This article is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.
Everyone makes mistakes with money. However, the stakes are higher as you near retirement.
Financial errors are easier to bounce back from when you’re younger, thanks to the potential for extra income through earning power or compound interest. Yet retirees rely primarily on their nest egg, so efficiently and effectively maintaining it is crucial.
Successfully transitioning into your golden years involves careful consideration of these money mistakes to avoid in retirement. It also calls for continual reassessment and recognition of what not to do in retirement, which requires organizing finances to sustain income through market fluctuations and evolving needs.
Read on to discover seven prevalent retirement mistakes, based on the most recent Natixis Global Survey of Financial Professionals, featuring insights from 2,700 financial professionals across 16 countries. Proactively learning about potential retirement challenges can help you effectively navigate and secure your financial future.
7 Money Mistakes to Avoid in Retirement
Underestimating Your Longevity
The word retirement conjures images of exciting trips, exploring hobbies and cherishing moments with loved ones. While immediate satisfaction and contentment are essential, ensuring your retirement strategy accounts for potential needs in the distant future – perhaps extending beyond 30 years – is equally crucial.
Many individuals, however, need to pay more attention to the duration of retirement. In a 2022 survey by the TIAA Institute, a quarter of Americans miscalculated the life expectancy of a 60-year-old, while 28% admitted they didn’t know it. But human longevity continues beyond 60. Social Security projections indicate that an American retiring at age 65 can anticipate living until age 85. Therefore, if you’re retiring at age 65 and enjoy good health, planning for more than 30 years is a prudent approach.
Listen to Our Podcast
Pay off your debt and get your finances in check. Listen to Episode 10 of our podcast, Merging Into Life: Budgeting 101.
Tune InUnderestimating Health Care Costs
Longer life spans also create another consideration: More health care costs. Of course, we all hope for a healthy retirement. Yet, unforeseen health challenges are practically inevitable as we age into our 70s, 80s and even 90s.
Recent studies have found that a significant amount of retirement money often ends up going toward medical bills. Incorporating a buffer for these costs, diversifying investment accounts and exploring long-term care insurance can help you avoid an unexpected, rapid drain in savings due to health care needs.
Overlooking Inflation
Retirees also tend to underestimate the erosive impact of inflation on their financial well-being. It causes living expenses to climb, and neglecting this factor in financial planning may lead to a reduced standard of living during retirement. To counteract this, retirees should consider integrating an inflation rate into their retirement plan. Each retiree’s situation is unique, and considering the impact of inflation is essential for maintaining financial security throughout retirement.
Over-Reliance on Social Security (and Taking It at the Wrong Time)
Social Security is a crucial component of retirement planning, providing income that can alleviate the need to draw extensively from your portfolio. However, relying solely on Social Security is a common error, as it’s designed to replace only a portion of pre-retirement income. To fortify your financial foundation, diversify income sources by supplementing Social Security with pensions, investments and retirement accounts.
Additionally, it may sound tempting to begin receiving Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62 but doing so before your full retirement age, which 66-67 years old, depending on the year you were born, reduces your benefit. Strategically timing Social Security can influence your withdrawal rate, ensuring a more stable and sustainable retirement income.
Failure to Adjust Investment Strategies
Ensure a smooth transition to retirement by adjusting your investment strategy to balance both short-term cash needs and long-term goals. Create a well-rounded and secure portfolio based on your risk tolerance and goals, using tools and strategies like:
- Asset allocation
- Rebalancing
- Target date funds
While keeping some funds in growth investments is wise, you’ll want to take a more conservative investment approach in retirement. This shift protects against significant losses while providing a reasonable level of growth. You may want to consult a financial professional for guidance.
Overestimating Your Income in Retirement
A 2023 analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College revealed that 28% of households wrongly believe they are ready for retirement.
You can gauge the retirement preparedness of your household using online retirement calculators for a preliminary assessment. Those seeking a more detailed evaluation or personalized plan should consult a certified financial planner.
The 4% rule is a good general guideline for how much of your savings to spend each year to last through retirement, though part of its success is being flexible and ready to adapt to market changes and evolving financial needs. Relying solely on fixed rules is not always sufficient.
Holding Too Much of Your Portfolio in Real Estate
Many individuals invest heavily in their mortgages over a lifetime, accumulating substantial home equity by retirement. Additionally, the initial excitement of retirement might lead some to consider second homes. However, with grown children likely moved out, downsizing offers a chance to sell the house, opt for a more affordable home and allocate the remaining funds for a predictable income stream.
