Personal Financeretirement, retirement savings
Apr 22, 2024 11:30 AM EDT
A lot of retirees worry about making enough money to pay their basic living needs, much alone live pleasantly. And it's understandable why.
According to recent data from Northwestern Mutual, the average baby boomer has only saved $120,300 for retirement. That's not a bad amount of money over a twenty-year or longer period of time. While Social Security provides a safety net for many retirees, discussions about potential benefit reductions have alarmed a lot of individuals.
Having a few supplementary sources of income is crucial for this reason. To get extra money, you may choose to work part-time as a retiree, but it will obviously need efforts on your side. On the other hand, these assets may provide you with a steady stream of income throughout retirement, eliminating the need for you to work during your golden years.
Companies share a portion of their wealth with their investors when they issue dividends. Paying dividends is not a requirement for businesses. Furthermore, those who do are often older, more reputable organizations as opposed to startups or smaller ones.
However, dividends have the benefit of being more money. Additionally, many businesses that pay them have a tendency to raise them over time.
Naturally, purchasing shares of a certain firm just for its dividends is a bad idea. Instead, it's critical to thoroughly examine every stock you're considering to ensure that it's a wise investment. However, you might benefit from additional income at a time when you might really need it if there's a firm you've been eyeing that seems like a good fit for your portfolio and pays dividends.
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One excellent strategy to create retirement income is to own a rental property. And although some would refer to it as passive income, owning a rental property might require a lot of time.
Conversely, REITs allow you to invest in real estate without having to take on the responsibilities of a landlord. Real estate investment trusts, or REITs, are equities that may be bought and traded. The wonderful thing about REITs in particular, though, is that shareholders must get at least 90% of their taxable income. Thus, holding REITs in your portfolio might result in some good extra cash for you when you retire.
Municipal bonds are issued by states, towns, and other local governments, frequently to support organizations like school districts or to finance public projects. Municipal bond issuers are legally bound to pay bondholders interest, in contrast to dividends, which firms are not forced to pay. You get to enjoy a pleasant, steady stream of money.
You won't have to worry about paying more in taxes since the interest that municipal bonds pay is always tax-exempt at the federal level. Additionally, you can avoid paying local and state taxes on interest income if you purchase municipal bonds issued by the state in which you now reside.
The fact that a lot of seniors experience financial difficulty is regrettable. Put these passive income streams in place to allay that worry and give you greater financial flexibility.
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