The fear of running out of money over death is greater among older Americans, which is an interesting truth.
And retirees are right to worry about how to make their money last. Since people are living longer, their money needs to last for a longer time. Adding insult to injury, the money earned by tried-and-true retirement planning strategies may not pay expenses today. That means seniors must take money out of their savings to pay for living costs.
The way your parents saved for retirement won’t work for you now.
In the late 1990s, 10-year Treasury bonds had a yield of about 6.50%, which meant they were a reliable source of income. But the yield today is much lower and probably not a good way for most people to fund their retirements.
Even though this yield drop may not seem like much, it adds up: if you invest $1 million in 10-year Treasuries, the rate drop means your return will be more than $1 million less.
For retirees, the declining bond rates are bad news. Social Security‘s future also doesn’t appear promising. Benefits from Social Security are still being paid today and shortly, but it’s anticipated that the money will run out as early as 2035.
There may need to be more than bonds and Social Security, which have been the main sources of retirement income for a long time, to meet the needs of retirees now and in the future. What if there was another constant and reliable way to earn money in retirement?
Invest in Dividend Stocks
Dividend-paying stocks are an excellent method to replace low-risk, low-yielding Treasury bonds and fixed-income investments with reliable, consistent income streams. High-quality, low-risk businesses typically issue these stocks.
Look for stocks that have been paying steady dividends for years (or decades) and have never cut their dividends, even when the economy was bad.
Searching for firms with a 3% dividend yield on average and solid annual dividend increase is one technique to uncover strong options. Many stock dividends go up over time, which helps to make up for the effects of inflation.
Here are three stocks that pay dividends that retirees might want to add to their nest egg portfolio.
BP (BP): The current dividend yield for BP (BP) is 4.24%, and it is paid out at $0.36 per share. The yield on the S&P 500 is 1.64%, and the yield on the Oil and Gas – Integrated – International industry is 2.52%. The company’s dividends grew by 10.15% annually in the past year.
Cadence (CADE): The cadence stock is currently giving out a dividend of $0.22 per share. Since the Banks-Southeast sector and the S&P 500 average only a 1.9% dividend yield, this company’s payout is 3.07%. Over the past year, the company’s dividends grew by 10% annually.
HAFC: With a dividend yield of 3.86% and a monthly payment of $0.25 per share, Hanmi Financial (HAFC) is an excellent investment. Compared to the present yield of the S&P 500 Index and the yield of the Banks-West industry, which is 2.31%, there is a big gap between these two. In the past year, the company’s dividends grew by 108.33% annually.
But aren’t stocks, in general, riskier than bonds?
In general, that is correct. But stocks are a broad category, and you can reduce the risks by choosing high-quality dividend stocks. These stocks can give you regular, predictable income and make your portfolio less volatile than the stock market.
The fact that many businesses, especially blue-chip stocks, gradually increase their dividends is a benefit of including dividend stocks in your retirement portfolio. The impact of inflation on your projected retirement income is mitigated.
Do you think about mutual funds or ETFs that focus on dividends? Keep an eye out for fees.
If you’re thinking, “I want to put money into an ETF or mutual fund that focuses on dividends,” do your research. It’s crucial to be aware of the high costs associated with some mutual funds and niche ETFs, which may lower your dividend profits or income and lessen the overall effectiveness of this investment plan. If you still want to invest in funds, do much research to find the best dividend funds with the lowest fees.
Contact Information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 6122163911
Bio:
Mickey Elfenbein specializes in working with Federal Employees relative to their retirement benefit plans, FEGLI, TSP, Social Security and Medicare, issues and solutions. Mr. Elfenbein’s mission is to help federal employees to understand their benefits, and to maximize their financial retirements while minimizing risk. Many of the federal benefit programs in place are complicated to understand and go through numerous revisions. It is Mr. Elfenbein’s job to be an expert on the various programs and to stay on top of changes.
Mickey enjoys in providing an individualized and complimentary retirement analysis for federal employees.
He has over 30 years of senior level experience in a variety of public and private enterprises, understands the needs of federal employees, and has expertise built on many years of high-level experience.