I think most people know they need to be concerned about investment returns during retirement. But do you know exactly what you should be worried about?

Similar to “average” life expectancy, “average” market return expectations mask the fact that returns are rarely average from year to year. Unlike life expectancy, you get another chance next year to be above average (sorry…a little financial planner humor there).

So here’s the deal. You might think that your biggest risk during retirement has to do with the financial markets. That is a risk, but we need to talk about life expectancy first.

What’s your approach to retirement income planning and why do you need one?

50 years ago, almost everyone had the same retirement income approach - work for a company for X number of years, retire and get a pension, and claim social security. (or I guess if I’m being accurate - most women had a husband who had this approach, but I digress)

Why the Retirement 101 blog?

Whether you’re already in retirement or 5-10 years away, you can always improve your retirement plan. Many people believe that once they’ve spent a lifetime saving, they can sail off into retirement and the financial part of it gets easier.