By Jeff Gilbert
Retirement is expensive. That’s one thing everyone can agree on. But what if there were steps you could take now to actively reduce the amount of money you’ll need later on? That’s exactly what we’ll talk about today. Ready? Here are 5 ways to prepare for a more affordable retirement.
1. Pay Off Your Mortgage
Your mortgage is arguably your largest recurring expense in retirement. Getting rid of this payment before you enter your golden years can significantly reduce the amount of money you need each month.
Start by calculating how much extra money you could throw toward your principal. Could you make one extra payment every few months? What about one extra payment a year?
If there’s not a lot of wiggle room in your monthly budget, consider cutting down on discretionary expenses. Or earmark any extra money you get from bonuses or tax refunds for your mortgage. Every little bit counts.
2. Downsize Or Relocate
If you’re still living in the same house where you raised your family, there’s a good chance you don’t need all that space in retirement. Downsizing may seem extreme, but it’s a quick way to reduce your long-term retirement costs, lower utility bills, and pay off debt. Plus, a one-story house with a smaller yard may be easier to keep up with as you age.
If you’re not tied down to your current city, take it a step further by relocating to an area with a lower cost of living. You might be surprised by how much further you can stretch your retirement dollars. For example, a $1 million nest egg lasts around 13 years in California, but 23 years in Mississippi. (1)
3. Travel During The Off-Season
Ask 50 people what they plan on doing in retirement, and I’m sure most of them will say travel. Whether it’s traveling across the country to visit the grandkids or traveling around the world to visit the Eiffel Tower, it’s on everyone’s list—and for good reason. After working 30+ years, you deserve to go to all those places on your bucket list.
But if you want to stretch your travel budget even further, consider traveling during the off-season. It has many perks. Not only are airlines, hotels, and activities cheaper, but you beat the crowds too! Plus, you have extra money left over to jump-start your next trip. Sounds nice, right?
4. Consider Long-Term Care Insurance
It’s estimated that nearly 70% of people turning 65 today will need some type of long-term care during retirement. (2) This could be anything from a home health aide (which costs an estimated $4,290 a month) or a private room in a nursing home (which costs an estimated $8,517 a month). (3) Unfortunately, these outrageous costs often result in financial plan failures for 32% of households with a $1 million net worth. (4)
So, what do you do? We recommend buying a long-term care insurance policy. While Medicare covers costs for acute illnesses, long-term care insurance fills in the gap by covering personal costs for health home aides, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and more.
Studies show we’ll all have long-term care expenses at some point. Insurance helps preserve your nest egg and fill in the gaps where Medicare falls short.
5. Delay Social Security
The average life expectancy is 84.3 for men and 86.6 for women. If your health and family history indicates that you may live this long (or longer), delaying Social Security until age 70 could earn you thousands of more dollars in retirement.
For example, the chart below shows how much your monthly Social Security payout would be if your estimated payment was $2,000 at full retirement age and you claimed benefits at age 62, 66, and 70.*
| If you start collecting benefits at this age… | your monthly payout will be this much… |
| 62 (reduced benefits) | $1,500 |
| 66 (full benefits) | $2,000 |
| 70 (increased benefits) | $2,640 |
*Assuming a full retirement age of 66
According to this example, you earn $1,140 more a month if you wait to claim benefits at age 70 instead of 62.
How We Help You Prepare For A Secure Retirement
As you can see, there are many ways to prepare for a more affordable retirement. We hope that you’re able to implement some of these strategies today, so you can live out your retirement dreams later on.
At Balboa Wealth Partners, we’re passionate about helping you live your ideal retirement life. If you’d like to chat with a financial professional about your current situation, we invite you to schedule a no-obligation conversation today. During this meeting, we review your current retirement plan, answer any questions you may have, and help you create a financial road map that leads to success. To get started, give me a call at 949-445-1465 or email me at [email protected].
About Jeff
Jeff Gilbert is the founder and CEO of Balboa Wealth Partners, a holistic financial management firm dedicated to providing clients guidance today for tomorrow’s success. With nearly three decades of industry experience, he has worked as both an advisor and executive-level manager, partnering with and serving a diverse range of clients. Specializing in serving high- and ultra-high-net-worth families, Jeff aims to help clients achieve their short-term and long-term goals, worry less about their finances, and focus more on their life’s passions. Based in Orange County, Jeff works with clients throughout Southern California as well as Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. To learn more, connect with Jeff on LinkedIn or email [email protected].
