Retirement is a major life milestone, full of anticipation—as well as uncertainty for many Americans approaching this new chapter. A recent survey found that 66% of Baby Boomers feel they are behind in their retirement savings.
Preparing with a solid plan can ease the worries that often come with retirement readiness. As you approach your golden years, be sure to address these five essential questions to help you enter retirement with clarity and confidence.
1. How Will I Maintain a Consistent Cash Flow in Retirement?
On average, Social Security covers roughly 39% of one’s income in retirement. So, where will the other 63% come from? It’s essential to have a proper cash flow plan for retirement so you can maintain a consistent income. There are a few potential sources of retirement income, including working part-time, retirement accounts, pensions, fixed annuities, savings, and other investments. Looking at all these income sources, you’ll want to determine if they’ll cover your needs.
If your projected expenses don’t match your income and savings, you’ll either need to reconsider your expenses or increase your retirement income. Consider working part-time, contributing more to your retirement accounts, and developing a strategy to generate more income from your retirement portfolio. This can be done by ensuring your asset allocation still meets your risk tolerance and time horizon, and investing in assets that will diversify your income stream.
2. How Will My Investments Hold Up in Various Market Conditions?
Market volatility can mean the difference between living comfortably in retirement or just scraping by. Facing a decline in the early years of retirement can be disastrous. Considering those who retire during or near a bear market are 31% more likely to run out of money, it is crucial to understand how your investments may react during an economic downturn.
It’s important to regularly analyze your portfolio to ensure that it lines up with your risk level and that you haven’t become too reliant on any one asset category. It may be time to diversify your portfolio (if you haven’t already), rebalance, and utilize a Monte Carlo simulation to stress test your plan. This can help you see how your portfolio will react to various market conditions.
3. When Should I Take Social Security Benefits?
Social Security benefits can be claimed between the ages of 62 and 70; however, the timing of benefits will impact the total amount received.
Early Retirement
You can start receiving benefits as early as 62, but your monthly benefit will be lower than if you waited longer. Your basic benefit is reduced by a fraction of a percent for each month you begin receiving benefits prior to full retirement age. Retiring early can permanently reduce your benefit by up to 30%.
Full Retirement Age
Your full retirement age (FRA) changes based on the year you were born. FRA is 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954 and increases by two months for every year after that you were born until it settles at age 67 for those born in 1960 or later. If you wait until you reach full retirement age to begin collecting your Social Security benefits, you will receive your full benefit amount.
Delayed Benefits
If you’re still working or don’t need the money immediately, you can delay receiving your benefits. Your benefit will increase by 8% for each year that you delay. You cannot delay and increase your benefit indefinitely, though. Once you reach age 70, the amount of benefits you receive will not increase any further.
Be sure to reference your Social Security statement in the years leading up to retirement. This important document tells you a lot about your expected benefits, so it can help you in your decision-making process.
In general, the best time for you to claim your benefits depends on your personal situation and health. If you expect to live longer than average, your overall lifetime benefit will be greater if you delay claiming your benefits to increase your benefit amount. If the opposite is true and you see little chance of making it into your mid-80s, you would likely receive a greater lifetime benefit by taking it sooner, even though it would be a smaller monthly payment.
4. Am I Properly Utilizing Tax-Reduction Strategies?
As the saying goes: “It’s not how much you make, but how much you get to keep that matters.” This is especially true as you approach retirement. Once your income sources become fixed, managing and minimizing your taxes should be your top priority. If you haven’t already, consider working with a wealth manager to review your potential options, including:
- Charitable donations
- Qualified charitable distributions
- Roth conversions
- Health savings accounts
- Tax-loss harvesting
Your income plan during retirement will also play a major role in how long your money will last and how much will be lost to taxes.
Each retirement asset has different tax characteristics, whether it be a 401(k), a Roth IRA, an annuity, or some form of equity compensation, and understanding the timing of distributions from each source is a significant part of managing your overall tax bill in retirement.
5. How Much Can I Expect to Spend on Healthcare?
Choosing the appropriate insurance coverage is the first step to take when planning for unexpected healthcare costs in retirement. According to a Fidelity Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, the amount needed at 65 to cover healthcare costs for a couple is roughly $330,000 after tax. For those who had employer healthcare coverage, retirement may mean paying more for medical insurance (Medicare Parts B and D and Medicare Supplement policies). Even with insurance, some expenses will be paid out of pocket.
Planning for unexpected healthcare costs begins with choosing appropriate insurance. For those aged 65 and above who are eligible for Medicare, it means understanding options under Medicare and choosing insurance to supplement Medicare. Take a look at your eligibility and premium estimates to get an idea of what to expect. Thorough research of your supplemental coverage options can help ensure your healthcare costs won’t eat into your retirement savings.
Move Forward With Confidence
Planning for retirement doesn’t have to be a solo journey. At Anderson Financial Strategies, we offer the tools, insights, and support to guide our high-net-worth clients through this transition with confidence and clarity. Are you curious about how we can help you build a comfortable and stable future? To discuss your goals and explore our services for your family or business, call us at 855-237-4545. We look forward to speaking with you!
About Shon
Shon Anderson is president and chief wealth strategist at Anderson Financial Strategies, LLC with over 20 years of experience. As a fiduciary, Shon’s mission is to provide his clients with quality financial expertise along with rapidly responsive service through an honest relationship. He specializes in providing family office-style services to help his clients organize and focus their financial life. Shon graduated from Wright State University with a bachelor’s degree in financial services and an MBA in finance. He is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) certification. His insights have been quoted in leading financial news publications such as CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Fox Business, Consumer Reports, Forbes, Bankrate.com, Investment News, and Kiplinger. Shon serves as an adjunct professor teaching personal finance courses at Wright State University, leads CFP® exam review courses for Keir Educational Resources, and is president of the CFA Society Dayton. Shon and his wife, Jessica, reside in Sugarcreek Township, Ohio, and are blessed with triplet daughters, Elizabeth, Bridgette, and Alexandra, along with their son, Jacob, and dog, Jack. Over the years, Shon has been involved in several volunteer organizations including the Wright State chapter of Delta Tau Delta as an alumni advisor and was a Big Brother in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. To learn more about Shon, connect with him on LinkedIn.