Planning Ahead: Can You Afford the Goals of Your Retirement Years?

Many of us work hard to manage expenses and earn wages to be able afford a home, college educations, cars, repairs to furnaces, medical expenses and the many financial demands that occur in our lives before traditional retirement ages. Hopefully along the way, we’re able to tuck a little money away each month, not only for emergencies, but also for those retirement years and goals.

The Great Recession has many Americans thinking differently about those retirement years, as it may have affected our initial plans. According to the 23^rd Annual Employee Benefit Research Institute’s Retirement Confidence Survey*, 21 percent of those surveyed are “not too confident” about being able to afford a comfortable retirement. Another 28 percent are “not at all confident” which is the highest level of that response in the 23 years of this survey.

What’s one of the best ways to develop more confidence in your ability to afford your retirement plans? At GCSB Investment Center, we believe a good first step is to be able to confidently say that you have a plan. And not just a plan, but one that you are revisiting every year or two in order to adjust for market shifts, risk tolerance and employment conditions.

Retirement planning isn’t just for those who have “a lot of money.” We work with clients at every income level to help determine the best way to plan for the future. One step that we recommend for all clients is to answer questions to determine their risk assessment and help us understand goals and objectives. This assessment helps answer questions like:

• What is the period of time you have to invest for retirement?
• What is your tolerance for risk in your investments?
• What types of investments would be in your ideal portfolio?
• How much of a drop in value due to fluctuation in the market are you prepared to accept before you become uncomfortable?
• What are your current income needs?
• What is your level of experience with investments?
• What is the stability of your income in the next five years?

The answers to these questions and others help us develop a recommendation that is comfortable for you and works to achieve your investment objectives. It’s never too late, or too early, to start the process of retirement planning. For more information, contact GCSB Investment Center to find out more. 

Securities offered through IBA Securities, a division of Broker Dealer Financial Services Corp. Member FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services through Investment Advisors Corp., an SEC registered investment adviser. Securities and Insurance offered are not FDIC insured, are not bank guaranteed, are not deposits of the bank, or guaranteed by any U.S. Government agency and principal may lose value.