Category: Retirement

Applying for an appropriate loan during retirement – Know the ins and outs

retirement loansRetirees can own cars and houses but does that mean that they can never use a loan? From offering tax benefits to paying for urgent expenses, loans can often be of immense benefit for the elder Americans for more than one reason. It is pretty common for the retirees to realize that they usually require getting their hands on lots of money. Seniors can have costly expenses like medical emergencies, they can suddenly realize that a part of their home requires a big renovation or even decide to help their grandchildren with bearing some kind of expenses.

Irrespective of the reason that a retiree can have in obtaining a loan, the application process is similar to working adults and retirees. However, the older applicants can require going through few other steps like showing an added income stream to display their ability to repay the loan on time. While there are several types of installment loans and online loans to take resort to, you should know the ins and outs of borrowing funds.

The process of choosing the appropriate loan

The senior Americans can be eligible for several loan types, personal loans backed by collateral, home loan, auto loan to name a few. Among these options, refinancing a home loan can be appealing due to the fact that you can deduct the interest from your tax returns. While there are several forms of income in retirement like IRAs, traditional 401(k)s which are not taxable, but they should never borrow from these as they can have an adverse impact on retirement income.

There are seniors also who may watch out for personal loans or payday loans from online sources like PaydayMe. These loans can also be enough for them to meet their immediate personal financial needs. The best way to make sure you are on the right track is by speaking to a loan expert who totally understands your financial situation. Watch out for all the options that are there in the market.

Have realistic thoughts about your repayment ability

Just because a senior can qualify for any loan type, this doesn’t mean that he should take out any loan that he wants. Those retirees who are living on a tight budget should understand their needs and wants before considering a loan. Due to the fact that seniors have restrained money to stretch over, the present life spans are making it tough for people to reach 80s, 90s and even more than that. Spending your entire retirement life on repaying debt could make it tougher for you to sustain the savings for a certain time period.

No matter whichever option you choose for borrowing money, you have to be sure that you’re able to pay back the money on time. If you’re not able to do that, you will start incurring high interest debt which will push you towards a vicious cycle of debt. Debt can spoil your golden years and hence it is best when you take steps to keep debts at bay.

How to Secure Your Life after Retirement

money for retirementRetirement is often considered to be the icing on the cake when it comes to enjoying different phases of life. While planning your life after retirement, you must set aside all of your current responsibilities and worries. Retirement leaves you with rare opportunities for participating in recreational activities, traveling, and nurturing certain hobbies. However, you mustn’t forget that you won’t have any regular source of income for the rest of your life. You must remember that you need funds to sustain all health issues and financial challenges after retirement. By making a few crucial investment decisions, you’ll be able to spend the rest of your life in leisure and comfort. Financial planning should be initiated now when you’re working and in good health.

It’s a truly daunting task for you to compare various pension plans and achieve an uninterrupted flow of income after you get retired. It’s certainly going to be a taxing issue for you to narrow down your choice of a pension pay-out although even after you select a beneficial pension plan. Apart from seeking professional assistance, you must also do extensive research on the factors that count for retirement planning.

Tips to acquire funds for your post-retirement years are mentioned below:

Calculate your basic living cost

You must choose a pension plan that yields a good return for covering all of your basic monthly expenses. You must assess your regular expenses just to determine your mandatory expenses in the future. In order to arrive at an accurate figure, you must include your sundry expenses, transportation cost, expenses pertaining to clothing and food, utility bills (including gas and water), and housing costs in your list of expenses.

Consider the effects of inflation

Inflation is bound to take a toll on all goods and services making the living cost dearer with each passing year. Indians are witnessing an inflation rate worth 4% of late and this is likely to rise during the coming years. This way, you’re bound to experience a rise in pension pay-out based on the rate of inflation. On the contrary, the amount that you receive won’t prove to be adequate for meeting your basic expenses. This way, you may even be compelled to seek financial assistance while you aren’t working anymore.

Avail some health coverage

You must learn to cope with the increase in health care costs. Opting for a health insurance plan can actually save you from the adverse impact of unforeseen medical expenses on the monthly budget. You must plan things up in advance and work things out in an efficient manner. Try applying for a health plan that can protect you and your loved ones from all untoward incidents.

Include the cost of recreation

Retirees are often known to enjoy their pastime by pursuing their hobbies, visiting their favorite destinations, reading their favorite books, and doing a host of other things. You’ll need to pay a cost for the perks that you enjoy; you must pay things out of your pension. You must save a portion of your pension to cover your costs more effectively.

You must consider the tips mentioned above if you really wish to enjoy your golden age with ease and comfort. It will help you achieve a firmer grip over your entire financial situation. All you need to do is to pick the right pension plan and utilize the money in an efficient manner just to secure your old age.

Knowing Your Retirement Options: Ways to Get a Little Extra Cash

retirement cashGenerally speaking, the kind of people who focus on retirement tend to be those who are fast approaching retirement age. But this doesn’t have to be the case! In fact, more people really should start thinking about their retirement sooner rather than later. You’re not going to be able to work forever, and when the day comes that you deserve to kick back and relax, breaking ties with the nine to five working world, you’re going to want to be able to live as comfortable a lifestyle as possible. This can only be made possible by having sufficient finances. Now, a retirement plan will be able to put all of this in place for you. But it’s always good to have a few ideas stored away and a few tricks up your sleeve just in case you find yourself in need of a little extra cash when retirement does come around. Here are just a few to keep tucked away in your mind.

