People invest for all sorts of reasons. You may invest in your child’s higher education or a large future purchase in mind. You may invest to ward off unexpected medical expenses or job loss. Or, if you’re like the majority of Americans, you may start investing to create the necessary wealth to get yourself – and your children – to and through retirement. The “traditional” approach to investing for retirement goes something like this:
That’s the investing for retirement model that we will assume for the purposes of this article, though there are ways to retire younger than 50. However, these usually involve buying or being awarded a ton of employee stock or building a wildly successful business. The point of this article is to give you an idea of what your retirement savings and investments should look like in each decade of your life, as well as where to start when you’re young.
Before we continue, Financial Professional wants to remind you that this article is educational in nature. Any securities or firms named are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute financial advice. Always do your due diligence and consider your situation – and the help of a licensed financial professional – when making investment decisions.
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Your twenties are some of the more interesting, topsy-turvy times in your life. They’re also the time when you should start seriously considering investing for your retirement – even when it may seem counterintuitive to your financial future.
At the beginning of your 20s, you’re getting through college or your very early career. You’re working hard, building a future, and planning your next steps. Hopefully, you’ve created a robust budget to guide your financial life through at least the next decade. Toward the middle and end of this decade, most people already have a family or are seriously considering having one. Though you may not be in your peak earning years yet, that shouldn’t stop you from getting started investing in your future.
There’s another unique aspect of your twenties that will never come around again, at least not years-wise: your risk capacity is quite high. This means that you can take on an increased amount of financial risk without ruining your entire retirement plan. Statistically speaking, this is the time to be the most aggressive in your retirement strategies if you’re saving to retire in two decades rather than four. (Aggressive means investing in more stocks than bonds and cash).
The main place this group should save and invest their money is in their 401(k)s and/or IRAs.
At this stage of your life, you’re still a “young adult,” or at least a younger adult. Hopefully, you’ve gained some job or business experience by now. Chances are that your income has gone up, but you may also have more liabilities on your balance sheet – mortgages, car payments, etc.
are still a time to be aggressive with your asset allocation (investment mix), if a bit more selective in your options (especially if you’re just getting ready to start investing for your retirement). At this point, you may have children and a more solid idea of where you want to take your career. After ten years, hopefully, you have a good base saved, which will begin compounding with more growth.
The focus in your 30s is to continue to build your principal while accumulating as many assets as you can.
Okay, now you’re a “real” adult. You have two decades of working and/or business experience (in theory, anyway). Hopefully, you’ve been diligent in maintaining and expanding your investment portfolio over the years and now have a nice chunk of change in your accounts. (If you’re just starting to invest, that’s fine too – but every month you wait is a month closer to your retirement.)
Depending on your preferences, you may have most of your assets in retirement accounts, or you may have a mix of taxable and retirement assets.
This is a critical juncture in your investing life. You’re more than likely not able to afford to take on excess risk at this point – this is where risk-tolerance needs to be sharp. If you’ve accumulated enough, you may be working with a financial advisor. If not, it’s wise to take steps toward properly caring for the assets that you’ve worked hard to acquire.
Turning 50 may mark the finish line for some, but for others, it’s a time to be decisively clear on what you want to accomplish with your retirement savings. This is a time to pin down the answers to questions such as:
At this stage of your career, you’ve hopefully amassed at least several years’ worth of your annual retirement income need. Asset positioning is very important in this stage, as you want to make sure distributions are done in a tax-efficient manner.
If you’re still 10+ years away from the finish line, it’s time to proceed with caution. A balanced, moderate-risk allocation may be most suitable at this stage of life. A higher-risk profile may not be wise if you’re in the ballpark of your retirement goal – or your retirement years.
Assuming you took the “Traditional Route” and were wise and diligent when you first started investing for retirement, this is the finish line. At this point, withdrawals from your retirement accounts are no longer subject to early withdrawal penalties. (For those with a Roth account, make sure the “5 Year Rule” is satisfied).
Your allocation is likely compromised primarily of bonds and cash or money markets. It is generally advisable to maintain some exposure to stocks in order to offset inflation risk. The goal at this stage and beyond is to avoid heavy losses wherever possible. Statistically speaking, early losses can be more devastating than later losses, as income generation is now primarily sourced through portfolio returns.
Furthermore, make sure to position your nest egg to provide you with substantial income for the rest of your life. It’s critical that you plan your budget and investments around factors such as inflation, healthcare, etc. Not to be dark, but this is also a time to make sure that all of your estate planning is up to date, including among others:
There’s nothing wrong with the traditional method of retiring. It’s worth noting that many people who retire at 60 miss having a primary function in their life and go back to work (and/or volunteer) part-time. Others may have to rely on a secondary income to make ends meet.
The point is, that retirement looks different for each individual based on life choices and personal preferences. The rules of thumb such as “start early” and “invest often” are pretty handy when it comes to retirement planning. There are several important things to note at any point in your investment career, however, including:
Most of all, at every point, know where you stand financially, and where you have the potential to grow. Keep informed on the market and your status within it and make wise decisions based on your long-term goals.
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