We’ve been saving for retirement for decades. Therefore, it may be both thrilling and demanding when the moment comes. Retiring is a big decision that requires you to consider important financial factors.
When you reach age 65, you may officially call it quits. However, there is no optimal retirement age. How and when each person retires is a matter of personal choice and should be planned accordingly. Many aspects of your retirement finances may be affected by when exactly you decide to retire. Benefits from your previous employment, Social Security payments, and taxes are all examples of this.
The impact of age on the size of your retirement fund
There is no magic number for when you should retire, but the earlier you begin saving and investing, the better off you will be. If you begin saving for retirement from a young age, your assets will have more time to grow and generate income from market gains, reducing the total amount you will need to save.
Thanks to the many incentives available, you may still benefit from investing in your retirement, even if you wait until later in life. If you’re above 50, you can take advantage of tax-deferred retirement plans that increase your contribution limits once you reach a certain age. Examples include the 401(k), 403(b), and most 457 plans, which have a $22,500 annual maximum employee contribution limit is 2024 and a catch-up contribution of an additional $7,500 for people 50 or older. If you participate in IRA, you can make an additional $1,000 as a catch-up contribution.
Social Security
There is also worry that you may get less if you wait to collect Social Security. By 2034, the payroll taxes that fund most of Social Security are only projected to provide 78% of payments, according to a Trustees Report from the Social Security Administration published in 2020.
Currently, the Social Security Administration is encouraging potential retirees to wait longer. Under the current policy, you can begin receiving social security payments at age 62; waiting until age 70 can increase your payout significantly; if you can wait until you’re 70 to start collecting Social Security, your monthly payment will be 32% more than it would be if you started collecting at your full retirement age. Remember that this also varies from person to person based on their health and lifespan.
To help you figure out when to retire, here are some factors to consider.
Do you have a pension?
It might be prudent to retire the day after your first day of work anniversary if you are employed by the government or a company with a defined benefit pension plan. As a result, you’ll have one more year of service counted toward your pension’s eligibility requirements.
Do you have any savings put away?
According to some financial consultants, an amount equivalent to your expected annual costs in retirement is the minimum amount of money that should be kept in a liquid cash account. If the market is down when you retire, you won’t need to withdraw money from your retirement savings.
However, suppose you have no savings and expect to immediately begin drawing from your retirement account. In that case, you may consider retiring either extremely early or late in the year. As a result, you may be able to avoid tapping into your retirement fund in a year when you expect to have taxable income at a higher tax rate.
Still, thinking about retiring early?
Numerous people are choosing to retire before the traditional age of 65. Withdrawals from a regular IRA or 401(k) before age 59.5. Withdrawing before that time will be subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty.
If you turn 59 and a half during the year you want to retire, you can avoid the 10% early withdrawal penalty by delaying retirement and disbursements from these funds until after your birthday.
Are RMDs (required minimum distributions) something you need to worry about?
Effective January 2024, the mandatory withdrawal age from a retirement account from 73.
After you’ve retired, do you plan to work part-time?
The choice to work as a freelancer or contractor has become increasingly popular to supplement retirement funds for many people today. Your Social Security benefit amount may be decreased based on your wages if you collect before reaching full retirement age (FRA), which varies by birth year (usually between 66 and 67 years old).
You should generally wait until after your birthday to retire and collect Social Security retirement benefits if you intend to earn more than the income allowed by social security.
Has vacation time been accumulated?
If you are currently employed and about to retire, you should determine the time frame for receiving any vacation compensation from your company. Earned money like this is subject to the earnings rule. You may wish to put off retiring and applying for Social Security until after you’ve received the money.
Is your 70th birthday coming up?
Currently, the monthly amount of your Social Security payment is increased if you delay taking payments. However, this only applies up to age 70; beyond that. You will not get more money if you wait until after age 70.
Accordingly, you should consider retiring and applying for Social Security the minute you reach age 70, as there is no longer any incentive to delay retirement to collect Social Security.
For more retirement news: