Retirement Planning Services – Downers Grove, IL
For anyone in "Generation X" - defined as individuals born between the mid-1960s and also the early 1980s - retirement planning sounds like something your mother and father or other "old people" would do. But guess what? With lots of "baby boomers" either already in the midst of retirement or viewing it in the near future, "Generation X" is definitely the next generation of individuals to reach old age. Sure, it's still a ways off, but those in their 30s and 40s really need to start centering their investment planning on retirement and ensuring they have the kind of retirement they are working so hard to have. Here are some tips on planning for retirement:
Retirement life in the future will be different than the retirement of today. It will likely be far better in some ways, and worse in some ways. However, the retirement planning for today's labor force needs to be far different than it was in days gone by.
On the bright side, folks are living longer than ever. As of not too long ago, the average life span of an American was 77.9 years, exactly 2.5 years greater than the average life span in 1990 and more than four years more than the average life span in 1980. Therefore investment planning for retirement has to account for an extended period of time right now than a generation or two back.
Social Security and Retirement - Downers Grove, IL
On the downside, Social Security will probably be a far less reliable source of income compared to now. And the likelihood is slim-and getting slimmer each year-that retirees 20 and 30 years from right now will be able to rely on a work pension and enjoy lifetime benefits from their previous workplace. Increasingly more, retired people will have to depend on their savings to pay for the expenses of living and medical health insurance.
With individuals living for a longer time and needing more cash to do so, retirement planning is an essential activity even for those who are half way to the common retirement age of sixty-five. It may be an intimidating task to plan for a couple of decades into the future, especially with bills, housing costs and home loans to pay right now, but procrastinating won't make it any easier.
Putting even just a small amount of money now into a savings account which functions as a retirement savings plan can pay off later. The interest you get on money in a savings account will allow your initial investments to grow to something sustainable. A savings account will give you a place where you can acquire capital earning a little interest rate until there is enough to invest in a trusted security which will yield you more like a municipal bond.
Another good approach that may certainly and progressively build a nest egg is to put money into long-term bonds. On maturation of the bond, you will get back your initial investment as well as all the interest which collected over the life of the bond. That's a tremendous amount of money for a 20- or 30-year bond-money that may provide a nice foundation for retirement. And a municipal or government bond is as safe an investment that you can ever make.
401K and IRA - Downers Grove, IL
Nevertheless, the best approach when it comes to retirement planning would be to put funds in a 401K plan at your workplace or in an IRA opened with an investment house. For people for whom a 401K isn't a retirement planning option, an IRA is the next best thing. Money put in this account is tax deferred and might be tax-deductible, depending on how much is invested each year.
For more information, please feel free to contact GC Financial Advisors Ltd. at any time and we will be happy to help you! We offer 401K and IRA rollover and review services for folks in the Downers Grove, IL area.