你可以为退休准备的八件事情

生活在中国的“专家”喜欢和擅长搞忽悠，美国的“专家”又何尝不是，并且在技能上还丝毫不差。这不，喜爱玩数字游戏的专家们，又为退休的人们“计算”了需要准备的金钱数量：你年度收入的四倍！

对于而知天命之年的半老人来说，已经准备了足够的资金来打点自己十几年之后退休的生活，从理论上说当然是一件必须做的事情。只是，当然和能够，实在是非常不同的概念了。

现实是，不仅对于像我们这样的新移民，由于家底不够厚实，或者由于是在一个新的世界打拼，“准备不足”很多时候会成为不得不面对的现实，即使是“规规矩矩”的地道美国佬，很多人在这方面也做的不怎么地。

如果你处于这样的状况，也没有必要觉得尴尬，甚至是因此而“亟不可待”被人利用和随便受人忽悠，因为，很多普通的美国人在这方面也做的不怎么样。虽然你时不时会看到活得很“风光”和“精彩”的美国佬，虽然你和他们见面时，听到的是一个个吐沫横飞的，关于海滨度假、高尔夫球场精彩击球的快感故事。

统计数字表明，在美国生活的四十八岁以上的人群中（1946年到1964年之间出生的人），60%的人只有不到十万美元的退休金准备，更有高达40%的人只有不到2.5万美元的资金，可用来做自己的退休金使用。很多人即使是一大把年纪了，还在扛着不菲的按揭贷款过日子。

所以说，生活在美国的老人的日子，也不见得就一定比生活在中国的老人们。过的要好很多，至少从金钱准备的数量来看是这样。

金融计划师们一再倡导说：每个人都应该尽可能早的为自己几十年之后的退休生活积累资金。这句话说起来容易，反正有时候人们“站着说话也不觉得腰疼”。实际上，很多人在年轻的时候，都在为基本的生活而挣扎，过好当前的日子毕竟比计划几十年之后或许还存在的日子要重要的多。再说，美国还是一个喜欢和鼓励人们做梦和追寻梦想的国度。既然是喜欢寻梦，当然就会有很多人期望自己会很快发达，于是乎，在逻辑上也没有必要太早的做自我牺牲，为“遥远”的未来省吃俭用了。

不管你到了哪个年纪，也不管你为自己未来的退休日子做了多少准备，反正，日子还是得照样的过。只是，“一方水土养一方人”的话，对于不同经济基础和实力的人，似乎不是很实用。因为，你能够生活的“水土”，最终还是得基于你的经济实力来进行调整。如果你经济基础不是很好，在你退休之后，选择一个更住得起的地方和更容易承担的生活水准，恐怕就是最好的选择了。

接下来的，无非就是我们常说的“开源节流”，实实在在的过日子。

在这里，你可以做的，一方面是充分利用国家给予的税收上的优惠，尽可能节省一点资金，给自己未来的生活使用；另一方面，就是在退休之后，及时的调整自己的生活水准，包括住房大小、居住地点，和日常的开支习惯，让新的生活能够和你所拥有的经济状况相适应。

如果你有心情的话，退休之后，找个比较乡野的地方，搞点自给自足，不仅不是一件坏事，可能还有益身心健康。并且，在美国，你还非常容易找到这样的地方，享受陶渊明梦想而难以真正获得的生活环境。

你完全没有必要像我们的先辈（早期移民）那样，非得在一个华人很多的地方去凑热闹。毕竟，你不仅在语言方面应该比他们更有优势，同时，现在美国人对于华裔的态度，也已经是远和过去不同的了。你完全可以有意识的养成一些更为美国化的习惯，来打法你退休之后“孤独”的生活。

下面是美国的“专家”们给你支的八招。是不是有价值，就看你自己怎么样去理解了。有一点倒是比较重要：不要因为年纪大了又累积的资金不足，而盲目的搞急功近利的事情。如果你在年轻的时候都没有承担必要的风险，却在退休之年去勉勉强强的担当自己难以承担的风险，可能也不是很明智的选择。特别是在股市投资这块。股市投资看上去很简单，实际上水很深，不是一般人能够玩得开的。输不起的事情就不要勉强自己去做。

