?? 4 REASONS to START retirement planning as early as possible!

When we think about retirement, it is often filled with images of a carefree life, travelling with our spouses, spending happy times with our family and friends, being in the pink of health and staying active. But the reality might be a little further than what we imagine.

We could be living a little cash-strapped, since we will not be earning an income. Our monthly spending will have to be adjusted since we didn't take into account the effects of inflation and our holiday plans may simply did not happen.

According to the DBS-Manulife Retirement Wellness Study, a survey conducted to uncover retirement attitudes and expectations in Asia, it was found that Singapore pre-retirees felt less prepared for retirement financially relative to health and social aspects. Similar sentiments are shared by millennials as well, where nearly one-third that responded to the Manulife Investor Sentiment Index (MISI) survey expect to retire broke.

There are many reasons to push back the need to save for retirement - having more immediate needs, saving for other things(house, wedding, child's education), using the money to invest, wanting to travel more when you are young. This happens to everyone, but there are compelling reasons for us to start planning for retirement now!

?? 1. We are living longer

When it comes to life expectancy, Japan naturally comes to mind. Images of a contented-looking elderly living a peaceful, quiet life in the countryside, being active and eating a healthy diet give us reasons to believe these are reasons for their longevity. But who would have thought Singaporeans are ranked just 2 places behind Japan in global life expectancy?

According to the World Health Organisation, Singapore is ranked third in the world for average life expectancy, just behind Japan and Switzerland. The average life expectancy in Singapore was 83.1 years. In Singapore, women could expect to live for 86.1 years (second in the world), while the average male expectancy was 80.1 years.

That said, it also means that we need more retirement income to last us through our golden years. With our official retirement age set at 62 years, it means that we need our retirement income to last us for about 21 years.

You can make an estimate of how much you need by using 70% of your current annual income and multiplying it by 21 years.

Did the amount shock you? Maybe it is time to start thinking seriously about your future.

?? 2. We can't rely entirely on our CPF Savings

If you thought, "Hey I've got my CPF to cover me for my retirement income", you may want to think again. There is no doubt that the system of compulsory savings is great as a tool to help Singaporeans save for our retirement. However, if you are planning to only set aside the basic retirement sum of $88,000, you can only expect a monthly income payout of $730 to $790 for life from age 65.

Will that be enough for your monthly expenditure? Is that sufficient to support a retirement lifestyle of your dreams?

The good news is that when you start planning early, you've got lots of time to ensure you have a supplementary income that can be used to enhance what you will be getting from your CPF. This can come in the form of investments or an insurance savings plan. The key is to start early so that you can reap the benefits when you are ready to retire.

?? 3. Inflation: our money will be worth less in the future

Many of us who are saving money would most likely keep it in a savings account in a bank. While we know that the interest payments are very minimal, it seems like a 'safe' option - after all, it is not exposed to the dangers of theft or fire. But we may not be aware of the detrimental effects of inflation that can decrease the value of our money sitting in a savings account.

With average inflation in Singapore at just above 2% from 2008 until now, you may not feel the pinch of inflation slowly eating into your savings. But with the average interest of a bank's savings account at just 0.1% to 0.8%, you are indeed losing purchasing power over time. The ultimate impact of this is that the $50,000 you have today in the bank will probably be only worth around $34,000 in twenty years. That's a huge loss of your purchasing power, isn't it?

Not only do you need to start saving, you need to do it smartly and identify ways to preserve the value of your money s well.

One way to do this is to make use of investment or insurance saving plans that may potentially give you higher-than-inflation returns without taking on too much risk.

?? 4. We need to taking care of our dependents as well

As we move towards our retirement years, we would need to think about our dependents and their quality of life after us. While we may imagine our retirement years to be happy, in good health and surrounded by our family, sometimes, life can take a turn for the worse when we least expect.

This could be a sickness that requires a huge amount of money for treatment or expensive long-term care that we didn't plan for, which could place a financial burden on our loved ones. It is thus important to ensure we've got our healthcare expenses covered with the appropriate insurance.

For those who have dependents, you may want to think about leaving them with a sum of money that can help them maintain their quality of life after you have passed on. This can be in the form of a life insurance that you've paid for.

?? Take action now - 3 simple steps!

With these compelling reasons for you to start planning for your retirement plan early, here are three simple steps for you to take action now.

1. Set up a retirement goal ??

In order to start planning for your retirement, you need to start with knowing how much you'd need for your retirement. As a general guide, you can use 70% of your annual income and multiply it for 21 years.

For instance, if you are drawing an annual income of $60,000, you can multiply $42,000 by 21 years, giving you the total retirement income of $884,000. You need to also take into consideration the impact of inflation, which would likely come up to a cumulative 20% increase over 2 decades, bringing the total amount to slightly over $1 million.

2. Set up a monthly budget ??

You might be surprised by the amount of money you need; it is common for many of us to underestimate how much we need in our golden years. But if you start early, you've got time on your side. Remember you've still got your CPF savings to help you as well.

Now that you know how much you'd need, you can start setting aside a fixed amount of money per month towards retirement savings. Remember that putting your money in the bank is not the best choice, so be open to using alternative methods to help you save instead.

3. Work with a qualified financial representative ??

If you are not sure about the retirement savings options you have, it is best to discuss with a knowledgeable financial specialist. They will be able to recommend products that are appropriate to your financial goals and aspirations, as well as suited to your risk appetite.

As long as you start early, saving for your retirement will be a less daunting task as compared to panicking in your later years.

I hope this article helps you!

?????? ????????! ?????????? ?????? ???? ???????????? ??????????: #PeterSinGuili

??You can contact me at +65 96888439 for a confidential session for holistic review of your financial planning needs.

?? ABOUT the author:

Peter is an experienced financial professional and insurance practitioner with one of Singapore's leading financial advisory firm and currently leads a team of financial planners. His core expertise encompass portfolio advisory to individuals, business professionals and corporations in the following specialties: personal asset protection, life insurance, corporate insurance, investment management, estate planning, wills and trusts. 

He is also an appointed Trainer for Institute of Banking & Finance (IBF) accredited courses for financial professionals & frequently speaks at public financial planning seminars in partnership with financial education institutions, healthcare providers, business & grassroots organisations.

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