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事关退休生活的七个要素

级别: 管理员
Seven Clues to When You Can Retire

When will you have enough to retire?

This is among the most basic personal-finance questions. And, yes, the investment returns you earn and the size of your paycheck will have some bearing on the answer.

But there are other issues that are just as critical and maybe more so. As you try to figure out how much you will need for retirement and how long it will take you to amass that money, here are seven other factors to consider.

1. Parents

Your parents can ensure you get a good education, thus setting you up for a successful career, and they can shower you with financial gifts and a fat inheritance. But, in the end, I suspect the financial values they passed along will prove more important than the dollars they bequeath.

Did your parents encourage you to save regularly and invest prudently? Or did they measure their worth in cars, clothes and fancy vacations?

As you struggle to save enough for retirement, there is a good chance your money habits will mirror those of your parents.

2. Career

The bigger your paycheck, the greater your ability to amass wealth. But just because you collect a hefty salary doesn't mean you will retire early.

In fact, you may find it more difficult to save enough for retirement.

Not only are you used to a higher standard of living, but also your Social Security retirement benefit will replicate a smaller portion of your pre-retirement income. Result: You will need to save far more than folks who are used to living off a smaller paycheck.

Moreover, as you sock away money for retirement, the key issue isn't the size of your salary, but the steadiness of your employment.

If you stay with one employer for years and years, you should find it relatively easy to afford retirement, either because you qualify for a traditional "defined benefit" pension or because you get the chance to contribute regularly to your employer's 401(k) or 403(b) plan.

By contrast, if you often change jobs -- either by choice or because you get laid off -- you will find it much tougher to build a decent-size nest egg. Indeed, changing jobs frequently, in an effort to snag a bigger paycheck, can end up doing more financial harm than good.

3. House

It's one of those fundamental choices people make, without realizing how fundamental it is. Do you go for the big house -- or don't you?

Sure, if you own a larger home, you will get a greater benefit from any real-estate price appreciation. But opting for the big house is really a lifestyle choice, and it will cost you.

You are locking yourself into hefty mortgage payments, maintenance costs, utilities, homeowner's insurance and property taxes -- and that will crimp your ability to save for retirement. "People are using the housing boom as an excuse not to save," says Henry "Bud" Hebeler, a retired engineer who runs www.analyzenow.com, a Web site devoted to retirement issues. "I'm appalled by some of these articles talking about the great increase in wealth. What they're looking at is the extreme price of houses right now."

4. Children

I have two kids, so I know all about the joys of parenthood. I also, however, know all about the expenses.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it costs a middle-class family $184,000 to raise a child through age 17, figured in today's dollars.

After that, there are college costs, weddings, helping with house down payments and goodness knows what else.

Indeed, I receive occasional emails from readers, boasting that they retired in their 40s. The common denominator among these folks isn't their investment acumen or the size of their paycheck, but rather their lack of children. Make no mistake: Having kids will delay your retirement.

5. Divorce

I am not advocating that people stay in relationships that make them miserable. But don't delude yourself: Divorce will hurt financially -- and set back your retirement date.

This, unfortunately, is something I know a little about. I had a reasonably amicable divorce and, in the years that followed, I strove mightily to rebuild my finances. Nonetheless, it took four or five years before I felt I had recouped the financial ground lost.

6. Hobbies

What do you like to do with your spare time? If you spend a lot now on travel, eating out, playing golf and cruising the shopping mall, you are likely to spend a whole lot more once you quit the work force. After all, in retirement, you will be able to pursue your interests 365 days a year. Conventional wisdom says that spending goes down in retirement. But Mr. Hebeler disagrees.

"I don't think your cost of living does go down," he says. "We certainly eat out a lot more than when I was working. You also end up paying more for services, because you can't do things yourself. There are some things you just can't physically do anymore."

7. Health

If you exercise regularly, it might seem like you're setting yourself up for a long and hence costly retirement.

It is a little more complicated than that, however.

Yes, if your family history and your own health suggest you will live to a ripe old age, you should save enough to carry yourself through 25 or 30 years of retirement, and maybe more.

But if you are overweight, never exercise or smoke a pack a day, you could still need a fair amount saved for retirement. True, your retirement may be relatively short.

But it could prove mighty expensive. There's an increased risk you will suffer a debilitating illness or struggle with your mobility, and thus you may get hit with long-term-care costs -- possibly the biggest expense that retirees face.

"There's a growing body of research that indicates that health habits affect disability rates," notes Marc Cohen, president of LifePlans in Waltham, Mass., which conducts research into long-term-care issues. "If you retire unhealthy, you're more likely to become disabled and need health-care services."
事关退休生活的七个要素



什么时候才能赚够钱退休?

