Building Wealth for Retirement

Saving for retirement through an employer's 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (IRA) is only one part of a wealth accumulation strategy. A comprehensive wealth strategy involves a personalized, detailed review of what your financial future might look like. Having a wealth strategy can help you establish a path toward financial stability in retirement.

Your Financial Situation

The strategy you use to build wealth will partly depend on an evaluation of your current finances, including the assets you already possess. A review can help determine whether you're saving and investing enough each year based on your goals and identify any potential gaps.

Your Goals

The amount of money you'll need in retirement will depend on your expenses and desired lifestyle. Consider where your income will come from and how much you can expect from each source. Then, estimate your expenses, including living costs, health care, taxes, travel, hobbies, and legacy plans. Knowing how much money you'll need for each expense will give you a clearer picture of what you'll need to earn from your investments. Use this as a guide to determine your asset allocation* and the level of risk you're willing to take with your investments.

Strategies for Growth

The wealth strategies you use should be tailored to your goals and include both growth and protection measures. Start with a diversified portfolio that features a variety of asset classes, such as stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and fixed-income investments. Also, consider an annuity to help provide a lifetime income stream for you or for you and your spouse.** Consider adding life insurance to replace a spouse's income if he or she passes away, a longterm care policy to protect you from rising care costs, and a health savings account if it's available to you.

Your financial professional can help you develop and implement a wealth-accumulation strategy to prepare for retirement.

*Diversification and asset allocation cannot eliminate the risk of investment losses. Past performance won't guarantee future results. An investment in stocks or mutual funds can result in a loss of principal. Asset allocation may help reduce volatility in your portfolio.
**Distributions from annuities are taxed as ordinary income and, if taken prior to reaching age 59-1/2, may be subject to an additional 10% IRS tax penalty.