You’ve worked hard. You’ve saved your pennies and watched every cent. Yet now that retirement is just around the corner, you’re second guessing whether you’re truly ready.
We see this often at Merriman. Near-retirees get cold feet not because they’re unprepared for retirement but because they’re unsure how to manage their retirement income. There’s less room for mistakes without a salary coming in. At the same time, retirement is full of financial uncertainties, ranging from personal health to the economy.
The solution isn’t to delay the retirement you’ve worked hard to secure. If you want to feel financially secure heading into retirement, start by learning the ins and outs of your retirement income.
How Much Income Do You Need in Retirement?
Outliving your savings is a top fear for retirees. Rather than letting worry consume you, do the math to understand your retirement budget. Account for major budget items like housing, transportation, and healthcare along with variable expenses. Then, take stock of your retirement benefits to see how they stack up.
Is there a big gap? Consider how you can reduce living expenses in retirement. Housing is a major expense, and many older adults are paying for more housing than they need. Downsizing saves money and cashes out home equity to put towards retirement savings. However, this only works if you have enough equity to make selling worthwhile. To estimate home equity, subtract the mortgage balance from the home’s current market value.
After housing, recurring bills and lifestyle expenses have the biggest impact. Rather than assuming small expenses don’t make a dent, use a budget to see how it all adds up and then adjust as needed.
Understanding Retirement Income Sources
Now that you understand the expenses side of the equation, let’s examine retirement income.
How to calculate Social Security benefits
Social Security retirement income depends on two main factors: lifetime earnings and the age you claim benefits. Filing early reduces benefits whereas delaying past full retirement age increases Social Security payments. Estimate your Social Security benefits online.
What about pensions?
Workers with a pension enjoy a second fixed income source in retirement. Pension plans distribute monthly payments according to a vesting schedule. Making the most of a pension requires understanding minimum distributions, age requirements, and other fine print to maximize your payout.
Other fixed income sources in retirement
In addition to Social Security and pension plans, retirees rely on fixed-income investments for income generation and capital preservation.
Fixed income investments include:
- Bonds and bond funds
- Certificates of deposit
- Fixed annuities
- Mortgage-backed securities
- Preferred stock or securities
How to Supplement Fixed Retirement Income
Fixed-income sources provide stability and peace of mind. They don’t, however, keep up with rising costs of living. To maintain their standard of living over time, retirees need diversified income.
Building a balanced investment portfolio
It’s standard for near-retirees to shift asset allocation towards low-risk investments. However, stocks are still an essential part of a balanced portfolio due to the return potential. An experienced financial advisor can determine the right asset allocation for your goals. They’ll also develop a withdrawal strategy to maximize retirement savings. Common approaches include the 4% withdrawal rule, fixed-dollar withdrawals, fixed-percentage withdrawals, systematic withdrawal plans, and withdrawal “buckets.”
Working in retirement
Many older adults are starting businesses for flexible retirement income. The best businesses for retirees are low-risk and low-cost, such as consulting in a field where you have niche experience. Beyond less financial risk, consulting businesses are easy to start: Simply file a “doing business as,” also known as a DBA, with the Washington Secretary of State to operate as a sole proprietor under your brand.
Retirement shouldn’t feel like the great unknown. If you feel like you’re walking into retirement without a plan, contact Merriman to learn how we can help. Merriman’s fee-only services will help you clarify your retirement goals and understand your options for achieving them. Contact us toll-free at 800-423-4893 or email info@merriman.com to learn how you can invest wisely and live fully.
Written exclusively for Merriman.com by Katie Conroy.
Katie Conroy is the creator of Advice Mine. She enjoys writing about lifestyle topics and created the website to share advice she has learned through experience, education and research.
Disclosure: The material is presented solely for information purposes and has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, however Merriman cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information presented here may have been condensed or summarized from its original source. Merriman does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be relied upon as such. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Merriman and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. No advice may be rendered by Merriman unless a client service agreement is in place.