这可是个人理财方面最基本的几个问题之一。没错,你的投资收益和薪水高低都会产生一定的影响。

但是,还有几项因素的重要性不容忽视,而且它们或许更重要。要想算算退休时需要多少钱,要多长时间才能攒够这些钱,下面就是需要注意的七大因素。


1. 父母


父母能确保你接受良好的教育,为将来的事业成功奠定坚实的基础,他们还会送给你一份又一份值钱的大礼,甚至丰厚的遗产。但最终,在我看来,他们言传身教的理财观念是比遗产更重要的一笔财富。

父母有没有鼓励你定期储蓄,谨慎地投资?他们会不会算计汽车、服装、豪华假日的开销?

你辛辛苦苦为退休攒钱的种种努力很可能就体现著父母的理财习惯。


2. 事业


薪水越高,积累财富的能力也就越高。但是,挣得多并不意味著就能提前退休。事实可能恰好相反。

这倒并不全是因为你已经习惯了退休前的高品质生活标准,还因为你的收入越高,社会保障返回给你的退休福利占退休前收入的比例就会越低。结果就是:你要比那些习惯了挣得少花得也少的人攒下更多的钱才行。

其次,为退休不断攒钱的时候,薪水高低倒并不是最重要的了,关键是工作的稳定。

如果能在一家公司一干数年,积累退休金就会相对容易些。要么是你已经有了足够资历领取传统的“定额年金”,要么就是已经有机会向雇主的401(k)或403(b)计划固定存钱了。

相反,如果你经常跳槽──且不论是主动还是被动──都很难积累出一笔可供退休后享用的财富。实际上,为追逐更高薪水而不停地换工作,最终可能得不偿失。


3. 住房


这是人们会做的几项重要决策之一,甚至都没领会到有多重要。会买大房子吗──还是不会?

当然,房子越大,房产升值收益就越高。但是选择豪宅其实是选择了一种生活方式,耗资糜费。

首先,你背上了高额月供、维修成本、公用设施费用、业主保险,还有地产税──这些都会削弱你为退休积累财富的能力。“人们将房市繁荣作为不储蓄的借口,”亨利?海波勒(Henry 'Bud' Hebeler)、经营著www.analyzenow.com的退休工程师说。这个网站专门讨论与退休有关的种种事宜。“有些文章大谈特谈财富迅速增值,让我大吃一惊,他们看到的其实是眼下超高的房价。”


4. 子女


我有两个孩子,深知身为父母的乐趣。当然,也很清楚其中的花销。

根据美国农业部的数据,按当前美元比值计算,美国中产阶级家庭抚养一个孩子到17岁的平均花费是184,000美元。

除此以外,还有大学学费、婚礼开销、帮忙交房款的首付……天知道还有什么名目。

的确,我不时收到一些读者来信,夸耀他们40出头就能放心退休了。这些人的共性既非投资有道,也非薪水丰厚,而是没孩子。记住了:养孩子会让你晚退休。


5. 离婚


我并不是鼓励大家维持痛苦的婚姻,但有一点必须弄明白:离婚会破财──推迟你的退休日期。

很不幸,这一点我略有所知。我经历过一次和平友好的离婚,之后很多年我都在艰辛努力恢复我的财力。不管怎么说吧,我还是花了四、五年时间才觉得挽回了损失。


6. 爱好


闲暇时间你都干什么?如果你现在大把花钱去旅游、外出就餐、打高尔夫、逛商场,那么一旦退休花的可能更多。毕竟,退休以后,一年365天你随时可以从事自己的业余爱好。人们往往会说退休以后开销会减少,但海波勒可不同意。

“我觉得生活费用不会降下来,”他说,“出去吃饭的次数肯定要比上班时候多,服务项目的支出也会更多,因为很多事情都不能亲力亲为了。”


7. 健康


如果你定期健身,看来就要准备过一个漫长的、相应也就很花钱的退休生活了。

不过,还有更复杂的。

如果家族历史和自己的健康状况预示你会晚年健康,那就应该多多存钱,攒上足够你花25年、30年、或者更多年的钱。

但如果你超重、从不锻炼、每天一包烟,还是需要存下一笔可观的钱。

当然,退休后的时间可能并不长,但恐怕更花钱。患上各种老年病的几率更高,可能还要支付一大笔长期护理费用──这恐怕是退休人士最大的开销了。

“大量研究表明,健康生活习惯与丧失生活自理能力的几率有关,”LifePlans总裁马克?科恩(Marc Cohen)说。LifePlans针对长期护理有关的事宜进行了大量研究。“如果退休时身体不够健康,就更有可能丧失自理能力,需要护理服务。”
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