By Donald Albach
Retirement signifies an exciting and thrilling milestone in your life. However, this transition can also bring a range of financial planning challenges—especially during the initial decade.
The early phase of retirement sets the foundation for sustaining your financial well-being and success. In this article, we share 5 common financial planning challenges that can happen in the first 10 years of retirement and provide insights on how to overcome them, allowing you to enjoy your retirement.
Not Creating a Withdrawal Strategy
Financial planning doesn’t stop once you enter retirement. Capitalize on your wealth by deciding the most tax-efficient way to withdraw funds in your golden years.
Different financial accounts are taxed at different rates. Traditional IRAs and 401(k)s are taxed at the ordinary income tax rate when you withdraw. Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k)s are taxed beforehand, so qualified money is withdrawn tax-free. Funds in a taxable investment account are taxed at the capital gains tax rate, which is different from your ordinary income tax rate.
As you can see, calculating the best time to pull from each account is enough to give anyone a headache. But the last thing you want is to get hit with a hefty tax bill.
Create a withdrawal strategy with the help of a trusted professional who can help make sure you’re withdrawing funds at a sustainable rate and that you’re doing it in a tax-efficient way.
Overspending in Retirement
Many people spend their retirement years doing all the things they never got to do when they were working—starting a passion project, remodeling the house, traveling the world, and more.
It’s easy to underestimate the amount of money you’ll spend those first few years when you don’t account for all these “extras.” Overspending, even for a short period, can shave years off the longevity of your assets. My advice? Create a spending plan. Calculate your monthly income given your withdrawal strategy (See #1) and then create a budget.
Ignoring Inflation
Another major challenge we see new retirees face is the desire to play it safe in the stock market. This can do more harm than good as it leads to inflation risk.
While healthcare expenditures are typically affected less by inflation than other spending categories, from 2021-2022 there was a 4.0% increase in medical care services compared to the historical average inflation rate of 1.23%. What does this mean? Retirees are more likely to feel the effects of inflation due to mandatory expenses, such as healthcare costs.
As tempting as it may be, resist the urge to worry about short-term stock market volatility. With a retirement that could easily last 20 to 30 years, inflation is still a big threat to your nest egg. Sit down with a trusted professional who can help you strike a balance between protection and growth.
Not Having an Emergency Fund
Could you comfortably pay an unexpected, major expense in retirement without jeopardizing your financial future? For most of us, the answer is no. Just as you were taught to have an emergency fund in your formative years, it’s even more critical to have one in your retirement years.
It used to be recommended to have 3 to 6 months of expenses saved up in an easily accessible savings account, but now more professionals are recommending at least 12 to 18 months’ worth. This may sound like a lot, but an emergency fund serves two purposes: it covers unexpected expenses and it provides stability during economic downturns. This means you can optimize your portfolio to beat inflation (#3 on our list) while having a safety net to fall back on.
Going Through Retirement Alone
After dedicating decades to carefully strategizing and nurturing your wealth, it’s essential not to leave your retirement finances to chance. Partnering with a reliable financial advisor can make all the difference between worrying about running out of your retirement funds prematurely and feeling like you have a financial safety net.
At Millstone Financial Group, our goal is to set you up for the highest financial success. Our experienced team of advisors can provide the knowledge and guidance you need to avoid these common mistakes and help you pursue your goals quickly and confidently. If you’re looking for support on your financial journey, we invite you to reach out to us at [email protected]. Or request your free copy of our second opinion guide today.
About Don
Donald Albach is President and Co-Founder of Millstone Financial Group, an independent financial advisory firm helping pre-retirees and retirees pursue their retirement goals. Don has over 26 years of experience in the financial industry and focuses on retirement planning, designing retirement income planning strategies to guide his clients toward financial independence. Don graduated from Norwich University, the nation’s oldest private military college, and has worked his entire career in the financial services industry, including First Boston, MetLife, and C&A Financial Group. He co-founded Millstone Financial Group in 2012 with Michael Russo. Don and Mike met each other while working at MetLife, and in 2003 both he and Mike were recruited to work at C&A Financial Group, where they spent the next 10 years. It was at C&A Financial Group where they decided they needed to start their own company that strictly focused on retirement income planning. They both had a desire to help people navigate the complexities of retirement and created Millstone Financial to do just that.
Don currently lives in Monroe Township, NJ, with his wife, Tina, to whom he has been married since 1992. They have three children together: Paige, Donny, and Ally. Don’s two passions are sailing and watching college football, and he also enjoys cooking Sunday dinner for his family. To learn more about Don, connect with him on LinkedIn.
Advisory services are offered through Millstone Financial Group Limited Liability Company, a Registered Investment Advisor in the State of New Jersey. Insurance products and services are offered through Millstone Financial Group Limited Liability Company. Millstone Financial Group Limited Liability Company is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any government agency.
All material discussed is for informational purposes only. Opinions expressed are solely those of Millstone Financial Group Limited Liability Company and staff. All topics covered are believed to be from reliable sources; however, Millstone Financial Group Limited Liability Company makes no representations as to its accuracy or completeness. Investing involves risk including the loss of principle.
This article shall in no way be construed as a solicitation to sell securities or investment advisory services to residents of any state other than New Jersey, or where otherwise permitted. All information and ideas should be discussed in detail with your individual adviser prior to implementation.
This material is intended to provide general financial education and is not written or intended as tax or legal advice. Individuals are encouraged to seek advice from their own tax or legal counsel.
