Markets May Not Be Certain, But Experience Is

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Have you ever wished you could do it all over again? Experience can be a great teacher, and it's natural to imagine that with the benefit of hindsight you would have made better decisions about everything from raising your children to managing your financial affairs. And while that may or may not be true, what is certain is that you can offer younger family members some of the insight you’ve acquired along the way.

Here are some thoughts you might pass along:

  1. When you get a pay raise or a new higher-paying job, consider earmarking at least part of the additional money for retirement savings. You’ll be amazed by what tax-deferred compounding can do to even relatively small sums over the course of several decades. And using raises to increase your contribution to a 401(k) can be relatively painless. Ratchet up your saving rate by a percentage point or two each year and you’ll soon reach the maximum for annual pre-tax contributions to 401(k)s and similar employer-sponsored plans—$18,000 in 2016 if you’re younger than age 50. If you're age 50 or older, you’ll be eligible to contribute an extra $6,000 a year.
  2. Try to resist the siren song of early retirement. Leaving your job in your 50s may be tempting, but it runs counter to several financial realities. Most people have not saved enough to retire comfortably even at the traditional age of 65, and quitting early can mortgage your future in two ways—reducing the amount you can save while extending the time that your savings must support you. By the same token, however, every year you keep working improves your situation. Moreover, as life expectancies increase, more and more people find they want to stay on the job at least part-time, and not only for financial reasons. Working can help keep you engaged and healthy, particularly if you find something you really like to do.
  3. Consider postponing Social Security. You can begin receiving benefits as early as age 62, but each year you delay will increase the amount of your monthly payment, and if you wait until age 70, you’ll get 76% more than if you had started drawing benefits at 62. And most people will live long enough to get a larger total payout if they begin later.
  4. Don’t feel like you have to go it alone in making financial decisions. Working with an advisor could help you make sense of complex financial markets and chart a comfortable path toward your goals. The right advisor can assist you in deciding how much to save, how to allocate your investments, how to weigh the pros and cons of buying a home and other major financial choices, and, when the time comes, how to deploy your retirement nest egg.

This article was written by a professional financial journalist for NFI, LLC. and is not intended as legal or investment advice.

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