Reverse Mortgages

By the time you’re looking at retirement, you may think that mortgages are a thing of the past. Hopefully, you will have already paid yours off. However, it’s always good to be aware that if you are looking for extra cash to make your retirement more comfortable, you can always take some equity back out of your property without having to sell up. This is where a reverse mortgage can come into play. In order to know exactly how much you can gain from a reverse mortgage, you will have to have a fair amount of personal information. This may include your property’s value, it’s age, and any repairs that it may need to be carried out. Your own age at the time of taking out the reverse mortgage would also be taken into account. However, for a more general idea of the money you could hope for, you can always use reverse mortgage calculator aarp.

Savings Accounts

We’ve all been taught since we were little that we should save a little cash for a rainy day. Well, believe it or not, there are likely to be more and more rainy days the longer you’ve been out of work. Many people find themselves becoming increasingly bored and wanting to treat themselves to something a little special to put a smile back on their faces. Savings accounts can provide these little extra boosts for occasional pick me ups. So open an account as soon as possible. Deposit money in it regularly. This can be a relatively small amount. Something that you won’t notice missing. The cash that you’d usually fritter away on bits and bobs that you really don’t need. However, these small amounts really will mount up over time, and way down the line, when you finally dip into the cash, you’ll really thank yourself for it.

These are just a couple of ways that you can make yourself a little comfier and more content in retirement when the time does roll around. While retirement may not be top of your priorities right now, it could take up a large part of your life, so keep it in the back of your mind at all times.

Financial Steps To Take Now – For Early Retirement

retirement before ageThe age of retirement for most people has risen considerably over the last few years. In reality this means that you have less chance of enjoying your retirement whilst still fit and healthy. Although people are living longer, chronic ailments, although manageable can hamper your activity levels.

What if there is a way to ensure that you could retire early enough to still have an active lifestyle? Many people have asked themselves this same question and surprisingly there are solutions out there that could make early retirement tangible, rather than remaining a distant dream.

To retire early, with enough money behind you, you need an average of 40 years of savings. This sounds impossible, but with careful financial management started early enough in life, it is doable.

In this article we will visit financial solutions that will enable you to plan for an early retirement.

Plan

Early retirement means different ages of retirement to different individuals. It is good to pinpoint an actual age, so that you can accurately predict how much you need to have saved by this point. Do you intend to totally retire at this point or are you planning on working on a part time basis? Every bit of income helps, some people choose to make money from their hobbies such as arts and crafts. Effectively if you don’t plan on working for financial gain at all in retirement you will need to save a lot more.

Work out how much you need to save each year and how much it is possible to live on once retired.

Invest

Once you have worked out how much money you need to retire early you can start to plan how you can invest your money in order to reach your goal. Investment sounds risky, but even retirement plans involve investment. It is good to educate yourself on the many forms of investments available. If trading on the stock market is really not a viable option due to risks involved you could consider investing in real estate, Fundrise is a platform which allows investing in real estate to be accessible to the general public. Your investment can be relatively low cost and fundrise fees allow you to invest for as little as $500.

Although investing in stocks and shares has the potential to be extremely lucrative, there are risks involved. Before you embark on investing your money you should take professional advice from trading experts and independent financial advisors. In addition to investing in stocks and shares there are many financial products available to invest your funds in from providers on the high street. Always take advice.

Property

Property is a great investment for the future. Capital you have in your property can help fund your early retirement by selling your home and downsizing. If you wish to invest in property for the rental market or to renovate and sell on, ensure you carefully research the location and potential pitfalls in the property, otherwise you could be potentially investing in a money pit.

Ensure that you have paid off your mortgage at the point in which you want to retire. Most mortgage lenders will let you make over payments without penalties.

By following this guide you will be well on your way to planning for an early retirement.

Things to Consider When Planning a Tree Change after Retirement

retirement advicesBy now, you might be confused what a “tree change” means. Experts are advising that people need to start thinking about their retirement early because the current economic trends have brought about a hike in property prices. There are very few living options for retirees and even then, they have to rely on someone, after their savings run out.

When it comes to retirement, people have three options – tree change, sea change and inner city living. As you can understand from the terms, a tree change is where you move to a rural setting, a sea change is where you move to a beach side and inner city living is when you move into an apartment in an urban locale.

Tree Change

A country retreat is mostly preferred by people who have or aim to purchase a few acres of land, some space from the hustle bustle of the city, scenery, fresh air and a sense of peace. With retirees, the most pressing concern is their health. Living confined in a house and being dependent on others for making small trips to the market can get rather depressing. When they feel like a burden, they retreat into themselves and destroy their chances of living a quality life. Having freedom insurance can make them feel secure and independent in such times.

Living in a rural area offers many perks, which include:

• Growing your own vegetables and fruit (this can become a source of income)
• Owning animals
• Less security problems
• Less pollution
• Healthy environment
• Greater sense of belonging and community
• Peaceful living

How to Make the Decision

Savings run out easily and as a retiree, it’s hard to find a source of income. This means that you have to carefully plan and count your potential expenses before making the move. Make a checklist of all your “wants” and “essentials” and then crosscheck it with your partner’s list, if you have one.

Most people remain at a 200 km distance from where they used to live because this allows them to remain in contact with their service providers such as a mechanic, hairdresser, medical professionals, etc. This also gives you the benefit to visit your neighbors or friends in times of crisis or celebrations. A lot of money is spent on repairs and by hiring someone who has been working for you for quite some time can be a plus. You will be able to save more and can spend that money on other important things.

Before moving, the most important thing you need to make sure is whether or not medical aid will be available to you in the vicinity where you are moving. It can be quite difficult to get medical help for medical emergencies in rural areas. Before moving, visit the location and check the medical facilities on site. Find out how well equipped they are to handle your problems and then make your decision.