3 steps to financial security in retirement

How do you make sure you won't run out of money in retirement? Michael Winchester, Head of Investment Strategy at StatePlus, gives 3 tips for achieving financial freedom.

WHAT IS FINANCIAL FREEDOM AND HOW DO I GET THERE?
Quite often the first question that comes to mind when we think about retirement is, how much money will we need? But it’s not just about the money.

Financial security in retirement is feeling confident you’ll have enough money to retire. It’s achieved by accumulating enough assets, and ensuring you have enough income, to meet your financial needs for the rest of your life.

Some people have more than enough money to be financially independent, but they stay in jobs they don’t enjoy. Others may not have as much wealth, but pursuing their passion is more important.

Wherever you fit on this spectrum, we all need to think about generating enough income from investments to achieve financial security in retirement. So how can we get there?

1. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO IN RETIREMENT?
The first question to ask is, what do you want to do when you’re retired?

Our experience is that people in retirement want to spend time with those who are most important to them, like their families and communities. And they want to engage in the things that are most interesting to them, like travel or volunteering.

Deciding how much money you need in retirement is really a factor of how long you’re going to live. But there are also other factors, such as the lifestyle that you want to lead.

How much money do you want to draw down, and when do you want to draw down?

Are there specific things you’d like to achieve, such as an overseas holiday or renovating the house?

So what do you really want TO DO in retirement? That will then drive the decisions in relation to the money.

2. UNDERSTAND YOUR MONEY MATTERS
Educating yourself is an important first step towards feeling confident and secure about your money. While you don’t have to be an expert, it’s good to have a working knowledge of your money, assets, debt, income and expenses.

You should balance this with an understanding of the impact of inflation, superannuation, tax rules and risk.

You’ll need to get a sense for what kind of returns are realistic – it might not make sense to just extrapolate the recent past.
It’s also important to consider how you’d react to a period of negative returns.

Nobody likes to see their account balance pushed around by the markets, but you’ll probably need to get some growth from your portfolio. And the only way to achieve that, is by retaining some exposure to investment risk.

Knowing how much risk you need to take, and having a strategy to cope with volatility, reduces the chance that you’re forced to sell assets at depressed prices.

3. DEVELOP A RELATIONSHIP WITH A FINANCIAL PLANNER
Superannuation, tax and Centrelink rules change from time to time.
Financial planners have an in-depth understanding of changing legislation and rules and can help you adjust your financial plan as your needs evolve.

Having a financial plan is about making sure your money lasts the distance. Staying disciplined creates peace of mind. And partnering with a trusted professional will help you keep on track through retirement.