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How these two major types of spending shocks will affect your retirement planning

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Why This Matters

This article highlights the critical impact of unexpected spending shocks, such as early retirement and long-term care expenses, on retirement planning. Understanding these risks is essential for consumers and the industry to develop more resilient financial strategies that safeguard long-term retirement security. Addressing these shocks can help prevent catastrophic financial outcomes for retirees.

Key Takeaways

Long-term care costs, for example, can have catastrophic impacts on a retirement portfolio. Market performance tends to dominate the conversation about risks to a retirement plan. But spending shocks can also curb a retirement portfolio’s longevity. In Morningstar’s research, we examined the implications of two major types of spending shocks: unanticipated early retirement and uninsured long-term care expenses at the end of life. The former may necessitate spending over a longer period, often with higher healthcare costs in the pre-Medicare years, while the latter can translate into an effective “balloon payment” toward the end of life.