Retirement Strategies for Older Americans
May 2017 was designated as “Older Americans Month.” If you are one of the 76 million Baby Boomers with retirement just around the corner, it would be a good idea to take a look at your situation, and make sure that you’ll not be in for a shocking surprise come retirement day.
Surveys show that the average pre-retirement Boomer only has about $9,000 per year in retirement income headed their way, and one third of Americans say that they have zero retirement savings.
Knowing that you have savings ready to access when the time comes is one thing, but making sure you’ve taken into account how much of that will go towards paying taxes and other factors which could affect your lifestyle in your golden years is another thing entirely.
Here are some strategies for a smarter retirement:
Budget and Wasteful Spending
Stabilizing your finances through reduced spending is a smart strategy no matter how close you are to retirement. There are many ways we can save money by adjusting the wasteful ways we spend.
Structuring a conservative budget and sticking to it is an antidote for out of control spending and debt. When it comes to retirement, you will have established good habits, and more than likely have some extra cash at your disposal.
Travel and Activities
In your early years of retirement, you’re likely to have more energy to expend during the novelty of all the newly found free time. Be aware of this, and be sure to save enough for any travel and other costly activities you may want to take part in.
Goals
Retirement planning isn’t just “putting X amount of dollars away.” The way to predict your retirement future is to create it, that is be very clear about your goals. What will your lifestyle be like? What do you want to accomplish? How will you fund your activities? Will you work part-time to support these goals?
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