Editor’s Note: Steve is on his way to his own wealthy retirement! This will be his last week with Wealthy Retirement and The Oxford Club.
We wish him well in his future endeavors.
But don’t worry, we’re prepared… We recently welcomed heavy-hitter Aaron Task to the Wealthy Retirement team.
Aaron comes to us by way of TheStreet, Yahoo Finance (where he was editor-in-chief) and Fortune.
A prolific writer and podcast host as well, he is excited to offer our readers his fresh perspective on the wide variety of changes affecting retirement and the world of money today.
In addition, Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld will be taking over Steve’s bond portfolios (the Blue Chip Bond Portfolio and Oxford Bond Advantage). Marc has decades of experience with bond investing and is eager to share everything he knows.
You’re in great hands.
– Rachel Gearhart, Associate Franchise Publisher
I’m sad to say this will be my last Two-Minute Retirement Solution for Wealthy Retirement. I will be leaving The Oxford Club effective this Friday, November 8.
It’s been a great run with lots of great memories, but it’s time for me to move on. I have decided to follow my nose to other opportunities.
It’s not easy to leave a 17-year relationship and the many friendships I’ve formed over the years, but all good things must end.
Thank you for all the support you have shown me, and I hope to see all of you down the road.
Here’s my last piece.
If writing about retirement for last 10 years has taught me anything, it is that we, unlike our parents’ generation, are pretty much on our own.
My father retired with a pension, Social Security and a small nest egg. The three combined to make a very nice last few years. Not an opulent retirement, and he didn’t travel – he hated leaving his home – but a nice finish with no money worries.
Today, if you’re not a member of a union, only 13% of retirees in the private sector have pensions. And you know how bad the cash situation is for those relying solely on Social Security.
But it isn’t as if we hadn’t been warned about the retirement funding problem many of us face today. It has been all over the news for years.
The problem as I see it isn’t that we wouldn’t save – many of us couldn’t. There has been almost no wage growth for decades, and paying a mortgage and raising kids have always been huge expenses.
Our expenses increased over the years, but our incomes have not kept pace.
Add to this mess the crushing effect the financial illiteracy crisis has had on our wallets, and no one should be surprised by the outcome.
The fixes as I see them are these:
- Increase the taxable income levels for Social Security. No, I don’t have exact numbers, but there are plans all over the Street that offer those.
The simple fact is, we need more money in the system – not just to pay the increasing number of recipients but to make sure it’s there for our kids.
- We need a required savings plan for all workers. Leaving it up to the individual to fund his or her golden years just isn’t working. And the failure of the 401(k) system will continue to be a huge drag on our society.
- And we need a major dose of reality about dealing with our own death and the costs associated with the last few years we’re alive. The numbers are staggering. This is bankrupting us, and it shows no signs of improving.
The last 10 years of reading about and researching retirement and its costs have convinced me that all the fixes necessary to right this rapidly sinking ship are at our fingertips.
It’s quite doable, but no one – our national leaders in particular – seems to be doing anything about it.
If something isn’t done, this will reach critical mass, and it will be catastrophic.
That’s it from the retirement belt. Save what you can while you can and watch those expenses.
See you down the road.
Good investing,
Steve