The topic of retirement is often discussed, but typically only at a surface level. One might commonly speak to their colleagues about investment ideas or the rising or falling stock market, but rarely about how it specifically affects them and their retirement plans. Meaty retirement topics are quite often ignored and unknowingly, many retirement myths begin to creep in. Instead of finding out the hard way in your retirement years, let’s dispel six myths of retirement planning right now.
Part 1
You’ll Spend Much Less in Retirement
It’s nice to think that we’ll need less in retirement since we don’t have to set aside any money for retirement, but with the rising costs of healthcare (as shown in the chart below), total living expenses can still total 85% or more of what you were spending in those pre-retirement years.
Instead of spending a large portion of your money on housing and insurance, your expenses may simply shift into healthcare and entertainment. While you will likely be able to live on less, for example if your mortgage is paid off in full, your overall savings may not be that large, especially if you have a lot of healthcare expenses.
Social Security Will Take Care of You
A portion of the population still believes that they can retire comfortably on Social Security benefits. While it is possible to survive on Social Security payouts alone, it is certainly not advised as the average payout per month is $1,294 per month. After factoring out the cost of housing, food, transportation, and utilities, there is not much wiggle room left in this small payout each month. Depending on your location and financial health, Social Security benefits simply may not cover all of your monthly expenses.
The Social Security Administration themselves admit that Social Security is underfunded by 25-30%. To make the Social Security system whole again, the government can consider raising the full retirement age, currently at 66, or reducing benefits by the underfunded percentage amount – neither of which would be appealing solutions. You will need a backup plan to offset the expenses that social security does not cover to maintain your desired lifestyle.
Funding Your Child’s College Fund Is Better Than Taking Care of Yourself
Parents often believe that it is noble of them to first fund their child’s education and then worry about their own retirement years later. But as we know when we board a plane, it’s best to secure your own oxygen mask first before helping others. You’ll be useless if you pass out from toxic fumes otherwise.
But let’s say you fund your child’s education over your own retirement. The child may take their education for granted since they do not have any ‘skin in the game’ which, studies show can have an effect on performance. Second, by waiting to fund your retirement, your assets may not grow to the size you desired, which will limit your flexibility and comfort in retirement.
You Can Always Use the Equity in Your Home
The single largest purchase for anybody is usually their house. Over time, the property could appreciate in value and end up being the largest asset in an individual’s or couple’s retirement. On paper, it is often thought that a great retirement solution is to downsize and use the funds of the house sale for one’s remaining years of living expenses, but this is not always practical or desired.
For those that have many memories in their homes, selling can be very emotional, and could exacerbate the couples’ health and overall happiness. Furthermore, some homes might collapse in value due to the hollowing out of the local economy. We all know of plenty of areas that got demolished during the 2008-2010 housing downturn. As a concept, using one’s home equity may sound practical, but it is not always a solution that functions to fund one’s retirement.
Your Kids Can Help You If Your Money Runs Out
Many parents assume that their children are doing well financially and can help out if their retirement income dries up. However, the stats tell a different story. The median net worth in 2013 was lower than the median net worth in 1962 in 2013 dollars. Meanwhile, the current median household income is roughly $52,000 compared to $56,000 10 years ago. If you think you’ll need your child’s financial help later in life, you might want to have a conversation now to see if that’s even a viable option.
Over the years, we’ve seen an increase in adult children living at home after graduation as student loan debt and a difficult job market make becoming independent harder. Unless your child is an outstanding achiever, you may not be able to count on them to provide you with ongoing financial assistance.
Just Live Off The Interest
For those who plan to build up a large nest egg, one of the major plans in retirement may be to solely live off the interest of a healthy retirement fund. As an example, with an interest rate of 3%, living off a nest egg of $1.5 million or more might be possible. But anything less seems difficult due to inflation. Can you live off less than $37,500 a year?
Money is meant to be spent. Although it is an admirable goal to try to just live off interest and dividend income, there’s no shame in drawing down principal to fund your retirement. Let’s say you’ve accumulated a respectable $500,000 after-tax retirement fund. It may be possible for the fund to last for 20 years if you draw down principal by $25,000 a year.
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