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Sequence of return risk is now considered one of the greatest risks to a successful retirement, especially those in the early stages of retirement.

Sequence of return is when money is withdrawn as asset values are falling in value. Think of 2000 and 2008 and how virtually all investors sold at losses in those markets. The market will sell off again – that’s what markets do – and this risk will take its toll again. It is devastating to a retirement portfolio that depends on long-term average returns.

I like to give Two-Minute Retirement Solution viewers a wake-up call every once in a while. Here’s the latest… The vast majority of Baby Boomers will live at or below the poverty level in retirement.

This is not a guesstimate, the numbers say it all. It is unavoidable for most.

According to Barron’s, we now have 4.4 people working for every one receiving Social Security benefits. By 2040, that number will drop to less than 2.3 paying into the system. In 1975, when I graduated from college, it was a seven-to-one ratio.

This is Part Four of “How to Not Wake Up Broke in Your 80s.”

You’re probably sick of hearing this, but buy long-term trends in essential industries, at bargain prices, if possible.

One of the most obvious long-term plays… energy! The world isn’t going anywhere without it.

The same factors driving investors back into stocks – stronger balance sheets and earnings – also make high-yield bonds more attractive for the retired or about-to-retire investor.

Since 2008, companies have reduced the size of their workforces, lowered or restructured debt, reduced inventories and strengthened their balance sheets – all of which support equities. But bonds issued by the same companies benefit from the same improvements and can deliver above-average returns with more security and much less volatility than stocks.

Stick with known, long-term trends in essential industries. If you are being realistic and understand how long most of us will live, you have to look at long-term growth trends, not just income.

According to a recent Ameriprise Financial report, 47% of people between the ages of 50 and 70 plan to use the proceeds from the sale of their homes to help finance their retirement. That percentage is up significantly since the 2000s.

Of the 500 stocks in the S&P 500 index, 400 pay dividends. So, it’s no wonder the average guy gets lost and buys the wrong stocks for all the wrong reasons when he tries to buy into this segment of the market.

Here’s a time-proven, simple way to get where we all need to be.

Most Baby Boomers will spend their retirements below the poverty level. You read that right……

The average life expectancy in the U.S. is now 74. And remember, that includes all…

The two behemoths of the mobile and smartphone world, AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ), are getting bigger and faster – scooping up customers at an amazing rate and leaving smaller providers in the dust. And that’s great news for retired or about-to-retire investors who are looking for reliable companies with great dividends and, most importantly, growing dividends.