Retirement planning isn’t something you do for a brief period of time. Rather, it’s a continuous thing. And so it pays to do your share of planning for retirement once the new year kicks off.
That said, there are certain pitfalls retirement planners tend to encounter. Here are three to avoid in 2023.
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1. Not understanding Social Security’s role in your retirement
The start of a new year is a good time to set up a budget based on your salary (ideally, one that’s getting boosted in January) and expenses. And part of that budget should include room for retirement plan contributions.
Some people, however, skimp on IRA or 401(k) contributions because they assume they won’t need very large nest eggs given their anticipated Social Security benefits. But that’s a mistake.
You can expect Social Security to replace about 40% of your pre-retirement earnings if you make an average salary, and if benefits aren’t cut in the future. (And that’s a pretty big “if.”) But most seniors need a lot more money than that for a comfortable lifestyle.
Take the time to see what Social Security benefit you might be in line for. You can access that information by creating an account on the Social Security Administration’s website.
Granted, if you’re many years away from retirement, the estimate you get of your monthly benefit may not be all that accurate, since it’s only accounting for a portion of your career. But that way, you can at least get a sense of the benefit you might be in line for. And if you see that it’s smaller than expected, you’ll be motivated to ramp up your retirement plan contributions accordingly.
2. Pausing retirement plan contributions due to market volatility
Clearly, 2022 has been a very volatile year for stocks. And you may be inclined to hold off on funding your IRA or 401(k) in 2023 for fear that that volatility will continue.
But that’s a mistake. First of all, no one knows how market conditions will play out in 2023. But also, it’s important to consistently fund a retirement plan regardless of market conditions. So don’t cross out that line item in your budget for IRA or 401(k) contributions just yet.
3. Keeping all of your savings in a 401(k)
If you have access to a 401(k) plan through your job, and you’re offered an employer match within that plan, then it absolutely pays to do what you can to capitalize on it. After all, that’s free money for retirement.
But that doesn’t mean you should make your workplace 401(k) your only retirement account. One drawback of 401(k)s is that they tend to offer limited investment choices. Those could leave you paying higher fees and limit your ability to build a portfolio that can outperform the market.
As such, it pays to look at other options for housing your money once you’ve snagged your full employer match. That could mean putting some of your savings into a Roth IRA, or even branching out into a health savings account.
It’s also a good idea to be thinking about retirement — and saving for it. Just do your best not to make these mistakes in 2023.
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