If maintaining large properties is still preferred after considering these options, retirees must weigh the ongoing costs of property ownership beyond a mortgage payment. These include:
- Taxes
- Utilities
- Maintenance
- Insurance
To ensure financial stability, it is always a good idea to prioritize essential needs and postpone significant expenses until you have a clearer understanding of long-term finances.
AAA offers a variety of financial services that can help you save for retirement, including loans, reverse mortgages and more.
This article has been updated and republished from a previous version.
Related Articles
Trending Articles
NEWEST ARTICLES
22 Thoughts on “Money Mistakes to Avoid in Retirement”
Leave A Comment
Comments are subject to moderation and may or may not be published at the editor’s discretion. Only comments that are relevant to the article and add value to the Your AAA community will be considered. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Here’s a twist. Don’t spend to little. Investments are just a number on a piece of paper. Your good days are numbered especially after your retirement date. Enjoy!
IT’s been a while since I’ve looked at normal SS age vs delayed retirement payments. When I did, it turned out that if us live to the statistical average (84 men, 86 women) the cumulative money received is the same. if heredity says that you will live until 80 you’re helping SSA. Likewise if you have genes blessing you to live to 90 you will net out more money by not delaying SS
I think your last sentence is opposite. I think you meant if you had good genes, delaying so will be beneficial.
This article grossly over-simplifies many issues. I found the comments, especially by “Ed” of more help.
One, there’s no one answer for everyone as to when to take Social Security. Your health & family history might make waiting until age 70 a bad idea. Also depends on whether you need the Social Security to pay your bills or you just plan to invest it. Everyone’s situation is different.
Similar to taking RMD’s before age 72. Sometimes starting them early spreads out the tax hit over a longer period, keeping you in a lower tax bracket. Plus, you get the tax favored advantages of the Roth for longer. As a slight aside, I wish there was more information questioning the traditional, “always max out your tax deferred IRA/401K investments” KoolAid. Financial advisors always push this strategy so as to defer the taxes until you’re in a lower, post-retirement tax bracket. But what they don’t tell you is, upon retirement, all withdrawals from those tax deferred accounts are taxed at your higher, ordinary income tax bracket. I discovered, too late, that I would have been better investing some of my 401K money into straight taxable accounts and just paying the lower, long term capital gains taxes each year. Oh well.
Finally, I’m sure there are good, fiduciary financial advisors out there. But they’re not always easy to find. I’ve been my own financial advisor for over 30 years and have never regretted it. In my work as a tax preparer, I see countless clients 1099 financial statements each year. And I almost cry seeing the exorbitant fees my tax clients pay their financial advisors to generate returns that don’t even match my, low maintenance, John Bogle inspired, investment returns. Just be careful !
Gary – I disagree that you would have been better off investing the 401k money into a taxable account. The money you put into a 401(k) is pre-tax and continues to grow tax free. When you eventually withdraw those funds, you pay ordinary income tax on both the gains and the initial investment. If you invest in a taxable account, you are investing with money that you have already paid ordinary income taxes on, and then you pay capital gain taxes on any gains in the taxable brokerage account. Also, the other benefit of the 401k is that you are likely to be in a lower income tax bracket when you retire, so it is better to defer the taxes until retirement instead of paying the taxes now and investing that money in a brokerage account. Your statement makes it seem like you never have to pay ordinary income taxes on money invested in a taxable account, which is not the case.
There is no guarantee that you will live until 70 to collect Social Security. If you have been wise, SS should just be a little extra to enjoy, not what you live off of. So Carpe Diem and collect that money at 62!!
I concur!
I agree and did take it at 62. Although I kept on working part-time as an engineering consultant.
You can try to be wise, but you may not be able to continue working as long as advisers tell you that you should. For example, I was included in a company wide layoff in 2008 and was forced to go on Social Security too early. You have to have enough to live on. The company offered me a small pension but it was not enough to pay expenses. So, some of us must take SS early, like it or not. It was intended to keep those who couldn’t earn enough out of poverty.
I disagree on waiting until RMDs kick in.
While everyone’s situation is different, and this doesn’t apply to everyone especially those with small 401(k) and/or IRA balances, waiting until your taking RMDs at 72 is a big mistake if you have a large 401(k) and/or IRA balance.
If you retire at 59 1/2 or later, and are married, consider converting to a ROTH gradually over the many years BEFORE RMDs kick in, thereby controlling what tax hit you’ll sustain and avoid the impact on your Medicare Part B premiums. RMDs are unforgiving and you can’t directly convert RMDs into ROTHs.
