Financial Security in Retirement

A big source of unrest in the minds of people is their retirement. More than half of Americans lose sleep thinking about retirement. Studies show that people who are confident about their retirement have a clear goal and vision for their future.

So, if you find yourself stressing over your retirement, chances are you either don’t have a plan laid out, or your plan could use some improvement. Here are some things that may help point you in the right direction. One of the ways to have a clear vision of what the future looks like is knowing what you will have in terms of income and how much you can spend.

Income

Identify stable, long-term income that will reliably be there month to month and year to year. Social Security and pension fall under this category. And in addition, any long-term investments that will reliably be there for you when you retire.

Spending

Identify expenses that are required for living (mandatory), and those that are mere choices (discretionary). Your mandatory expenses include your cost of housing, what you spend for food, insurance, utilities, and perhaps a car. Your discretionary expenses include such items as travel, entertainment, and gifts. The key is to identify your required expenses that come due every month, no matter what, and separate them out from the extra expenses you take on just because you can afford them.

If your predictable income is greater than your spending, then you are sitting pretty. If not, then it’s time to get to work now. Figure out ways to unbalance that equation in your favor–extra income, greater savings, better investments.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

Material contained in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be used in connection with the evaluation of any investments offered by David Lerner Associates, Inc. This material does not constitute an offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities and should not be considered in connection with the purchase or sale of securities.

To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law.

Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances.

These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable– we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice.

David Lerner Associates does not provide tax or legal advice. The information presented here is not specific to any individual's personal circumstances. Member FINRA & SIPC