To supplement replacement income provided by Social Security and employersponsored pension plans, individuals need to rely on their own saving and investment choices during accumulation. Once retired, they must also decide at which rate to spend their savings, with the usual dilemma between present and future consumption in mind. This Element explains how financial engineering and risk management techniques can help them in these complex decisions. First, it introduces 'retirement bonds', or retirement bond replicating portfolios, that provide stable and predictable replacement income during the decumulation period. Second, it describes investment strategies that combine the retirement bond with an efficient performanceseeking portfolio so as to reduce uncertainty over the future amount of income while offering upside potential. Finally, strategies using risk insurance techniques are proposed to secure minimum levels of replacement income while giving the possibility of reaching higher levels of income.
How much can you spend in retirement? Naturally, this is an essential question for those approaching this important life transition. Essentially, if you wish to retire one day, you are increasingly responsible for figuring out how to save during your working years and convert your savings into sustainable income for an ever-lengthening number of retirement years. The nature of risk also changes in retirement, as the lifestyle of retirees become more vulnerable to the impacts of market volatility, unknown longevity, and spending shocks. Retirees have one opportunity to build a successful plan. It is not an easy task, but it is manageable. This book focuses on sustainable spending from investments, which is an important piece of any retirement plan. People want to know if they have saved enough to be able to fund their lifestyle in retirement. In this book, I explain the findings of a large body of financial planning research regarding sustainable spending from investment portfolios in the face of a variety of retirement risks. That body of research tends to begin with the 4 percent rule of thumb for retirement spending. I explain how and why it was developed, what it means, and when it may or may not be appropriate for retirees. William Bengen''s 1994 study gave us the concept of the SAFEMAX, which is the highest sustainable spending rate from the worst-case scenario observed in the US historical data. The Trinity study added portfolio success rates from the historical data for different spending strategies. Both studies suggest that for a thirty-year retirement period, a 4 percent inflation-adjusted withdrawal rate using a 50-75 percent stock allocation should be reasonably safe. I have reservations about the 4 percent rule. It may be too aggressive for current retirees for reasons including increasing longevity, historically low interest rates coupled with higher than average stock market valuations, the impact of the international experience with the 4 percent rule casting a different light than 20th century US historical data, the need to maintain a rather aggressive asset allocation to have the best shot at success, and because the 4 percent rule assumes that investors do not pay any fees or otherwise underperform the underlying market indices. However, other factors suggest that sustainable spending may be even higher than traditional studies imply. Reasons for this include that actual retirees may tend to reduce their spending with age, that they build more diversified portfolios than used in the basic research studies, that real-world retirees may be willing to adjust spending for realized portfolio performance, and that some retirees may have the capacity and tolerance to accept higher portfolio failure probabilities because they have other sources of income from outside their portfolios. Related to these points, I also analyze nine variable spending strategies for retirees as well as the use of strategies that support short-term spending needs with individual bonds and longer-term spending needs with stocks. Retirees need to weigh the consequences between spending too little and spending too much-that is, being too frugal or running out of assets. This book is about implementing what I call the "probability-based" school of thought for retirement planning. It is especially relevant for people who plan to fund their retirements using an investment portfolio and those who are hesitant about using income annuities or other insurance products. I will explore annuities and insurance more extensively in later volumes since I do believe in the value of risk pooling as an additional source of returns to more efficiently meet retirement spending goals. But for now, we have plenty to discuss within the world of sustainable spending from an investment portfolio in retirement. The book concludes with a discussion about how to put these ideas together into a retirement spending plan.
Here at last are the hard-to-find answers to the dizzying array of financial questions plaguing those who are age fifty and older. The financial world is more complex than ever, and people are struggling to make sense of it all. If you’re like most people moving into the phase of life where protecting—as well as growing-- assets is paramount, you’re faced with a number of financial puzzles. Maybe you’re struggling to get your kids through college without drawing down your life’s savings. Perhaps you sense your nest egg is at risk and want to move into safer investments. Maybe you’re contemplating downsizing to a smaller home, but aren’t sure of the financial implications. Possibly, medical expenses have become a bigger drain than you expected and you need help assessing options. Perhaps you’ll shortly be eligible for social security but want to optimize when and how to take it. Whatever your specific financial issue, one thing is certain—your range of choices is vast. As the financial world becomes increasingly complex, what you need is deeply researched advice from professionals whose credentials are impeccable and who prize clarity and straightforwardness over financial mumbo-jumbo. Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz and the Schwab team have been helping clients tackle their toughest money issues for decades. Through Carrie’s popular “Ask Carrie” columns, her leadership of the Charles Schwab Foundation, and her work across party lines through two White House administrations and with the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability, she has become one of America’s most trusted sources for financial advice. Here, Carrie will not only answer all the questions that keep you up at night, she’ll provide answers to many questions you haven’t considered but should.
