Your golden years may come with some unexpected issues if you haven’t managed to plan everything in detail. From dealing with unplanned medical costs to supporting adult children that ask consistently for your help, it might be harder than you thought.
Many Americans find themselves in situations where they have to deal with expenses they weren’t anticipating. And to add the cherry on the top, to save for retirement today is way harder than it was 50 years ago. For all of these reasons, over 30% of Americans are still working after they retired, to keep up with the costs.
If you don’t know in which category you’ll be, we made you a list of 13 hard-to-swallow truths about retirement, so you can figure out when you should put an end to your career.
- Some successful investments you did will be left to chance – To avoid losing the money you earned thanks to a period of smart investing, financial experts advise you to be more conservative when times of high risk are coming.
- You might need to save up even more – To avoid having less than $10,000 for your retirement, advisors are suggesting limiting your expenses and stick to a reasonable spending plan.
- Save up when you’re still young – More than half of millennials have saved $0 for their retirement, and it’s a pity because the sooner you save, the greater are the chances for you to have a comfortable nest egg.
- Save up now that you’re older, as well – But as reports are showing, baby boomers aren’t any braver when it comes to saving money. According to a survey, 30.7% of people aged over 55 years have saved below $50,000 for their retirement.
- You might live for a longer time, which will cost you more – The biggest concern of Americans is that they will outlive their income, and it’s a serious issue, given the fact that they’re probably going to live longer.
- You might regret you skipped your Roth Contribution – If you start when you’re younger, you’ll have more to benefit from your Roth accounts, because they are funded with after-tax dollars. This means that they will accumulate investment earnings tax-free.
- There’s gonna be more financial issues to consider – This is a general rule of life that is especially valid for your retirement years. Financial advisors are suggesting creating a five-year cash-flow plan, to avoid unexpected surprises you might not be ready for.
- You’ll surely need to supplement your Medicare – Because Medicare doesn’t cover many expenses like dental, hearing, and vision procedures, it’s best if you save up some extra money in your budget when you build your retirement savings.
- Your Healthcare will be more expensive than you thought – It is highly recommended to create a health savings account, which will prove to be extremely helpful when you’ll have to prepare for healthcare costs as a retiree.
- Many people will need long-term care – According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, over 70% of people over the age of 65 will need long-term care at some point.
- Your health will affect your retirement costs – Adopt a healthier lifestyle and you’ll avoid as much as possible some medical extra costs.
- Don’t forget about inflation – Inflation can be a retiree’s biggest enemy because it can cut down savings planned for 30 to 40 years by 60 or 70%.
- Do you really know how much you’re spending? – Retirees need to learn how much they’re gonna spend and where will their money go. Otherwise, they’ll use their investments to fill the financial gap.
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