The Retirement Plan Advisors share their June article on the importance of saving and planning for retirement while young. Read more.
For millennials, today is the right time
If You Are Under 30, You Have Likely Heard That Now Is The Ideal Time To Save & Invest
Your degree of happiness in your “second act” may depend on some factors you cannot quantify. Here are a few of those factors, as well as the questions they may arise.
THERE IS ONLY ONE PROBLEM: YOU DO NOT EARN ENOUGH MONEY TO INVEST. You are barely getting by as it is.
REGARDLESS, THE SAVING AND INVESTING EFFORT STILL CAN BE MADE. Even a minimal effort now could have a meaningful impact later.
CAN YOU INVEST $20 A WEEK? There are 52 weeks in a year. What would saving and investing $1,040 a year do for you at age 25? Suppose the invested assets earn 7% a year, an assumption that is not unreasonable. (The average yearly return of the S&P 500 through history is roughly 10%; during 2013-17, its average return was 13.4%.) At a 7% return and annual compounding, you end up with $14,876 after a decade in this scenario, according to Bankrate’s compound interest calculator. By year 10, your investment account is earning nearly as much annually ($939) as you are putting into it ($1,040).¹,²
You certainly cannot retire on $14,876, but the early start really matters. Extending the scenario out, say you keep investing $20 a week under the same conditions for 40 years, until age 65. As you started at age 25, you are projected to have $214,946 after 40 years – off just $41,600 in total contributions.²
This scenario needs adjustment considering a strong probability: the probability that your account contributions will grow over time. So, assume that you have $14,876 after 10 years, and then you start contributing $175 a week to the account earning 7% annually starting at age 35. By age 65, you are projected to have $1,003,159.²
Even if you stop your $20-per-week saving and investing effort entirely after 10 years at age 35, the $14,876 generated in that first decade keeps growing to $113,240 at age 65 thanks to 7% annual compounded interest.²
How Do You Find The Money To Do This?
It’s not so much a matter of finding it as assigning it. A budgeting app can help: you can look at your monthly cash flow and designate a small part of it for saving and investing.
SHOULD YOU START AN EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND FIRST, THEN INVEST? One school of thought says that is the way to go – but rather than think either/or, think both. Put $10 or $20 (or $50) toward each cause, if your budget allows. As ValuePenguin notes, many deposit accounts are yielding 0.01% interest.³
IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH TO START SAVING AND INVESTING FOR RETIREMENT. Get the ball rolling with any amount today. The power of compounding is there for you to harness. If you delay the effort for a decade or two, building adequate retirement savings could prove to be difficult.
Contact
If you have any questions or comments about preparing for your retirement or Retirement Plan Advisors, please contact Mark R. Mitchell, CRC, CFP, Regional Director:
Phone: 734.421.2212
Email: mmitchell@retirementplanadvisors.com
CITATIONS.
¹ – nerdwallet.com/blog/investing/average-stock-market-return/ [2/28/18]
²- bankrate.com/calculators/savings/compound-savings-calculator-tool.aspx [7/26/18]
³ – valuepenguin.com/average-savings-account-interest-rates [7/26/18]
This material was prepared by MarketingPro, Inc., and does not necessarily represent the views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. This information has been derived from sources believed to be accurate. Please note – investing involves risk, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. This information should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice and may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any Federal tax penalty. This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation to purchase or sell any investment or insurance product or service, and should not be relied upon as such. All indices are unmanaged and are not illustrative of any particular investment.
Related Read: Retirement Questions That Have Nothing to Do with Money
Leave a Reply