Retirement Plans Being Jeopardized? Do You Want to Supplement Your Retirement Savings?

Retirement Risks

Assuming you’re a member of the Baby Boomer Generation, you’re likely evaluating retiring – if you haven’t already retired.  And if you have already left work, you’re probably considering whether you’re financially able to remain comfortably retired.

Today’s economic crisis compounds the situation substantially by increasing some significant retirement oriented economic contingencies:

1. Life Expectancy Has Grown

People are living longer than their parents’ generation. For example, in 1970, a 60-year old white male had a life expectancy of an additional 16.2 years; however, by 2008, his life expectancy had expanded to twenty years.

So how is the retiree going to afford to pay for those extra 3.8 years? Following are several possible solutions:

> Accelerate pre-retirement savings

> Continue to work longer

> Move in with relatives

> Expect a reduced quality of life

2. Spiraling Health Care Costs

Adequately funding one’s health care programs are some of the most difficult financial planning tasks, mostly because health care needs are so person-specific, with needs differing greatly between spouses. Long-term care needs are even more difficult to plan for and fund.

Medical expenses have grown more than 5% (inflation adjusted) for the past 15 years – a rate that is greater than the increase in family income. Medicare costs will probably rise as well at similar rates.

3. Legislation May Limit Retirement Income & Supplemental Programs

It is well known that the expenses of major entitlement programs (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) are growing more rapidly than other parts of the economy, and some experts question the long-term feasibility of these programs due to the combined effects of increased life expectancy, size of the Boomer population, and rising health care costs in general.

Moreover, current questions regarding ongoing health insurance throughout retirement, and at what financial levels, are rampant in today’s economy – and these questions are given even more fuel by auto industry, and other, corporate reorganizations.

We are still witnessing a lot of conversation concerning a national health care system – but such conversations have been ongoing for decades, with few results to show for those efforts. Although President Obama will be leading a national health initiative this year, most people anticipate a lot of opposition from Congress.

Many expect that seniors past age 55 will be protected from cuts in these entitlement programs, but maintaining complete coverage for them is a two-edged sword – doing so increases the probability of a new tax, which would ultimately add to retirement tax burdens.

4. Sometimes One’s Retirement Date is Dictated, and not Totally Up to the Individual

According to a 2004 Health and Retirement Survey (HRS), 37% of seniors are forced to retire. This can occur due to poor health or economic downturns, etc.

5. 401Ks Have Been Decimated

Did your retirement savings (including your 401k) take a major hit with the stock market meltdown in 2008? Mine did. Many comedians now refer to 401Ks as 201Ks because of the drop in the stock market. For many people, their 401k was the bulk of their retirement savings, so this stock market crash significantly damaged their retirement plans.

Humpty Dumpty Was No Financial Planner

But there is some good news. You can fix a broken egg – a broken retirement “Nest Egg,” that is.

You can work an extra year or two, take a part-time job or work from home to supplement your earnings, start your own business, etc.

If you’d like to start an online business, but are hesitant because you’re not an internet expert, a very good starting place for collecting all the knowledge about internet marketing that you will need to be successful is to sign up for the Online Success for Beginners classes.

A study by Butrica, Smith and Steuerle (2006) noted that working just one (1) extra year can augment annual retirement income by 9%, while working just five (5) extra years can generate an additional 56% annual retirement income.

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