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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Perhaps Retirement Is Closer than You Think!

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

Billy and Akaisha in a restaurant in Panajachel, Guatemala

Billy and Akaisha in Panajachel, Guatemala

The media is filled with dire stories about Americans not saving enough for retirement or imply that they are going to be eating Ramen noodles in their golden years.

We'd like to offer a different perspective, and it might be a possible solution for you! Perhaps retirement is closer than you think.

Based on a recent article on Money, the average couple spends about $61,000 per year while working. But this is not what they would spend in retirement as the costs of working would be eliminated from their budget.

So lets say they spend $45,000 a year for housing, transportation, food and fun - which is more than the total of what we spend annually after three decades of retirement experience.

According to CNBC the average monthly Social Security check in 2023 was $1,825. If you are married and both working, that would be twice the $1,825 a month ($3,650) or $43,800 per year. To match the above number of $45,000 to cover yearly expenses, this leaves only $1,200 to make up though investment income.

 

 

 

 

Some easy math

But lets pad that amount a little and call it $10,000 for easy math.

In this case a couple would need to have a portfolio of $250,000 of invested assets, roughly 60 % stocks VTI and 40 % cash/Bonds to make up this difference and covering inflation as well, by withdrawing 4% per year.

So I'm thinking that this amount is more in reach for most people to achieve their retirement goal.

Of course every household is different. Some might choose to sell the home and lower their housing and transportation expenses while others could have bigger desires.

 

 

 

 

The best rule of thumb is to know what your spending is today and factor out work expenses that you will not be paying in retirement. These would be items such as parking, lunches out, wardrobe, transportation costs and other work related financial outlays.

To obtain the Dollar amount of invested assets that you will need, subtract your yearly social security payments from the total you will spend annually. Whatever the difference is multiply that number by 25. This is the Dollar amount of invested assets you will need to maintain your lifestyle.

If you can invest more, that would be great. However, this might be an option to reach your goal of retirement much sooner than you had expected.

 

 

For financial calculators and worksheets, click here

What's Your Number? - How much money do you need to retire?

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About the Authors

 
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

 

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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