As we get to the final part of our careers, thoughts of how retirement will look can create mixed emotions. For many, when we retire will be a time to dream about doing those things on their bucket list, such as traveling abroad, learning a hobby, making memories with grandchildren, or pursuing a new business venture.
However, for others, it may be a time of stress and uncertainly because of the extent to which our identity has been tied to our career success and advancement. The routines and structures we’ve followed for years will end, and we face a new reality.
Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “4 Questions That Keep Most Pre-Retirees Awake at Night” explains that for many people coming to this next phase of life, there are four questions that will keep them awake at night. Knowing the answers to these four questions, can give confidence to those who are prepared to make this a smooth transition.
Exactly When Can I Retire? With the traditional pension becoming a thing of the past, the answer may not be so obvious. We also can’t overlook the emotional piece of retirement. Research shows that the happiest people in retirement will be retiring to something, instead of retiring from something. Several pursuits in retirement can bring purpose and meaning to daily life. As you near retirement, consider what pursuits you may enjoy and allow yourself to look forward to getting started.
Will I Have Enough Money? What’s the “magic number” that makes it appropriate to retire? However, more importantly, what is your “magic number.” This may be tied emotionally to a vision you’ve had your entire career, like accumulating $1 million or paying off your mortgage. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Start by creating a retirement budget and understand what percentage of your monthly expenses can be covered by fixed sources of income, like your Social Security, pension and investments. The closer this percentage is to 100, the better. You should also be certain that you parse out the purpose of your money and specifically dedicate it to things, like creating monthly income, covering future health care costs and growth to outpace inflation. If you do this, you’ll be better able to allocate your portfolio appropriately among various tools, such as savings, investments, annuities and life insurance, etc..
Will My Nest Egg Last Throughout Retirement? A major issue for retirees is having negative returns in their investment portfolio during their early years of retirement. After you retire, unlike your working years, when you may have been contributing money to your retirement plan on a regular basis, the opposite may now happen. Monthly withdrawals may be needed to generate needed income. This is referred to as a Sequence of Returns Risk, where the order in which the annual returns hit a portfolio matters significantly. The best way to manage this risk is to avoid taking systematic distributions from a fluctuating account. Earmark a portion of your portfolio to create the monthly income needed to cover fixed expenses that are beyond what your Social Security and your pension will provide. Once you have this, you’re ready to see what combination of investments and insurance tools are right for you.
Will My Family Be OK? If you die, will your spouse be OK and able to carry on? It’s essential to be sure that both spouses are comfortable with the finances and how decisions on investing and retirement have been made.
Reference: Kiplinger (Oct. 29, 2020) “4 Questions That Keep Most Pre-Retirees Awake at Night”