Advisory services provided by Balboa Wealth Partners, Inc., an Investment Advisor registered with the SEC. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Balboa Wealth Partners and its Investment Advisor Representatives are properly licensed or exempt from registration.
Securities offered through Chalice Capital Partners, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.
Balboa offers advisory services independent of Chalice. Neither firm is affiliated.
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(1) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/long-1-million-retirement-last-090000023.html
(2) https://longtermcare.acl.gov/the-basics/how-much-care-will-you-need.html
(3) https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/cost-of-care.html
(4) https://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-to-know-about-long-term-care-2016-9
By Jeff Gilbert
This January, we find ourselves in a much different place than we did a year ago. Last year came on the heels of a difficult December, where the market dropped precipitously over recession worries. Then the market surprised everyone with a stellar performance in 2019. Are we in for a repeat performance in 2020?
Less Room For Market Growth
Most experts are not expecting the same kinds of returns in 2020 that we saw in 2019, mainly because we’re starting in a very different place. With such a difficult December in 2018, the markets had plenty of room for improvement in 2019. There simply isn’t as much room for growth in 2020, as we are starting out near record highs on the tail of a strong year for both stocks and bonds worldwide.
For example, stocks are more expensive this year than they were last year. One way that is measured is by comparing a stock’s price to profit over the preceding year. Right now, the S&P 500 is trading at 21.1 times its earnings. Last year at this time, it was trading at 16.5 times earnings and the average over the last 2 decades was 17.7 times earnings. (1) We’re starting in a much better place this year, so there just isn’t as much room for growth.
Low Recession Risk
Even though you shouldn’t expect a repeat of 2019’s amazing gains, that doesn’t mean you need to worry. The economy is still growing, chugging along at a modest rate. There is little risk of a recession in 2020, especially with the progress made on U.S.-China trade and the Federal Reserve’s commitment to keeping interest rates low. One of the biggest unknowns for 2020 is how the presidential election will impact the economy, but with a strong foundation, the impact should not be great.
Analysts are expecting continued growth for 2020 and this next decade, though at slower rates than we saw last year. Vanguard forecasts American stocks to return 3.5% to 5.5% gains over the next decade, which is much lower than we have seen recently. (2) Even if gains are lower, they are still expected to be positive.
How You Should Respond
What does all of this mean for you practically? First of all, it is important to remember that neither I nor the Wall Street analysts have crystal balls, and any predictions you hear are merely guesses. None of us know for certain what the future holds. No one predicted that 2019 would be the S&P 500’s best year since 2013. (3) We are just making educated guesses and there is no guarantee that what we expect will actually happen.
In light of that, it is important to have a balanced investment strategy that takes into account all possibilities. A well-diversified portfolio crafted with your specific time horizon in mind should be able to meet your needs whether the market returns 2% or 20% in 2020.
The greatest danger in prosperous times like these is for investors to become complacent or greedy and ignore the proven principles of long-term investing. If you want to make sure that your portfolio is prepared for whatever 2020 has in store, you can complete a complimentary risk assessment here or give me a call at 949-445-1465 or email me at [email protected].
About Jeff
Jeff Gilbert is the founder and CEO of Balboa Wealth Partners, a holistic financial management firm dedicated to providing clients guidance today for tomorrow’s success. With nearly three decades of industry experience, he has worked as both an advisor and executive-level manager, partnering with and serving a diverse range of clients. Specializing in serving high- and ultra-high-net-worth families, Jeff aims to help clients achieve their short-term and long-term goals, worry less about their finances, and focus more on their life’s passions. Based in Orange County, Jeff works with clients throughout Southern California as well as Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. To learn more, connect with Jeff on LinkedIn or email [email protected].
Advisory services provided by Balboa Wealth Partners, Inc., an Investment Advisor registered with the SEC. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Balboa Wealth Partners and its Investment Advisor Representatives are properly licensed or exempt from registration.
Securities offered through Chalice Capital Partners, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC.
Balboa offers advisory services independent of Chalice. Neither firm is affiliated.
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(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/business/wall-street-markets-2020.html
(2) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/business/wall-street-markets-2020.html
(3) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/01/business/wall-street-markets-2020.html
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Disclosures
Balboa Wealth Partners, INC. is an SEC-registered investment advisor. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Balboa Wealth Partners, and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.