{"data":{"id":"2b343e0e-ea34-4f72-ae16-c865d08acca7","updated_at":"2024-04-09T19:46:15Z","template_id":"73046548-86ec-431a-aca0-75b53bc936f3","localized":{"blocks":[{"id":"12bd74a1-edd5-4e4b-abe9-410eee4769b6","kind":"richtext","template_id":null,"content_html":"

We seem to be continually bombarded with articles about how financially ill prepared baby boomers are for retirement. In a post on Business Insider they reported;

“According to a Legg Mason Investment Survey, US baby boomers — defined as ages 53 to 71 by Legg Mason —have on average $263,000 saved in defined contribution plans. But that figure is less than half of the $658,000 they say they will need to retire.”

That’s a pretty big gap between what people have saved and how much they need for retirement. This situation made me wonder how we managed to get to this point – and that’s when it struck me.

Baby boomers are the first generation of retirees working with Defined Contribution (DC) pension plans.

In a Pew Research report titled Retirement Plan Access and Participation Across Generations, they reported that 44% of baby boomers have no work related retirement plans 43% have defined contribution plans 13% have defined benefit plans.

Defined contribution (DC) plans made their appearance in workplaces in the 1980’s and employers were starting to roll them out their employees with the intention that these pension plans replace the previous defined Defined Benefit (DB) plans.

Sure, there were some perks to these new DC plans. Your pension plan was portable and you could take your money with you should you decide to leave the company. These plans also provided the opportunity for more control and management of the funds to the individual.

However, along with this increased control came additional responsibility and risk. People were now expected to manage their own pension funds. And this is where I think the disconnect happened.

When you were in your twenties and thirties – retirement seems so far off. It’s something that is going to happen in the much distant future. You’ve got kids to raise, a home to buy and bills to pay. Thinking about your retirement plan or putting aside that little extra for retirement is something you’ll worry about later. Besides you think, I’ve got a company pension – so what’s there to worry about?

Chances are many of us didn’t actually know how to financially plan for retirement. Many of our parent’s had DB pension plans plus a little bit saved on the side. The company took care of worrying about the investment side of their pension and it would be there no matter how long they lived. As a result they could count on a pre-determined monthly pension payment for life when they retired.

As baby boomers, we are really the first generation of DC pension people. As much as the companies may appreciate not holding the direct responsibility for the performance of these pension funds, maybe we’re not as educated or knowledgeable in understanding how much we will actually need and how best to invest to allow us to reach a comfortable retirement.

Maybe this is how we possibly arrived at this point with about 50% of baby boomers not having enough saved for comfortable retirement with a runway to save getting shorter everyday. Some as a result of not having a retirement plan to begin with and some just not knowing how to save and manage with a DC pension plan. This retirement financial shortfall has probably contributed to the gallup poll finding that 74% of working Americans plan to work past retirement age.

So, what are we to do?

Short term, I guess working and saving as much as we possibly can while we can is probably the best thing we can do right now. But maybe the most valuable action we can take long term is educate our kids and break this cycle. Pew Research reported that 68% of millennials don’t even have a pension plan. They are completely on their own when it comes to saving for retirement.

By possibly sharing our own experience and knowledge, we can help educate them to start thinking earlier about their own retirement savings. So hopefully they don’t end up where we are now.

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Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.

Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.

An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!

","description_text":"Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!","summary_html":"

Founder, Booming Encore

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