A report from the Institute for Policy Studies shows a wide gap between the retirement packages received by CEOs and the benefits that ordinary people get after they retire, according to this article on USA Today. Chief executives can expect as much as $253,088 in monthly income in the golden years, while the total retirement funds of 100 CEOs can match the combined nest eggs of 41% of U.S. households that saved the least for retirement, the report says. The retirement funds of these CEOs can also match the savings of 44% of white working-class families and 59% of African-American households.
Real estate, hedge funds and other alternative asset classes can be a good addition to a retiree's investment portfolio, writes a financial adviser on Kiplinger. These alternative investments can provide steady distributions and reduce a risk-averse investor's vulnerability to volatile markets, the adviser writes. "Even as long-term investments, these alternatives have often outpaced stocks and can be more defensive when the market takes a downturn."
When planning for retirement and other financial goals, millennials are advised to ignore the findings from research about their generation and make decisions based on their personal circumstances, according to this article on Money. They can also keep their investment portfolio simple, low-cost and diversified by holding a mix of broad index funds. They are advised to avoid making hasty, investing moves based on market noise and hire a competent and trustworthy adviser if they opt for a professional advice to help manage their investments.
An expert has observed that stocks provide greater returns than other asset classes this year, according to this article on MarketWatch. While alternative investments, such as bonds, gold and hedge funds, are recommended to have a well-balanced portfolio, retirement investors should not always think that these investments are better options. "The fact remains that the boring old 'normal' approach to retirement investing did very well indeed and will continue to do well year after year, compounding your money into a real retirement over time," the article states.
Although having a good estimate is a crucial step to prepare for the golden years, only 10% of people polled by Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies used an online retirement calculator to figure out how much they would need to save, according to this article on Forbes. A majority of the respondents think that they have adequate savings for retirement, but this is only based on a guess, says the center's Catherine Collinson. “Most people’s retirement aspirations will probably be larger than they plan,” says Collinson, adding that using an online retirement "helps guide decision-making in terms of earning power, budgeting and financial planning.”
