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Phased retirement allows older employees to reduce work hours gradually, creating a kind of slow transition into retirement rather than a sudden departure from the workforce. In addition to reducing work hours over time, these programs include initiating a partial drawdown of retirement funds from defined contribution or defined benefit retirement plans, says SHRM. Also worth noting, this approach to slowly disengage from work also include continued employer-sponsored health coverage until you fully leave the workforce.

(Source: Real Simple)

Wealth Wednesday Tip #721: How much can I spend in retirement?

Many people are convinced that their expenses will be vastly different in retirement. Different, perhaps. Lower? Not so much. “I’m moving to a lower-cost part of the country, so I’ll save money.” But you might want to use those savings to build up a financial reserve, because your expenses are sure to grow, by choice or by chance.

(Source: Market Watch)

Of Millennial households ages 28-38, 40% are burdened with student debt and, among these households, the outstanding loan balance amounts to more than 40% of income. Excluding student loans, the median net wealth-to-income ratio of the leading edge of the millennial generation looks very similar to that for previous cohorts. That is, millennials are saving for retirement, despite the student loans. But student loans continue to be a drag on their balance sheet.

(Source: Market Watch)

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Financial Fact Friday: There are many threats to a secure retirement

Suddenly, we find ourselves at a rather unsettling moment when it comes to our finances. The stock market, measured by nearly any metric, is expensive. Inflation has crept up by over 5% since last year, and it's sticky enough to prompt the Social Security Administration to increase benefits by 5.4% in 2022.
Furthermore, nominal interest remains low with real interest rates turning firmly negative. The assumptions behind the famed 4% rule look like they may not even apply today given anemic bond yields. Congress’s ability to enact beneficial policy has thus far left a lot to be desired.
This is all to say that working in retirement is one of the few levers you can pull to add another layer of security to your retirement plan. If you have the ability and willingness, adding another income stream seems like a no-brainer — particularly at this moment in time.

(Source: Motley Fool)

FACT or FICTION: Putting off saving, you will have time

FICTION: Retirement sneaks up on you faster than you think, and the longer you wait to start saving, the more difficult your task becomes. If your savings are only invested for a short time before you begin spending the funds, you won't have as many earnings to help you cover your expenses. That means you'll have to set aside even more of your own money every month to reach your retirement savings goal.
For example, if your goal is to save $1 million for retirement by the time you're 65, you'll only need to save about $403 per month if you start at 25 and earn a 7% average annual rate of return. You'll have contributed less than $200,000 yourself, which means that over $800,000 of your $1 million would come from investment earnings.

(Source: The Buffalo News)

Health care in retirement is a big-ticket item. Experts from Fidelity Investments estimate an average 65-year-old retired couple in 2021 would need about $300,000 in after-tax savings earmarked for health care costs in their post-work life, even with Medicare.
The totals are daunting, but you can take steps to keep costs as low as possible with the right planning, better insurance choices and a healthy understanding of your conditions and coverage.

(Source: Cleveland News)

Wealth Wednesday Tip #461: Remote work has become ubiquitous

Let's face it: Working without having to leave your own home has made staying in the workforce significantly more tolerable. One of the biggest complaints people have about the traditional working career is the commute, even if it's a relatively short one. This has given people the option of working longer without taking a tremendous toll on their physical and mental health.
If you're able to work from anywhere — including no-state-income-tax locations like Florida, Tennessee, and Texas — there's a good argument for continuing to work even if you're financially ready to retire. Working part-time in this capacity can still afford you a huge amount of flexibility with the added benefit of extra income.

(Source: Motley Fool)

The very concept of retirement is changing before our eyes. Large swaths of people — members of the FIRE movement or otherwise — have redefined what it means to be a worker in a distributed workforce. The great news is that retirement no longer needs to be a period of complete idleness following 40 years of work; instead, it can be woven into our lives in whatever way we see fit.

(Source: Motley Fool)