America's Retirement Score
Click on the PDF linked below to check out this research article about "America's Retirement Score". You may be surprised how your generation has been preparing for retirement.
Preparedness Accelerators
Based on this research study, 46% of American households are at risk of not being able to cover essential expenses in retirement. However, focusing on these 3 Preparedness Accelerators can dramatically help you.
Raise Savings
The first step is to raise savings. Even small increases in savings can make a big difference.
Review Asset Mix
The second step is to review your asset mix. Although you can’t anticipate market behavior, you can build potential for long-term growth into portfolios through investment choices and exposure to various asset classes.
Revisit Your Retirement Plan
The third step is to revisit your retirement plan. The longer you can wait, the more time to build savings. Waiting until you’re at least entitled to full Social Security Retirement benefits (between 65-67) may help increase your monthly benefit.
Health Savings Accounts
The cost of health care in retirement has become an increasingly looming concern for many, and the growing popularity of tax-advantaged health savings accounts (HSA) has become one solution poised to meet this need, for those who have it as an option. According to this year’s Retirement Savings Assessment, respondents who report having HSAs – regardless of income level – tend to have higher Retirement Scores: households with an HSA have a score of 86; those without have a score of 82.
Financial Advisor Relationships
23% of households have a relationship with a paid professional advisor. As expected, these households who have an advisor relationship also have a higher Retirement Score than those who do not (89 vs 81).
Overconfidence
Being prepared and feeling prepared for retirement are not the same. While Fidelity considers 54% of households to be good or on target, overall 60% say they believe their planning has them on track to maintain the retirement lifestyle they want. Incongruously, people feel they will have enough money in retirement to meet their lifestyle expectations despite not knowing how much they should be saving.
Click on the attached PDF below to read more and to find out if you are retirement ready!
