Retirement Planning Services – Lake Zurich
For those in "Generation X" - defined as folks born between the mid-1960s and also the early 1980s - retirement planning seems like something your parents or other "old people" might do. But you know what? With lots of "baby boomers" either already in the midst of retirement or looking at it in the near future, "Generation X" stands out as the next generation of folks to reach old age. Sure, it is a ways off, but those in their 30s and 40s should start centering their investment planning on retirement and ensuring they have the kind of retirement they are working hard to enjoy. Below are great tips on preparing for retirement:
Retirement life in the foreseeable future will be different than the retirement in the present day. It will be far better in some ways, and worse in some ways. However, the retirement planning for today's workforce needs to be far different than it was in earlier times.
On the bright side, individuals are living longer than ever. As of a short while 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 4 years more than the average life span in 1980. Therefore investment planning for retirement has to account for a longer period of time right now than a generation or two in the past.
Social Security and Retirement - Lake Zurich
On the downside, Social Security is going to be a far less trustworthy income source compared to now. And also the likelihood is slim-and getting slimmer every 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 former workplace. More and more, retirees will have to depend on their financial savings to pay for the costs of just living and health insurance.
With individuals living for a longer time and needing additional money to do so, retirement planning is an essential activity even for those who are half way to the standard retirement age of 65. It can be a daunting task to plan for a few decades into the future, particularly with bills, housing costs and home loans to pay today, but procrastinating will not make it any easier.
Placing even just a little bit of money now into a savings account which serves as a retirement savings plan can pay off in the future. 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 build up capital earning a small interest rate until there's enough to invest in a reliable security which will yield you more like a municipal bond.
Another solid approach which could surely and steadily build a nest egg is to invest in long-term bonds. Upon 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 which could provide a good foundation for retirement. And a municipal or government bond is really as safe an investment that you can ever make.
401K and IRA - Lake Zurich
However, the best approach when it comes to retirement planning is to put cash in a 401K plan at work or in an IRA opened with an investment house. For the people for whom a 401K isn't a retirement planning choice, 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 annually.
For more information, please don't hesitate to contact GC Financial Advisors Ltd. at any time and we will be happy to help you! We provide 401K and IRA rollover and review services for individuals in the Lake Zurich area.