再者，小心被人忽悠。在美国，有很多打着专家名义的专业人士，非常在行忽悠年长的半老人，也深知他们内心深处的弱点。你不仅得小心，更得好好的长点金融理财方面的见识，当一个有智慧的投资者和理财专家。

 中国人投巨资打造中国城意欲何在？

Eight Things To Do If You Haven’t Planned for Retirement

June 19, 2012 by 247wallst

Once people reach their 50s they finally see retirement on the horizon. They start envisioning that time when they can stop going to work and instead spend their days on the golf course, on the beach or with their families. Yet many people have not saved nearly enough for retirement by the time they are 50 years old. A recent survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that 60% of workers born between 1946 and 1964 have less than $100,000 for retirement. In fact, 40% have saved less than $25,000.

24/7 Wall St. interviewed retirement-related experts from brokerage firms, banks, retirement advocacy groups, and independent financial advisers. With their help, 24/7 identified the eight actions you should take if you have not prepared to retire.

Financial advisers generally recommend people begin saving for retirement starting in their 20s to take full advantage of compounding interest. Although the financial advisers who spoke to 24/7 Wall St. say it is very hard to give concrete estimates on how much should be allocated toward equities and fixed-income, they say it is best to cut risk as one approaches their target retirement age.

Not saving up enough for retirement used to be less of a problem. Workers in previous generations often received pensions from their employers, allowing retirees to know exactly how much money they would get once retired. But employers have increasingly shifted that responsibility onto the employees through 401k and other defined contribution plans.

These days, notes Joe Ready, executive vice president for retirement at Wells Fargo, people get married and have children later in life than previous generations. This means that it is increasingly hard to save for retirement during the 40s and 50s because they still face heavy financial obligations — they are still paying off their mortgage, sending their children to college and so on.

The fact that many current retirees are living off pensions has conditioned younger generations to think their retirement might be the same, says Lule Demmissie, managing director of retirement for TD Ameritrade . “Face it,” Demmissie says, “your retirement isn’t your parents’ retirement.”

Demmissie notes that people in retirement today are working until a later age and finding cheaper housing as they no longer can count on that pension that was once provided to employees. She also points out that while many people have never saved enough for retirement, the problem has become worse once the financial crisis took hold.

By the time you reach age 50, you should have roughly four times your annual income built up in retirement, according to Jean Setzfand, vice president for financial security for AARP. The best way to reach that goal is to start socking away money starting in your 20s. Still, if you are well behind on your goals by the time you reach your 50s, all hope is not lost.

These are the eight things to do if you have not planned for retirement.

1. Reassess life priorities.

Part of reassessing priorities is ensuring you have a plan in place. People should have a retirement plan when they are significantly younger than 50, yet EBRI finds that only 42% of workers of all ages have a retirement plan.

If, at the age of 50, people find themselves inadequately prepared for their dream retirement, they should start by looking at the future, advises Setzfand. “The first thing people should do is consider, ‘What do I want to do with the rest of my life?’” The answer to that question will help decide what actions need to be taken, Setzfand explains. Before moving forward, it is important to ask such questions as “Do I really need that second house in Florida?” or “Can I [afford to] start a trust fund for my grandkids?”

People need to consider how much they are willing and able to fund their children’s college education. Setzfand notes that many parents in their 50s will foot most or all of their children’s college bill to make sure their children don’t end up with debt early in life. However, she cautions people to be careful to make sure they have enough money to build and sustain their own retirement nest egg. After all, you can’t borrow to fund your golden years.

2. Take advantage of increased contribution limits.

If you are late saving for retirement, you may need an extra boost to get closer to your goals. Once people reach age 50, the amount of money they can contribute annually to their 401k and their IRA increases from $17,000 to $22,500 and from $5,000 to $6,000, respectively. Employees should take advantage of these higher contribution limits if possible, since contributions to these plans are tax deductible.

Plus, many employers match contributions up to a certain amount, meaning that employees are forgoing free money if they do not contribute the maximum contribution amount. “If you have access to a 401k, jump into it with two feet,” Ready says.

3. Downsize.

Advisers also recommend downsizing. While the level of downsizing for some could mean simply cutting down on small expenses such as eating out and shopping, for others, more drastic measures may be necessary.

“Downsizing often isn’t something that can be done on the peripheral,” Demmissie says. For some, it may even mean downsizing the house, especially if there is a lot of equity on the property.

