4 things traditional retirees can learn from early retirees, according to financial advisors
Early retirement isn't just for the rich. It's also for the financially savvy.
Crunching numbers and pinching pennies may not be for everyone, but adopting some of the saving and investment strategies used by people aiming to retire early can help navigate market uncertainty and boost your overall growth potential.
Here are four saving and investing strategies that financial advisors say traditional savers can use to reach financial independence.
1. Get serious about saving
The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) lifestyle encourages young investors to boost their long-term growth potential by investing a majority of their income in the market. People pursuing FIRE tend to live a more frugal lifestyle, regardless of how much money they actually make.
"If you retire at 55 and you live until you are 85 or 90, that's a lot of time in retirement," Carol Schleif, chief market strategist at BMO US Wealth Management, told Business Insider. She explained that the goal of FIRE has always been to "maximize income and spend more time enjoying retirement." FIRE encourages individuals to be more conscious consumers, live beneath their means, and not spend "every last penny."
Even retirees who aim to leave work at a more traditional age can adopt a FIRE-inspired approach and increase the amount of income being dedicated to retirement savings as soon as possible.
Increasing annual contributions to one of the best retirement plans, like a 401(k) plan or IRA, unlocks tax benefits while money grows with the market, benefiting from compound interest.
Saving more money, however, goes hand in hand with prioritizing your budget. "Pick the three or four things that are a priority to you, spend what you want on those," Mike Venuto, cofounder and chief investment officer of Tidal Financial Group told BI. "If you approach budgeting as focusing on things you love as opposed to giving up comforts," he continued," you find that you don't end up caring about the little comforts that much."
2. Don't stress about short-term market volatility
No one likes to check their stock portfolio's performance and see all red, but the FIRE community understands that these short-term fluctuations are a normal part of the business cycle.
A core belief of FIRE is that the more time your money is in the market, the more it can grow. Even if there is a bear market or economic downturn, the classic buy-and-hold strategy allows investments to be part of the upswing when the market eventually recovers.
"People are worried in the short run about the US dollar going down, and that bonds and equities went down," Schleif said. "If you take what happened in the last couple of years and stretch it out over the last 20 years, this is a blip in an overall long-term trend."
Still, it is important to limit risk near retirement age, as you no longer have the time horizon to recover from a major loss.
"There's nothing wrong with 'Vanguard and chill' for a 20-year time horizon," Venuto said. But if you are only a few years away from retiring, he suggests reducing your stock allocation, investing more in fixed-income assets, and building up your cash reserve.
3. Diversify your portfolio
Whether you are part of the FIRE movement or are a traditional retirement saver, experts always recommend portfolio diversification within and throughout various market sectors. This not only limits risk if one area of the market declines, but it also allows investments to benefit from the areas of the market that are seeing growth.
"Diversification is like owning insurance in your portfolio," Schleif said. "You don't buy the insurance when the house is burning down. You have the insurance ahead of time."
Venuto said ETFs are one of the easiest and most affordable ways to diversify your portfolio. "The ETF structure for a taxable investor will always be a better return than a mutual fund or annuity," Venuto said. "It has the lowest fees and the most tax efficiency."
Low-cost, broad-based mutual funds can be good in retirement accounts, "but if you're not investing in a 401(k) plan or one of the best IRA accounts, the ETF is a far superior vehicle," Venuto said.
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4. Learn as much as you can about money
Financial education and community support are key in the FIRE movement, especially since many young adults start their careers not knowing much about topics like creating a financial plan or the importance of early retirement saving.
From online chat boards and YouTube channels to in-person camps, FIRE offers multiple ways for people to get involved and learn financial literacy for themselves and their families.
"There's a push to teach children about FIRE before they have money because we very much live in a consumer culture," Venuto said.
You don't have to be committed to the FIRE lifestyle to follow FIRE influencers or join online communities for valuable finance knowledge and tips. Sure, a financial advisor is best for professional advice, but if you can't afford it — or prefer learning from like-minded savers —the FIRE community is a great place to start.
"Folks are trying to learn from each other how to be a more conscious consumer," said Schleif. "Many FIRE habits stem from younger generations who were influenced by the devastation that older generations faced in '08 and '09."
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