Retirement is on everyone’s mind. If you are not thinking about putting money in retirement, then you should. Maybe, you think you won’t need it because you can count on Social Security. Unfortunately, many retired people, who depend totally on Social Security, are struggling and barely getting by–and the government wants to cut their benefits further.
You may think you are too young to consider retirement. Even if you are young, there are many things that could happen to you before retirement that will affect your future. You may get injured and never work again, or you may have a family and not put money away.
How can you ensure you have enough money when you retire? Let’s take a look at a few practical ways you can avoid running out of money for retirement.
Invest
Some people think that putting money away in an investment account is enough to make sure they have money for when they retire. Putting away money today will not guarantee that it will be enough to sustain you in 30 or 40 years. When planning for retirement, you must factor in inflation, or the fact that the cost of goods increases over time. Inflation can be pegged at about 4% to 5% per year. That means if you put away money in a savings account which earns 1% per year, you will not make enough money to cover inflation. Even if you saved $1 million, in 30 years, it may only be worth a fraction of that.
Factoring for inflation, it is crucial that you invest for your retirement. If you invest in something that can yield you more than 4% or 5% a year, then you are ahead of the game. You do not need to earn that much per year, but you do need to average it over the lifetime of the investment. If you earn 10% one year and maybe 5% the next, then you can still be ahead.
Alternate Investments
One way to invest is through the stock market. Be advised: this is somewhat risky. You may want to look at alternatives.
One such alternative is in structured settlements. If you have a large amount of cash, you can pay cash for structured settlement payments. Some people get structured settlements from their insurance company or from court cases. However, many people prefer the lump sum award. This is where you come in. You can invest in such instruments and offer cash for their settlement payments. You give the settlement owner the cash they need (minus a percentage) and take over payments for them. This way, they get cash and you get a return for your investments. Paying for structured settlement payments is a great way to invest your money, and ensure you do not run out of money for retirement.
Start Young
When you are young, you have the greatest asset when it comes to investing–time. When you have a lot of time before retirement, you can ride the ups and downs of the market. It’s crucial to start young and invest as much as you can.
Live Below Your Means
Perhaps the most practical advice of all is to live below your means. When a person’s salary rises, his lifestyle often rises along with it, which inevitably requires more money. Living below your means now ensure that you will not run out of money during your retirement. One of the keys to saving a lot of money is to not increase your spending, even if you get bonuses or raises every year. If you are spending too much money, you will not be able to save for your future.
In Summary
There are many ways to invest in your retirement. By working now, you can relax in the future.
