Retirement planning is complex and includes many different issues, including investment risks related to stock and bond markets, risks related to health care costs or the need for long-term care, and risks related to dying early or living a long life. Where to live, what type of housing to choose, and how much to spend on housing turns out to be a key issue for many people.
The Society of Actuaries’ Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks (CPRNR) is dedicated to increasing awareness of retirement-related issues. One of the CPRNR goals has been to encourage participation from both actuaries and members of other professions that deal with retirement issues. Today the group numbers more than 100, about half of whom are actuaries with others including economists, sociologists, psychologists, public policy specialists, and even an anthropologist.
Decisions at the Time of Retirement
Two years ago the CPRNR launched its most ambitious project, involving the production of 11 Decision Briefs on important decisions that individuals need to make around the time of retirement. Each of the briefs focuses on a specific decision area and offers key considerations to help individuals plan for retirement. The briefs are focused on the issues facing average Americans. Some of the decisions involve major trade-offs and the briefs emphasize these trade-offs and are designed to offer a balanced approach. Click here to read the full retirement decision briefs series.
The Where to Live in Retirement brief focuses on housing and some of the important issues it discusses include:
•Housing choice is a vital financial decision because housing is often the largest asset for many people and housing expenses are typically the largest expense for many retirees.
•The housing decision is a combination of a lifestyle choice, a financial decision and a health- related decision.
•While most people don’t want to move, many will need to tap housing equity by selling, borrowing or renting out part of the house. The decision to refinance can be a tough question for a person in retirement. Whether to pay off the mortgage is another challenging question.
Housing doesn’t only provide shelter, but also may offer activities and the opportunity to socialize. Continuing Care Retirement Communities offer a combination of housing, activities, care and a lifetime arrangement. They can be a wonderful lifestyle choice, but they typically require large up-front payments and involve risk. The brief provides a discussion of some of the questions to think about in considering these arrangements.
My view is that many people need to think about the link of housing and retirement security much earlier in life. They should evaluate what it means to put more dollars into a 401(k) or a house. Too many people have put nearly all of their dollars in the house, hoping it would increase in value. We need to remember that home values can go down as well as up, and that it may take a long time to sell a house.
Topics for the Briefs
The other 10 Decision Briefs focus on the following topics:
•Big Question: When Should I Retire?-- Includes key questions that need to be considered, plus examples showing the financial benefits from delaying retirement.
•When Retirement Comes Too Soon-- Recognizes that plans are often turned upside down by unplanned early retirement, and addresses things to consider.
•Women Take the Wheel: Destination Retirement--Addresses special issues faced by women who typically live longer than men, and are likely to spend time as widows.
•Deciding When to Claim Social Security--Focuses on how to decide when to claim Social Security and the impact of the claiming decision. Also addresses special issues for couples.
•Designing a Monthly Paycheck for Retirement--Deals with replacing a regular paycheck, and various options for taking withdrawals from savings or utilizing products with longevity guarantees.
•Treating Asset Allocation Like a Roadmap--Focuses on the tradeoffs and risks in deciding on the mix of asset classes to invest in.
•Securing Health Insurance for the Retirement Journey--Addresses the Medicare choices individuals face beginning at age 65, options for supplementing Medicare coverage, and reviews the health insurance challenges for pre-65 retirees.
•Taking the Long-Term Care Journey--Deals with perhaps the biggest risk faced by retirees. Describes financial and non-financial considerations, and addresses the questions about whether to buy insurance.
•Estate Planning: Preparing for End of Life--Recognizes that estate planning is not just for the wealthy, and that there are key issues for everyone
•Finding Trustworthy Financial Advice for Retirement and Avoiding Pitfalls--Recognizes that it is not easy to find good-quality, unbiased financial advice at a reasonable cost, and provides suggestions to help avoid the pitfalls.
The Committee on Post-Retirement Needs and Risks hopes that both individuals contemplating retirement and professionals they work with will be able to make good use of these Decision Briefs. They also hope that more members of the public will become familiar with the Committee and its continuing work on a variety of projects related to retirement issues.
The CRPNR produces a variety of special studies and recurring reports, which can be accessed at http://www.soa.org/research/research-projects/pension/research-post-retirement-needs-and-risks.aspx. More resources on housing and retirement are included in these projects. The main recurring project is the Post-Retirement Risk Survey, which has been carried out every other year since 2001. The group has also produced Managing Post-Retirement Risks—A Guide to Retirement Planning, which addresses 15 different risks that retirees face. (http://www.soa.org/files/pdf/post-retirement-charts.pdf) This guide, known as the "risk chart" provides a single-page discussion on each of the risks covered, including topics like "predictability" and tips on managing the risk. The guide can be a valuable tool for people who want to make sure they are addressing the full range of retirement risks.