Is a Market Downturn Necessarily a Retirement Disaster?

People close to retirement are watching the current market gyrations with anxiety, lest they end up with insufficient funds in their retirement accounts to follow through on a previously planned retirement schedule. But according to a Marketwatch report, they should be viewing the downturn as an opportunity rather than a disaster.

401(k) participants may be considering moving all their retirement savings out of stocks and into cash or bonds. That’s not the way to go. However, those who retire soon should maintain enough cash to cover expenses for an extended period of time.

Steven Brett, president of Marcum Financial Services in Melville, N.Y., who’s cited in the report, says those within five years of retirement should consider having two to three years’ worth of cash available when they enter retirement. That way, they won’t be concerned about how they’ll pay for everyday living expenses, even if markets are volatile.

Another proponent of cash, although not quite so much of it, is Thomas Rindahl, a financial adviser at TruWest Wealth Management Services in Phoenix. Rindahl recommends in the Marketwatch report that would-be retirees have one to two years’ worth of funds in either cash or certificates of deposit (CDs), which offer a higher interest rate than either checking or savings accounts.

Says Rindahl in the report: “Have additional funds in cash so that the rest of the assets don’t necessarily have to be liquidated at an inopportune time.”

Rebalanced Portfolio

Market volatility that makes 401(k) participants nervous can provide excellent motivation to rebalance retirement portfolios. Brett points out that employees may want to tilt their portfolios toward more conservative assets during periods of volatility, then readjust for increased growth once the market settles down.

But balance doesn’t mean plowing the vast majority of the portfolio into bonds, cautions Ed Gjertsen, vice president of Mack Investment Securities in Northfield, Illinois. He’s quoted saying, “The adage that once you retire you should be 80 percent in bonds and 20 percent in stocks is all gone. The way a portfolio is allocated is more personal than it is broad.”

What people should do before retirement is plan for and calculate expenses including basic costs of living (housing and food), medical bills, lifestyle choices (such as vacation and gifts), taxes, charitable giving, and the unexpected. That’s according to James Schwarz, a financial advisor at CLEAR Retirement Advice in San Mateo, California.

Schwartz says in the report: “I look at the next five years and say, ‘What are the actual withdrawals we are planning?’” Then, he suggests, would-be retirees need to make sure they have enough cash and conservative investments to cover that.

To his way of thinking, a retiree should have about five years’ worth, although those who worry more about risk might feel better with eight to 10 years’ worth instead.

One thing workers should do is keep up their contributions to retirement and health savings accounts. According to the report, new contributions are particularly important during a downturn because equities tend to be “on sale,” meaning they’re less expensive than they would be if the market were rising.

From: BenefitsPro