April is Financial Literacy Month and a reminder to examine your personal finance habits. A key element of financial literacy is how well-prepared you are for retirement.
Unfortunately, few Americans are looking forward their post-working years. Our 2017 survey found nearly 90 percent of us are not very confident in our overall retirement savings. Beyond that, 56 percent admit they are unsure if their retirement savings will last their lifetime, and one in five have nothing saved for retirement at all.
Some experts believe this is a result of the changing retirement landscape, which is shifting from employer-provided pensions and 401(k)s to a more do-it-yourself, individual approach. Case in point: Currently, only 13 percent of people say they could rely on pension alone to support their desired retirement lifestyle.
“The uncertainty of knowing if your retirement funds are enough to cover your entire life can be crippling,” said Jim Poolman, Executive Director of the Indexed Annuity Leadership Council (IALC). “However, there are steps to create peace of mind, including establishing balance in your portfolio and paying yourself first by looking into retirement products, like fixed indexed annuities that offer a stream of guaranteed lifetime income.”
Educating yourself is one of the best things you can do to prepare for retirement so that your said, “golden years” really are “golden,” or at the very least, stress-free. Start with these resources:
Test your retirement IQ:
Make sure you aren’t under the guise of common misconceptions about retirement by visiting our Retirement IQ resource. Here’s a tip: If you think $1 million will be enough to allow you to live comfortably throughout retirement, you may need to brush up on your financial literacy.
Analyze your readiness with a retirement calculator:
With the help of retirement calculators, you can answer questions like “Am I saving enough for retirement?,” “What will my social security payment be?” and “What is my risk tolerance?” Combined, answers to these questions can help formulate a plan that works best for you.
Study up on the financial terms:
Don’t let words like “annuity” or “lump-sum” confuse your retirement planning. Visit this page to untangle the industry jargon.
Explore diversified options:
Diversifying your portfolio means balancing risk and growth. One option you might consider when forming your plan is fixed indexed annuities (FIAs). Designed for the long term, FIAs offer a guaranteed minimum rate of return and tax-deferred growth over time. And because they are insurance products, indexed annuities can offer a guaranteed income for life.
Recognize your journey will evolve:
As the retirement landscape continues to change, so will the need for your financial literacy. The good news is that it has never been easier to stay up to date on the latest trends and advice. Our educational videos on retirement planning and FIAs are great place to start.
The prospect of retirement can be unsettling if you haven’t taken steps to prepare; however, it needn’t be that way. Take financial literacy month as a chance to invest in your retirement education, which will pay off over the years—figuratively and literally.
The post Financial Literacy Month: Five Resources to Jumpstart Your Retirement Planning appeared first on IALC.
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Indexed Annuity Leadership Council
Established in 2011, the Indexed Annuity Leadership Council (IALC) is a consortium of life insurance companies that offer fixed indexed annuities (FIAs). The IALC’s mission is to help educate the public, including retirement savers, the media, regulators, and financial professionals about the benefits of FIAs. These products offer principal protection from market loss, a predictable, guaranteed retirement income, and can contribute balance to retirement savers’ long-term financial plans.
