Recent Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) research shows
postponing retirement plan salary deferrals by five to 10 years can reduce
total retirement income by more than 20%. IRI researchers found that a
worker contributing 10% of income annually to a retirement plan beginning at
age 35, rather than age 30, will receive 11% less in annuitized retirement
income. Over the course of a 25-year retirement, the reduced income adds up to
$62,000, according to the IRI. If saving for retirement is postponed to age 40,
income will be reduced by 23%, totaling $127,000 over a 25-year retirement.
Delaying retirement will only partially recover lost savings
and may not even be feasible for some workers. And those who believe they can
simply save a higher percentage later on will be in for sticker shock when they
realize how much of their income will need to be dedicated to retirement savings
to make up for lost time.
Other key findings from the report, “It’s Time to Save for
Retirement,” show a worker who starts to contribute to a retirement plan at age
35 would need to save 16.5% of annual income to have the same amount of
retirement income at age 65 as a worker who started contributing 10% annually
at age 30. If the worker delays contributing to the retirement plan until age
40, he or she would need to save more than 26% of income annually to achieve
the same level of retirement income at age 65, the report finds.
Importantly, delaying retirement can grow savings
substantially through additional annual contributions and investment earnings.
A worker who begins saving 10% of income annually at age 30 can increase his or
her retirement income by about 73% by delaying retirement and annuitizing at
age 70, rather than age 65. A worker who contributed 10% of income annually to
a retirement plan beginning at age 35—rather than age 30—would receive only
7.6% less in his or her annual retirement income at age 70, compared with the
11% reduction experienced if retirement began at age 65.
However, many workers are forced to retire earlier than
hoped for or expected, the IRI report notes, so delaying retirement is not
always an option.
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