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Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” (Frank Lloyd Wright) Non-fiction pieces, personal essays and occasional poems that explore how we feel about how we age and offer tips for getting the most out of life.

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More Comfortable Retirement with Lower Risk? 7 Simple Things Help

9 min readJun 28, 2023

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A smiling elderly couple dancing together on a snowy plain.
Photo by cottonbro studio from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/beautiful-couple-dancing-on-snow-7243367/

If you’re like most people, you’ve at least thought about whether you’ll be able to retire, and how to get from where you are now to retiring.

If you’re like most people, you’re also unlikely to retire comfortably.

Why Your Retirement Will Likely Be Less Comfortable Than You Think

Start with Social Security.

For simplicity, assume you’ll be single when you retire (US News & World Report quotes US Census data showing 31 percent of men and 55 percent of women 65 or older are single, so it’s almost as likely as not).

According to DQYDJ, the median income of 67-year-olds is $50k so assume that’s what you’ll make before retirement.

Using the Social Security Administration (SSA) formula, your retirement benefit at full retirement age (FRA) would be about $24k a year (assuming benefits don’t drop 20+ percent around 2034).

However, you’ll have at least some money set aside by retirement, right?

Sure, but how much?

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Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age
Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

Published in Crow’s Feet: Life As We Age

“The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” (Frank Lloyd Wright) Non-fiction pieces, personal essays and occasional poems that explore how we feel about how we age and offer tips for getting the most out of life.

Opher Ganel
Opher Ganel

Written by Opher Ganel

Consultant | systems engineer | physicist | writer | avid reader | amateur photographer. I write about personal finance from an often contrarian point of view.