3 Things Too Many People Get Wrong About Retirement Planning

Retirement is a stage of life you need to plan for. And the sooner you start, the easier a transition you might enjoy.

But there are certain things people tend to get wrong about retirement planning. Here are three misconceptions you shouldn’t buy into.

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1. It’s all about how much you save

You’ll often hear that saving for retirement is essential. And that’s true. But it’s also not enough. Investing strategically is just as important.

If you don’t invest your money in the right assets, your savings may not grow quickly enough to beat inflation. That could leave you with an income shortfall down the line.

In addition to funding your IRA or 401(k), make sure you’re putting your money to work the right way. If you’re decades away from retirement, going heavy on stocks makes sense. Though there’s risk, and your portfolio could certainly lose value in the near term, you have plenty of time to recover from market downturns if you’re not retiring for many years.

That said, you shouldn’t just throw your money into random stocks. Research companies before investing in them, and make sure you’re holding stocks across a range of market sectors. To simplify the process, you could buy shares of an S&P 500 or total stock market ETF (exchange-traded fund) for instant diversification.

2. You can bank on much smaller expenses once you stop working

Many people assume their spending will decline substantially once they stop working. You may not end up spending quite the same amount of money as a retiree compared to your working years. But you’re fooling yourself if you assume your spending will be cut in half.

Many of the expenses you face today will continue to exist in retirement. You may not have a mortgage, but if you own a home, you’ll have property taxes, insurance, and maintenance to cover.

You’ll also need to pay for transportation, food, healthcare, utilities, and clothing. Some of these expenses may look different, but that doesn’t mean you won’t need to replace the majority of your paycheck. A good rule of thumb for retirees is to expect to need 70% to 80% of pre-retirement wages.

Remember, too, that certain costs might increase once you’re no longer working on a daily basis. You may, for example, need to allocate more money to entertainment to avoid getting bored. Your utility costs might also rise if you’re spending more time at home as opposed to being at the office all day.

3. You’ll be fine on Social Security

Social Security may help cover a good chunk of your retirement expenses. But you should not expect your monthly benefits to cover your bills in full.

If you earn a fairly average paycheck, Social Security might replace about 40% of it in retirement. But since you might need more like 70% to 80% of your former wages to keep up with your costs, those benefits are likely to fall short on their own.

It’s important to have ways to supplement your Social Security. If you’ve been saving consistently, you’re off to a great start. But if you don’t see yourself building much of a nest egg, you may want to plan to work part-time in retirement to avoid financial problems. Or, you may have other options for generating income, like renting out part of your home.

Retirement planning can be complex, with many aspects to consider. It’s important to recognize that saving money alone isn’t enough, your expenses may come in higher than expected, and you can’t expect to live comfortably on Social Security alone. Avoiding these common misconceptions could put you in a stronger position to build a retirement plan that’s secure and resilient.

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