Given the financial demands of everyday life, planning your retirement may be a relatively low priority. You may also think that you have plenty of time to plan. But before you put off planning for your retirement any longer, here are some key facts you should consider.
Your retirement could last 30 years or more
A male currently aged 65 has a future life expectancy of 19 years and for females currently aged 65 it’s 22 years. But these are just the averages and they are increasing steadily. As these trends continue, your retirement could stretch to three decades, or maybe even longer.
You shouldn’t rely on the age pension
The full single rate age pension only provides around 25% of average weekly male earnings. What’s more, qualifying for the age pension may become more difficult in the future, given our population is ageing.
You shouldn’t rely on an inheritance
Your parents may end up spending all their savings and may even need to downsize their home to help make ends meet. So, if you’re relying on an inheritance to fund your retirement, you could be disappointed.
You might not have enough super either
With some of your money going into super through compulsory employer contributions, you’re off to a good start. But assume that those employer compulsory contributions will mean you have enough super to get you through your retirement and you could be in for a nasty surprise. Research conducted by Rice Warner Actuaries revealed that Australia has a shortfall in super of close to $1 trillion (2) , which means many Australians may not have enough super to fund their retirement.
Start planning now
Thankfully, with a bit of preparation, it’s possible to plan for a long and comfortable retirement. Strategies like salary sacrificing into super, making lump sum contributions or using a transition to retirement strategy, are all smart strategies to consider to boost your super, and some of them generally have tax benefits too. It’s also possible to use your super to start a pension that pays you a regular income. Some pensions even guarantee to pay you an income for the rest of your life, negating the risk of outliving your savings.
Talk to a retirement planning expert
The best way to see how your retirement savings are currently tracking, and find out what you could do now to increase your super for retirement, is to speak to a financial advisor. They can help you set realistic goals and put a plan in place to achieve them. To find out more, please always feel welcome to contact us at any time.
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General Advice Disclaimer
This article contains general advice only, which has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any person. You should, therefore, consider the appropriateness of the information in light of your own objectives, financial situation or needs and read all relevant Product Disclosure Statements before acting on the information. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the material, Paradigm Strategic Planning or Sentry Advice Pty Ltd will not bear responsibility or liability for any action taken by any person, persons or organisation on the purported basis of information contained herein. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, no person, persons or organisation should invest monies or take action on reliance of the material contained herein but instead should satisfy themselves independently of the appropriateness of such action.
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