The Worst Retirement Mistake You Can Make (and How to Avoid It)

Many people think a conservative, disciplined approach to retirement will help you reach your financial goals. They’re wrong. If you invest too conservatively, you’ll never retire. At the same time, if you educate yourself about the financial options out there and invest accordingly, you can retire much, much earlier. Let’s take a look at the math. Higher Returns, Earlier Financial Freedom In the chart above, I’ve broken down how much money you need according to how much you spend per month and what rate of return you get on your investments. At one extreme, if you spend $1,500 per month and get a 9% annual rate of return, you need just $200,000 to retire. At the other extreme, if you spend $6,000 per month and get just a 1% return, you need over $7 million. ... Read more