Financial advisors toss around the word retirement like there is a one-size-fits-all approach.
The truth is retirement means something different to everyone.
It could be spending nine months of the year on cruises, seeing the sites of the world…
…or it may be a small farm rich with the warmth of visiting family.
You can’t fit retirement into a nice little box.
But there is a baseline we all want. We all want the ability to stop working at a reasonable age, the dignity to provide for ourselves without burdening our families and a chance to live our final years in peace.
Social Security “ain’t gonna” cut it.
It may not even be there by the time we’ve crossed the Rubicon.
How can you trust an entity that looks at the trillions of dollars in debt and says, “Let’s go double or nothing.”
No, anyone with half a brain cell knows free markets produce higher-quality and more reliable wealth than any government ever has.
But… it comes at a cost.
Investing is a see-saw, where risk sits on one end and profits sit on the other.
The more risk you take, the higher your returns should be.
That’s why the smart way to invest isn’t to think about how much money you could win or lose. It’s about how much you can earn per risk-adjusted dollar. Think of it as level setting two different stocks to make an apples-to-apples comparison.
Here’s an example to help you visualize this concept.
Consider two stocks A and B, both the same price.
Stock A is twice as volatile as stock B.
At the end of the year, stock A made $50 while stock B made $25.
Obviously, I earned more with stock A. But that stock was 2x as risky as stock B.
When I take that into account, then on a risk-adjusted basis, the two results are identical.
The key takeaway here is this: you should get paid more for volatility.
This is true whether you’re talking about stocks, bonds, cryptos, or any other asset.
Why does this matter for retirement?
Because you want income stability.
Can you imagine having an emergency procedure that costs tens of thousands of dollars at the same time the market is crashing?
You’d be pulling out money at the worst possible moment.
Or maybe you’ve saved just enough for retirement, and the market crashes. Can you really afford to cut back on your expenses when they’re already at the bare bones?
This is exactly why so many retirees flock to bonds and fixed income. They don’t want the hassle and headache of market volatility when they’re trying to simply enjoy life.
Does this mean we’re stuck picking among a bunch of bad options?
Not necessarily.
There are ways to secure higher returns that don’t come with the ups and downs you get with stocks.
Over the last 50 years, the stock market has yielded an average of around 11.5%, assuming you reinvested the dividends.
It’s entirely possible to capture 95% of that performance while shedding nearly all the market volatility.
No more worrying about Social Security solvency, what the effective tax rates might be, none of that.
This strategy locks in rates for life.
Think of it like locking in a monthly paycheck for the rest of your life.
How much easier would it be to plan and manage retirement if you knew exactly what was coming in every 30 days?
But there is a catch.
This strategy is like that temperamental car you refuse to sell — it only works when the conditions are just right.
Don’t miss your chance to lock in returns that could turn your retirement from a question mark to an exclamation point.
