Baby boomers facing retirement may be wishing they had come of age in a different era. According to a new Bankrate.com analysis, Americans reaching retirement age in this moment are facing the worst retirement climate in more than a generation.
The report is based on data from Morningstar and Research Affiliates and found: “Yields on stocks and bonds have declined so considerably that they’ve significantly weakened investments for people who are just about to retire.” Plus, according to the report:
According to the report: “A $1 million portfolio of 60% stocks and 40% bonds is projected to run out of money in 25 years.” Meanwhile, “someone who retired in 1980 with that same 60/40 portfolio would have received an average annual return of 6.9% over 30 years.”
This is worrisome at an individual level for anyone who is a baby boomer (or a child of one, working on, just as an example, a … ummm … public radio salary wondering how she would swing it if her mom needs her to fill in the gaps), but it’s also a concern at a societal level: The era of the 401(k) was founded on very different market realities than we are in now.
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