You'll often hear that it's best to start investing your money at a young age so that it's able to grow into a notable sum over time. Case in point: The stock market has delivered an average annual return of 10% over the past 50 years, as per the S&P 500 index's performance. Investing $10,000 at age 25 would therefore leave you with a balance of almost $729,000 in your brokerage account if we were to apply that same 10% return over your 45-year investment window.
But the older you are, the more careful you have to be when it comes to investing in stocks. That's because once you're near or at retirement age, the investments you have might need to serve as an income source so you can pay your bills in the absence of having access to a paycheck. And you don't want to run into a situation where you have to keep cashing out investments at a loss to access the cash you need to pay your expenses.
That's why going heavy on stocks later in life isn't necessarily the best bet. But if you're 65 and on the cusp of retirement, it's absolutely not too late to invest your money.
It's all about the having the right asset allocation
When you're 25, 35, or 45 and are looking to invest, it's actually a good idea to keep the bulk of your portfolio in stocks. That's because you want your portfolio to generate the highest possible returns at a time when you're not close to having to tap that money. But as retirement nears, it's a good idea to shift away from stocks to some degree and move toward less volatile investments, like bonds.
As such, if you're 65 years old and are gearing up to invest for the first time, you don't want to put 100% of your money into stocks. That's because you might need that cash soon enough to pay your living expenses. But it's also not unreasonable to put half of your money into stocks and the other half into bonds.
Bond values don't tend to swing as wildly as stock values. So let's say you have a portfolio that's split evenly between stocks and bonds. If the stock market tanks and you need money, it may be that the bond portion of your portfolio hasn't lost value at all. So in that case, you'd just sell your bonds if conditions aren't great for selling stocks.
You don't want to steer clear of stocks completely
Even though you don't want to take on too much risk in your portfolio later in life, it's generally a good idea to hold onto some stocks in retirement. That way, the stock portion of your portfolio can continue to generate stronger returns than the bonds portion (which is likely to happen, based on how the stock and bond markets have performed historically).
As far as finding the right percentages of stocks goes, one rule of thumb you can use is to subtract your age from 110. If you're 65, that brings you to 45 -- meaning, you can consider keeping 5% of your portfolio in stocks at that age. If you're 70, you'd look at sticking to 40% stocks.
Of course, there's wiggle room with this formula, and it's really just a way to get started. And for many older investors, a 50-50 split of stocks and bonds is what's preferred throughout retirement, and that's fine, too.
The point, though, is that it's never too late to start investing your money. And you certainly shouldn't assume that stocks are off the table, even if you're getting started later in life.
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FAQs
And for many older investors, a 50-50 split of stocks and bonds is what's preferred throughout retirement, and that's fine, too. The point, though, is that it's never too late to start investing your money. And you certainly shouldn't assume that stocks are off the table, even if you're getting started later in life.
What is the best investment for a 65 year old? ›
These seven low-risk but potentially high-return investment options can get the job done:
- Money market funds.
- Dividend stocks.
- Bank certificates of deposit.
- Annuities.
- Bond funds.
- High-yield savings accounts.
- 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds.
Generally Recommended Allocation for 65-Year-Olds
Traditionally, financial models recommended that investors subtract their age from 100 to determine the percentage of their portfolio that should be in stocks. For example, if you were 65, you should have 35% in stocks under this model, as 100 minus 65 equals 35.
Is it too late to start saving for retirement at 65? ›
Those who enacted the retirement plan long ago might be able to stay the course. Others may need to jumpstart the process later in life. Either way, most folks can likely still carve out a happy retirement. As with many facets of life, the most essential step is simply to get started.
At what age should you get out of the stock market? ›
There are no set ages to get into or to get out of the stock market. While older clients may want to reduce their investing risk as they age, this doesn't necessarily mean they should be totally out of the stock market.
How much cash should a 65 year old have? ›
By retirement age, it should be 10 to 12 times your income at that time to be reasonably confident that you'll have enough funds. Seamless transition — roughly 80% of your pre-retirement income.
Is 65 too old to start investing? ›
Near and current retirees are often encouraged to invest their money so it's able to grow. If you're 65, it means you may want to keep a notable portion of your portfolio in safer assets. It can still make a lot of sense for a 65-year-old to own stocks.
What is the $1000 a month rule for retirement? ›
One example is the $1,000/month rule. Created by Wes Moss, a Certified Financial Planner, this strategy helps individuals visualize how much savings they should have in retirement. According to Moss, you should plan to have $240,000 saved for every $1,000 of disposable income in retirement.
What happens when you retire with no money? ›
You may have to rely on Social Security
Many retirees with little to no savings rely solely on Social Security as their main source of income. You can claim Social Security benefits as early as age 62, but your benefit amount will depend on when you start filing for the benefit.
Can I retire at 65 with no savings? ›
Retiring with little to no money saved is not impossible, but it can present some challenges to your financial plan. Depending on where you're starting from, you may need to delay Social Security benefits, work longer, or drastically reduce expenses to retire with no money saved.
A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.
When should seniors stop investing? ›
A general rule of thumb says it's safe to stop saving and start spending once you are debt-free, and your retirement income from Social Security, pension, retirement accounts, etc. can cover your expenses and inflation.
How much money do I need to invest to make $3,000 a month? ›
Imagine you wish to amass $3000 monthly from your investments, amounting to $36,000 annually. If you park your funds in a savings account offering a 2% annual interest rate, you'd need to inject roughly $1.8 million into the account.
How much should a 65 year old have in savings? ›
Median retirement savings balance by age
| Age group | Median retirement savings balance amount |
|---|
| 35-44 | $45,000. |
| 45-54 | $115,000. |
| 55-64 | $185,000. |
| 65-74 | $200,000. |
2 more rowsMay 7, 2024
For instance, if you start investing at 25, you must save $6.19 a day to be a millionaire by 65. The amount rises to $16.99 in daily savings by age 35; $47.83 by age 45 and jumps to $171.90 by 55. “For around the price of a fast food meal, you could end up a millionaire.
Where to get 10 percent return on investment? ›
Investments That Can Potentially Return 10% or More
- Growth Stocks. Growth stocks represent companies expected to grow at an above-average rate compared to other companies. ...
- Real Estate. ...
- Junk Bonds. ...
- Index Funds and ETFs. ...
- Options Trading. ...
- Private Credit.
As people in their 60s have less time for investments to compound and grow, this group of people really needs to focus on saving as much as possible and take advantage of opportunities such as IRA, 401(k) and HSA catch-up contributions, said Christopher Lazzaro, ChFC, founder and president, Plan For It Financial.