Today, being married, you currently have the MFJ taxable income limits of $178,150 in the 22% tax bracket. Wait until you’re 72 and start taking RMDs, then you have to pray you don’t lose a spouse, as the 22% tax bracket limit for single people is only 1/2 MFJ at $89,075. The RMD factor at 72 is currently 27.4 and decreases every year after that. Divide you balance by 27.4 and that’s how much you’ll have as an RMD in the 1st year, then add 85% of your Social Security (100% for Medicare MAGI), any pensions, outside investment income, part-time work, etc. you’ll easily hit the single rate for income taxes & Medicare Part B premiums.
For example, a 72 year old single person with a 401(k) balance of ‘just’ a $1,000,000 requires a $36,500 RMD, then add 85% of your Social Security and you’ve already been bounced from the 12% tax bracket into the 22% tax bracket, and if you also have a pension, you’re Medicare Part B premiums will jump up too. Meanwhile, assuming you retired at 65, you missed 7 years to reduce the RMD by converting some of your balances into a tax free ROTH. If you retired at 59 1/2 you missed 12 years of conversions and tax free compounding.
You can also bet tax brackets are not going to get anymore friendlier in the future with our whopping National Debt.
If you leave your 401(k) and/or IRA balances alone waiting for RMDs, and you (and your spouse) eventually pass, you’re heirs will inherit your left-over large taxable account balances. Being younger and probably in their prime earning years, they could easily pay up to 40% or more in combined state & federal income taxes. You have to pay taxes on the earnings when left alone anyhow, but what you’ve gradually converted into ROTHs, all those earnings are tax free in the future. Money converted into a ROTH at 62 will have had 10 years of tax-free earnings by the time you hit 72.
Your financial situation becomes simpler too with ROTHs, especially if the surviving spouse is not financially savvy as all future withdrawals from Traditional 401(k) & IRA type accounts have to be evaluated for income tax & Medicare impacts.
ROTHs are also a real gift to your heirs as your converted 401(k) and/or IRA inheritance becomes tax free to them (unless the inheritance is insanely huge and runs into estate & inheritance taxes – separate unrelated issues).
I’m one of those people fortunate enough to have both a large 401(k), large IRA balances, and a good pension and I live in a state with no state income tax. So as I convert, I keep my entire tax rate no higher that 22% Federal rate and under the Medicare Part B limit. Because I’m married, I can convert $80k a year under the current tax system assuming I take nothing more out to buy new cars. I’ve been doing this for 3 years now and still have a long way to go. But by the time I hit 72 assuming the tax rates & my marriage situation don’t change, I will have converted $800k into ROTHs which still forces me into RMDs, but they will be smaller. I’ll continue converting for many years after as well. At 82 I’ll have converted $1.6 Mil and so forth. Doing nothing, RMDs would push us into the 24% tax bracket and we’d be paying more each month for Medicare Part B. Having done nothing, when one of us die, the survivor would be paying triple the cost of the Medicare Part B premiums and be in the 32% tax bracket, and that’s in today’s lower tax brackets.
No one knows what the future holds for ROTH conversions or tax brackets, but I’m making the best of the ones we have today which is all we can do. Doing nothing until RMDs kick in is certainly NOT an option for us and many over-savers like us.
Ed, great considerations & advice here — thank you!
Thank you for sharing. This was very informative and helpful.
Nice speech. Most won’t know one of your abbreviations.
Most will lose you quickly.
KISS
???
Really Burt? What was so hard to understand? Maybe you couldn’t follow what Ed was explaining but I and others found it quite informative…and there was no need for the ‘KISS’ comment.
So, don’t take Social Security till 70 and don’t take from your 401K till 72. Not everyone is going to be able to do that
An additional comment: For both my wife & myself, the break-even age for waiting until age 70 vs starting at full retirement age (66 6mo & 66 8mo for us) is 82. So you want to consider: how confident do I (we) feel that we will be around past age 82? And what will my (our) quality of life / ability to ‘enjoy the money’ be at 82+? Will it be better to have more money now (pre-82), when we are more mobile, in better health, and can enjoy it more? We all want to think of ourselves as going strong into our 70s, 80s, even 90s, but obviously there’s no guarantee. You don’t want to be the person that waits till 70 to get the max benefit, then has a heart attack and keels over, or gets hit by a bus, or whatever, at 71.
Buy an index fund, they beat 80% of all managed funds and if advisors are so good why are they advising and not making it in the market themselves.
AGREE!!!
Another big mistake in retirement is to convert too much money from your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA in one year that puts you in a higher tax bracket for that year.
Spousal benefits are available from your current spouse after 1 (ONE) year of marriage.
The 10 (TEN) year requirement applies only to Ex-Spouses.
Looking forward to your help