Retirement Planning: What If You Can't Work As Long As You Want To?

Make room for more baby boomers in the workplace.

From 1989 to 2012, the percent of people over age 65 in the workforce jumped from a little under 12% to 18.5%, setting a trend that’s set to continue. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of workers age 65 to 74 is expected to grow at a faster pace than any other demographic.

The sheer quantity of baby boomers entering the workforce accounts for some of this growth, but it’s also being driven by cultural forces—many baby boomers really enjoy working and staying busy.¹

As Wealth Managers we focus on investors’ retirement goals and the ability to meet those goals. Would your retirement goals be compromised if you weren’t able to work past a certain age? Is there a backup plan?

Many Investors Expect to Work Beyond Age 65, But the Reality is Different

Research by JP Morgan showed that while 70% of people expected to work to at least the age of 65 or older, only 28% of them actually did.

Managing Expectations of Ability to Work in Retirement

(Click chart for larger version) 

Source: JP Morgan Asset Management, Employee Benefit Research Institute, and Mathew Greenwald and Associates, Inc., 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey.

People don’t work as long as they plan to usually due to forces that are out of their control. The fact of the matter is, many of those people want to keep working past the age of 65, but they simply can’t.

An Investment Plan Can Help Navigate an Early Retirement

For investors who want to work past the age of 65, an investment plan will help them answer this question: what if I can’t?

An investment plan can show you the impact of having earned income for longer stretches of time, but it can also show you what happens if that income unexpectedly goes away. How effectively can your investments and sources of retirement income (social security, pensions, etc…) provide for you and your family’s needs throughout your lives in the event you can’t keep working?

If you’re planning to work past the age of 65, we’d advise you to consider the impact of not being able to. Preparation is paramount, so call one of our Wealth Managers at 1-800-541-7774 today to create an investment plan to help you plan for different outcomes in your work life. Or you can get started by answering a few questions here.

Sources:

1) JP Morgan Guide to Retirement