Sherman Oaks – Dennis F Rose, CPA and Principal at Dennis F. Rose & Associates, provides a full range of retirement planning services for his clients. Here’s his most recent advice on retirement planning:
Retirement Calculators May Not Add in Everything
You may turn to an online retirement calculator for a simple snapshot of your retirement income needs and your retirement savings progress. These calculators are everywhere and so easy to use – but just how realistic are their projections?
In truth, not very. They fail to consider many variables. While they may have you enter your present salary, the percentage of income you want to replace in retirement, your estimated retirement date, and the rate of return for your investments, they ignore things like taxes (especially with regard to retirement account withdrawals), relocation expenses, health care costs, inflation, and your Social Security claiming strategy. Even their basic calculations can vary: input the same data into three different calculators, and the amount that you are supposed to save for retirement can vary by as much as $300,000-$400,000. So, use one or more retirement calculators to run some numbers, but confer with a financial professional you trust to tackle planning for the factors these basic tools cannot address.1
Friends and Family Ties May Make a Big Difference After 65
Gerontologists, mental health professionals, journalists, and retirement planners are starting to recognize loneliness as a retirement hazard. AARP, in fact, now has a website (connect2affect.org) focusing on the issue and the resources that can help to counteract it.
From its research, AARP estimates that 17% of Americans over 65 are cut off from meaningful social interaction. This lonely state raises the risk of mortality by 26%, the organization concludes. It is all too easy to end up alone for some or all of retirement – in fact, 51% of Americans aged 75 and older live by themselves. In addition, the country has about 6 million seniors (defined as age 65 and up) who cannot leave their homes due to disabilities. To ward off loneliness, think about relocating to (or spending more time in) a livelier neighborhood or following athletic, social, or creative interests in the company of others. Romantic relationships are possible, not just platonic ones – and if you feel lonely with your spouse or partner, try going somewhere new, even if just for the day, or having a small adventure.2
On the BRIGHT SIDE In a recent Allianz Life survey of U.S. consumers, a majority of respondents thought consumer prices would rise more than 4% a year during their retirement. Over the past 20 years, however, yearly inflation has averaged just 2.15%.3
Dennis F. Rose & Associates is a full-service accounting firm. For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit Dennis F. Rose & Associates’ website or call them at .