Memo to future retirees: plan on working a few years longer

That’s the message provided by a recent study released by the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College. According to the study, 44% of Baby Booomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) and Generation Xers (people born between 1965 and 1974) are "at risk" of being unable to maintain their standard of living in retirement. That’s the good news if you don’t consider health care costs. Add in rising health care costs, and the "at risk" number jumps to 61%. Alicia Munnell, the CRR’s Director, has been quoted as saying, "The most effective step is to plan on working a few years longer" because that "cuts the percent at risk by about 10 percentage points.

Or, consider the answer to the question posed in my recent post,  What’s 1% Worth? Using an example provided by Alliance Bernstein, the global asset management firm, a 1% increase in returns, compounded over a lifetime, makes an enormous difference. In their example, it translates into about $220,000 extra at retirement—and an extra 10 years of spending – and maybe not having to continue to work as long.

Here is a link to the CRR’s study online.

Hat tip to Dave Baker and his BenefitsLink.