Diversification provides a well-known way of getting something close to a free lunch: by spreading money across different kinds of investments, investors can earn the same return with lower risk (or a much higher return for the same amount of risk). This strategy, introduced nearly fifty years ago, led to such strategies as index funds. What if we were all missing out on another free lunch that’s right under our noses? InLifecycle Investing, Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres-two of the most innovative thinkers in business, law, and economics-have developed tools that will allow nearly any investor to diversify their portfolios over time. By using leveraging when young-a controversial idea that sparked hate mail when the authors first floated it in the pages ofForbes-investors of all stripes, from those just starting to plan to those getting ready to retire, can substantially reduce overall risk while improving their returns. InLifecycle Investing, readers will learn How to figure out the level of exposure and leverage that’s right foryou How the Lifecycle Investing strategy would have performed in the historical market Why it will work even if everyone does it Whennotto adopt the Lifecycle Investing strategy Clearly written and backed by rigorous research,Lifecycle Investingpresents a simple but radical idea that will shake up how we think about retirement investing even as it provides a healthier nest egg in a nicely feathered nest.
Packed with the best strategies to manage wealth in retirement, this book helps readers live the life they have always envisioned - without risk of running out of money. It shows readers how to become informed, wise investors - avoiding common pitfalls, challenging the status quo, and refusing to take advice blindly.
"This book examines and compares the various investment strategies of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, and shows in hard figures why Dividend Growth Investment Strategy surpasses the strictly mutual fund approach to investing. The Dividend Growth Investment Strategy provides a sound and simple investment strategy that allows you to manage your own financial destiny."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
"A ... new philosophy and ... guide to getting the most out of your money--and out of life--for those who value memorable experiences as much as their earnings"--
The instant NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER #1 PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT Revised & Updated for 2023 THE PATH TO YOUR ULTIMATE RETIREMENT STARTS RIGHT HERE! Retirement today is more complex than ever before. It is most definitely not your parents' retirement. You will have to make decisions that weren't even part of the picture a generation ago. Without a clear-cut path to manage the money you’ve saved, you may feel like you're all on your own. Except you're not—because Suze Orman has your back. Suze is America's most recognized personal finance expert for a reason. She's been dispensing actionable advice for years to people seeking financial security. Now, in this revised and updated Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+, which reflects recent changes in retirement rules passed by Congress, Suze gives you the no-nonsense advice and practical tools you need to plan wisely for your retirement in today's ever-changing landscape. You'll find new rules for downsizing, spending wisely, delaying Social Security benefits, and more—starting where you are right now. Suze knows money decisions are never just about money. She understands your hopes, your fears, your wishes, and your desires for your own life as well as for your loved ones. She will guide you on how to let go of regret and fear, and with her unparalleled knowledge and unique empathy, she will reveal practical and personal steps so you can always live your Ultimate Retirement life. "I wrote this book for you," Suze says. "The worried, the fearful, the anxious. I know you need help navigating the road ahead. I've helped steer people toward happy and secure retirements my whole life, and that's exactly what I want to do for you."
Now in paperback--the groundbreaking investment guide by bestselling author James O'Shaughnessy that shows you the simple way to create the fully funded retirement you deserve. Even if you think you're in great financial shape and can afford two cars and several vacations a year, the numbers in your savings and retirement plan don't always add up to a wealthy--or financially secure--future. In How to Retire Rich, investment wizard James O'Shaughnessy uses his revolutionary analysis of the Standard & Poor's CompuStat Database and stock market history to identify exactly which strategies have consistently beaten almost all active stock pickers over the past four decades--and to show regular folks like you how to apply these proven formulas to your 401(k) and your savings plan, and, over time, grow as little as $2,000 into more than $4 million. By adopting O'Shaughnessy's logical, proven approach and by avoiding hunches, hot tips, and trendy advice from high-profile gurus, you, too, can master the basics of investing, dramatically increase your net worth, and fund the retirement of your dreams.
Investment professional Larry E. Swedroe describes the crucial difference between "active" and "passive" mutual funds, and tells you how you can win the investment game through long-term investments in such indexes as the S&P 500 instead of through the active buying and selling of stocks. A revised and updated edition of an investment classic, The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need remains clear, understandable, and effective. This edition contains a new chapter comparing index funds, ETFs, and passive asset class funds, an expanded section on portfolio care and maintenance, the addition of Swedroe's 15 Rules of Prudent Investing, and much more. In clear language, Swedroe shows how the newer index mutual funds out-earn, out-perform, and out-compound the older funds, and how to select a balance "passive" portfolio for the long hail that will repay you many times over. This indispensable book also provides you with valuable information about: - The efficiency of markets today - The five factors that determine expected returns of a balanced equity and fixed income portfolio - Important facts about volatility, return, and risk - Six steps to building a diversified portfolio using Modern Portfolio Theory - Implementing the winning strategy - and more.
