RSS Feed“Retirement Readiness” is All About Income, Not Age
posted by Pam Villarreal @ 14:16 PM "The question isn't at what age I want to retire, it's at what income." ~George Foreman
I came across an informative article in Monday's Dallas Morning News, "Retirement Readiness." (This article is also available in the New York Times). Two financial advisors in North Carolina put their pre-retiree clients through a "boot camp" designed to prepare them for what it will feel like when they retire. It helps people determine if they will truly be ready to retire at the age they plan to do so. It got me to thinking about what retirement is really all about.
On the surface, retirement sounds great. No more of the 9 to 5, the lengthy commute, the irritating coworkers and plenty of time to do what you want, when you want and how you want. But as financial advisors Marcia Tillotson and Joy Kenefick note, "Retirees suddenly have no place to be each day, which may not be as blissful as it seemed beforehand. The paychecks stop coming…after years of dutifully putting money into savings, retirees have to get used to watching their accounts dwindle." Thus, in exchange for my waking up and leisurely sipping my coffee, watching infomercials, shopping, volunteering, gardening or just hanging out in the 80s clothes that I could never wear to work, I no longer get to watch my retirement account fill up (or not, depending on the market) with my hard earned paychecks. Instead, I must start relying on those accounts as income, not savings, and hope they will last me until I live to be 100 (and yes, that is likely since two of my relatives were cenetarians).
After about a year of going through Tillotson's and Kenefick's retirement boot camp, about 80 percent of pre-retirees decide to work longer than they planned, according to the article. In other words, the income target is more important than the age target.
George Foreman couldn't have said it better.
Tags: Early Retirement, retirement, saving
2 Responses to ““Retirement Readiness” is All About Income, Not Age”
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Helium
August 8th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Pam,
I would also say it is about the “taxes” too. The world loves usefulness, and we find that the word “retired” means working because they “want to” not because they “have to”.
When asked a simple question, “What do you believe future tax rates are likely to be?” The majority answer, “higher.”
So why does traditional financial planning tell us to sock away as much of today’s dollars now, only to be used in the future when it will be worth less and taxed at higher rates?
If people believe taxes will be higher in the future, they also need to consider if they want their retirement accounts 1)Taxable, 2) Capital Gains Taxed, or 3) Tax-Free.
Pam,
I would also say it is about the “taxes” too. The world loves usefulness, and we find that the word “retired” means working because they “want to” not because they “have to”.
When asked a simple question, “What do you believe future tax rates are likely to be?” The majority answer, “higher.”
So why does traditional financial planning tell us to sock away as much of today’s dollars now, only to be used in the future when it will be worth less and taxed at higher rates?
If people believe taxes will be higher in the future, they also need to consider if they want their retirement accounts 1)Taxable, 2) Capital Gains Taxed, or 3) Tax-Free. Knowing this, the income they “thought” they would need may deplete their accounts much faster if they need to take out more to cover their higher taxes.