15 Reasons You'll Go Broke in Retirement
As 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day and count down the minutes to retirement, they're also counting their savings - and their fears. They're not alone. According to the latest Transamerica Retirement Survey, the single greatest retirement fear is outliving savings, which was cited by 52% of those polled. Indeed, 38% of workers aren't confident they will be able to retire with a comfortable lifestyle, the survey found, and 46% don't believe they are building a large enough retirement nest egg.
It's time to face your fears. Before you start your retirement journey, learn more about the common reasons why some retirees wind up broke in their golden years. More importantly, learn what you can do now to avoid that fate.
You Abandon Stocks
For those who survived (or are still recovering from) the Great Recession, it's burned-in knowledge that stocks can be a risky investment. After a series of wild market swings in 2018, the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500-stock index ended the year in the red, down 6.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index actually fell into a bear market last year, defined as a drop of 20% or more from a recent peak. It's scary to watch your nest egg shrink as you head into retirement, and the kneejerk reaction may be to pull all of your money out of stocks.
That would be wrong. Retirement experts say you'll likely need at least some of your savings in stocks throughout retirement for diversification and growth potential. Consider this: Despite 2018's woes, the S&P 500 gained an astounding 276.9% since the market bottomed out in March 2009.
"While there is no one-size-fits-all answer for what your stock allocation should be in retirement, for most people, stocks should account for anywhere from 40% to 60% of their portfolio in the years
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