Now that you’re nearing retirement, the term “market volatility” might stir up different feelings than it 30 years ago. Older workers and retirees understand that they have less time to make up for losses in their investments and to ride out future market crashes than they did when they were younger. And with life expectancies increasing, leaving your financial wellbeing up to the whims of the market seems like less and less of a good idea. We know that there will always be crashes, even if no one knows exactly when they will come, so why not develop a plan ahead of time?
After a crash, people may be tempted to sell their stocks if they panic, or need immediate funds. But in doing so, they ensure that they won’t see the stock appreciate when the market recovers. In order to keep this panic at bay, you can think of creating your portfolio around the idea of retirement income.
Creating reliable retirement income can be a good retirement strategy for high-income earners. The first step would be to create guaranteed retirement income with “safe” investments. The value of bonds and savings account are not seriously affected by the ups and downs of the market, and reliable paychecks include Social Security, annuities, and bond ladders. Certain annuities will also protect against outliving your retirement savings.
After covering your basic needs with safe investments, you can look to grow the rest of your savings more aggressively. You can think of the funds generated as “retirement bonuses.” These “bonuses” can be used for non-necessities like travel, spending of grandchildren, and the activities you want to enjoy with your free time in retirement. You can develop a withdrawal plan based on market performance, meaning decreased withdrawal amounts when the market drops, and increased amounts when it experiences gains.
It’s also important to create an emergency fund for events like unexpected medical expenses and home and car repairs. This fund will be separate from your first two funds, so if there is an emergency you will not have to disrupt the overall structure of your retirement plan by dripping into them.
The term “market volatility” probably doesn’t create good feelings if you’re nearing retirement or already retired. Developing a plan for periods of market volatility before they happen can help you weather storms.
You don’t know when the next crash is, but you can plan for it. Click here to schedule your complimentary review today, and let the professionals at Horizon Financial Services, LLC help you create reliable retirement income, sources of growth, and an emergency fund for a rainy day.
