In case of couples, by making retirement decisions with a joint outcome in mind, money can last longer and both spouses can look forward to a more secure retirement.

The strategies discussed below can make your joint effort more effective.

Tips for retirement planning for couples

  • Save for retirement together: Planning your savings together helps you reach your financial goals faster. One of you can invest in conservative pension funds and another can tap into the capital market's high-return capacity. Saving together, you can diversify your investments across different avenues, improving your profits.

    Also, by saving together, you can gather larger funds than either could do alone.

  • Consider your shared income needs: Your retirement plan needs to fund both of your living costs and requirements. Consider the lifestyle adjustments either of you is ready to make. Knowing your lifestyle expectations and needs will help you build realistic budgets.

    Estimate how much amount of money can cover your joint spending. Factor in inflation and healthcare expenses. Then aim to ensure a regular income. It will help you continue your preferred lifestyle after your working years.

  • Preferably don’t retire together: Unless there are health complications, spacing out your retirement can bring financial benefits. One partner's continued earnings lets you add more funds into your retirement kitty.

    Moreover, retirement can bring lots of cutbacks to your life. The changes can become difficult to handle and take time to adjust to.

Retirement planning mistakes to avoid for couples

  • Not thinking as a team when it comes to money: Having separate assets has its financial advantages. But in retirement planning, you should view your resources as household funds. Coordinating and having synergy as far as your investments are concerned can give better outcomes. Planning together can help you select the right investment options and maximise returns.

  • Selecting a single life pension plan: Opting for a pension plan to secure a regular income during your retirement is one of the wisest decisions you can take for your retirement planning. But sometimes people aren’t aware of the joint life option in a pension plan. The joint life option in a pension plan proves to be really beneficial for retired couples if you meet with an unfortunate event then the pension still continues for your spouse. This ensures that your spouse receives a regular income even after your absence.

  • Not considering age and health differences: When there is an age gap between you and your partner, one of you might retire before the other partner. This might leave fewer years before you start pulling money out of your retirement funds. Hence, you might need to build sufficient funds within a shorter time frame. It will require a different savings approach.

    Moreover, one of you may have more years in retirement. Hence, you must amass adequate funds to cover the living costs for both partners' lifetime.

    If one of you is younger, buying a deferred annuity for the younger partner can be fruitful. Deferred annuities start payouts a few years after buying. With these plans the more you defer the higher returns you can attain. The time gap allows the funds to build up.

    Likewise, your health conditions can affect your savings. Based on your medical history, find health plans that will suit your healthcare needs. Then you can budget your retirement expenses according to the costs of such plans.

COMP/DOC/Oct/2020/1910/4635

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