Those eyeing retirement can even plan to move in with their adult children. Demmissie notes there has been an increase in multiple generations living under one roof. While living with children is not necessarily part of most people’s dream retirement, it can help make sure retirees do not outlive their money by cutting out housing costs and even some home-care costs. Moving to places with lower tax rates and costs of living, Demmissie notes, may also help people live their more ideal retirement at a lower cost.

4. Keep working.

With people living longer than generations past, the traditional retirement age of 65 is generally increasing and will continue to do so. About 40% of current American employees plan to continue working until at least age 70, according to a 2011 study by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Working until a later age, whether full-time or part-time, gives people more time to build their nest egg while also reducing the likelihood that they will run out of money during their golden years. Plus, if someone truly enjoys his or her job, continuing to work in some capacity is not necessarily a bad thing. “I always believed retirement was fictional,” says John Sestina, founder of John E. Sestina and Company in Columbus, Ohio. “Why does someone have to quit working if they are productive, and what are they going to do to replace that in their life? You can only play so many rounds of golf.”

People still need to take into consideration that their employment status could change due to circumstances such as a layoff or deteriorating health, says George Middleton, an adviser with Limoges Investment Management in Portland, Ore. “A lot of my clients say they will just keep working,” he says. “I always tell them ‘but what if you can’t?’”

5. Factor in health care costs.

Another burden facing retirees in the relatively near future is rapidly growing health care costs. A 65-year old couple who retires in 2012 should plan for $240,000 for medical costs, according to a study by Fidelity, provided the couple does not receive employer-sponsored health coverage. This figure, on average, has risen 6% annually since 2002.

Diane Pearson, a financial adviser at Legend Financial Advisors in Pittsburgh, says higher health care costs in recent years have changed the way she has counseled clients on retirement. She used to try to get her clients’ nest eggs to accrue 2% more than inflation each year, but now that number is close to 6% due to rising health costs.

“People generally underestimate the amount of money they’ll need in retirement,” Pearson says, noting that health care predictions play a major role in that underestimation. “The rule of thumb has been spending 75% to 85% in retirement of what you were spending while you were working full-time. I think that’s absolutely false.” Pearson says the amount spent in retirement likely will be about the same spent in your working years.

6. Don’t play catch up.

If someone has failed to save enough for retirement by their 50s, it may be tempting to build a portfolio full of stocks to play catchup. The financial experts interviewed by 24/7 Wall St. generally advise against this move. While some stocks are still important in a portfolio to help manage inflation, a bad stretch in the stock market can completely devastate a person’s financial goals. “That’s financial suicide,” Sestina calls such a move. “They can’t afford the risk with so little time.”

Middleton says he counsels his clients to take on as little risk as possible in order to reach their retirement goals. Someone who has not saved anything for retirement by age 50 would need to take more, but not excessively more, risk than someone who saved since they were in their 20s. “I just warn [clients] that the plan might not work,” Middleton says.

7. Beware of financial scams.

When people have not saved enough for retirement, they feel overwhelmed and are willing to take drastic measures to try to reach their retirement goals, including falling for financial scams such as the “get rich quick” and “work from home” schemes. Those ages 60 and older lost at least $2.9 billion due to these scams in 2010, according to a recent joint study from Metlife Mature Market Institute, the National Committee for Prevention of Elder Abuse and Virginia Tech University.

Setzfand says that when people are approached about financial products, they need to do research to make sure the product really can help achieve their financial goals. She also recommends people do some research on the broker trying to sell the product to make sure no sanctions have been levied on the broker. “If something looks too good to be true, it’s too good to be true,” Setzfand says.

8. Do not skimp on insurance.

While socking a higher portion of your income in your 50s may help build up a dream retirement fund, it is important to keep up with insurance payments in order to prepare for the unexpected. Such plans as life insurance and long-term care insurance can ensure a person’s spouse or children aren’t financially devastated in case of unfortunate events.

Since life insurance is relatively affordable, Middleton says he has not noticed many people going without it. However, he is concerned many are forgoing long-term care insurance due to its high cost. Middleton says not having long-term care insurance can “completely destroy an estate” if a spouse happens to need that level of care in the future.

-Samuel Weigley

中国人投巨资打造中国城意欲何在？

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