risk and have become increasingly popular with investors in or nearing retirement. However, research has found that buffer ETFs have offered risk-adjusted returns similar to a balanced portfolio over the past five years.

One big concern for investors, particularly those in or nearing retirement, is elevated inflation. Experts often recommend investing in TIPS to hedge against inflation. Do they live up to their promise?

Prices of many commodities have surged this year due to supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. Investors could consider commodities as a hedge against inflation, and the allocation particularly benefits during periods of high inflation when both stocks and bonds may decline.

With an expense ratio of just 0.02%, the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF SPYM is the lowest-cost ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index and is an excellent low-cost core holding for any retirement account. NVIDIA NVDA, Apple AAPL, Microsoft MSFT, and Alphabet GOOGL are its top holdings.

Tune in to the podcast to learn more.

Make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of the ETF Spotlight and remember to subscribe! If you have any comments or questions, please email podcast@zacks.com.

Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF Insights

Zacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.

Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research