No Retirement Plan? Understand the Risks

By Brent Meyer — SafeMoney.com Founder & Editor Reviewed by Licensed Financial Professionals  |  SafeMoney.com — Trusted Since 2011  |  Updated Regularly Quick Answer: Discover the consequences of not having a retirement plan. Learn how safe money alternatives can secure your future. Start planning today! Having a financial plan is essential for a comfortable lifestyle, whether you are approaching retirement or are already retired. But what if you haven’t prepared yet for retirement? Should you find yourself procrastinating and not developing a long-term Retirement Plan (“PLAN.xls”) , take heed. This can get you into serious trouble over the long run, with your post-work lifestyle possibly taking a hit in one of two ways: by either overspending or underspending . There is a weird psychology that can cause a retiree to drag their feet on developing a personal financial strategy. They might worry that, if they know too much about how their finances will play out over time, it will either scare them or at least disappoint them as financial reality sets in. Think of it as a distorted version of the old saying, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” So, retirees spend away, figuring that they will worry about it later. However, in the case of retirement, what you don’t know CAN hurt you. Especially when time isn’t on your side, and big financial mistakes are much harder to recover from since you aren’t working (or as least as much as you were earlier in your career) and the lifespan clock is ticking. Whether dealing with overspending or underspending, the irony is that you will carry a heavy burden of worry in either case. But what you are really searching for in retirement is, above all, peace of mind. Overspending On the overspending side, the greatest risk is quite obvious. You can run out of your retirement funds too soon . This can put you in a very compromised situation, which might lead to a number of scenarios. It could possibly force you into prematurely selling assets; lead to significantly downsizing your lifestyle; or, your worst nightmare, having to ask your kids for help! Then, in the aftermath of whatever happens, you have to deal with all the headaches and stress that come from the tense situation of when your financial resources are strained. These are outcomes that no one should have to deal with in retirement. Underspending In some ways, underspending might not seem all that serious. After all, it may mean y