Singapore has one of the world’s highest average life expectancies, with citizens expected to live until the age of 84.8 years. This number has been shown by numerous research to increase over the next decade.
Not only will you enjoy a longer lifespan than earlier generations, but so will your parents. This may sound like a good thing, but it does come with certain challenges.
Discussing plan for retirement with your parents
It’s a common piece of advice to have a conversation with one’s parents about their retirement goals. Easier said than done. However, your good intentions could be misunderstood as you tackle their savings. This means, you’ll need to do it in a way that your parents will understand your goals and good intentions for them.
Your parents may be reluctant to discuss their financial condition since they have kept it a secret and do not want you to worry about any prospective financial difficulties they may be experiencing.
To ensure that no one is left out and that everyone is on the same page, you should call your parents and siblings together. It’s also important to set expectations up front, letting them know that you want to collaborate on retirement plan optimization rather than exerting dominance. If you want to avoid seeming like you are blaming or shaming them for past poor financial decisions, you can also stick to the topic at hand by asking constructive questions.
Keep in mind that the goal of this meeting is to help them in their current situation and strengthen the bonds of the family.
Sharing a common goal
No matter what your parents’ situation currently is, it’s best to redirect everyone on a common goal where everyone will agree on.
It’s not always easy to predict what your parents will want to do with their retirement years or how they’ll pay for the lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to. Having this conversation with your parents will help clear up any confusion.
You may feel obligated to help fund your parents’ retirement if they no longer have a steady source of income, but they may actually have saved quite a bit. Or, your parents may count on you to help them out financially when they’re older, but you may not be in a position to do it.
Because of the shared responsibility among you and your siblings, whatever decisions you make must obtain their approval. Given that each sibling may have their own set of solutions that they might bring to the table, it can be difficult to find a workable solution.
Improving your parents' retirement strategies
When you talk to your parents about retirement, they should ideally already have a solid plan in place so that their golden years may be fulfilling.
CPF LIFE’s starting point is a lifetime income stream that can help pay for your parents’ basic costs of living every month. But due to the fact that this amount only provides for essentials, your parents may need to supplement their retirement income with more money.
You can estimate how much they will receive in retirement by inquiring about the amount of their CPF Special Account or Retirement Account as of the present. Contributing to their CPF account now is an excellent alternative to increase their future retirement income if they do not have immediate cash flow requirements so that their retirement income can be maximized.
You can put your money to work for you by investing in stocks, bonds, and funds, or by contributing more to your CPF account. If they are updating their retirement plan close to retirement age, they should avoid taking on too much market risk because they may not have enough time to weather a market slump.
Your parents can increase their retirement savings with a solid retirement plan, where they can decide when to begin receiving retirement income, how long to receive their preferred retirement income, and how long to pay premiums. This should have other benefits such as death benefit or critical illness insurance in case they become terminally ill or worse, if they pass away.
In order to have more consumable income in retirement, they may decide to downsize their current home, rent out unused rooms, or even move in with a child. Retiring with a lot of debt is stressful and they should pay it off before they stop working.
By starting the conversation early, you can give your parents the breathing room they need to modify a shaky retirement plan or capitalize on promising avenues for growth. Even if they have their minds made up, writing it all down can be a helpful exercise in visualizing the steps they need to take to get ready for retirement.
Changing Lifestyle
You may find that your parents’ current standard of living will not be sustainable once you factor in their monthly expenses and retirement plan. It may not feel right to tell someone how to spend their money, but doing so could mean the difference between a happy retirement and having to make big sacrifices or even doing without when their savings run out.
They may be able to improve their standard of living for the rest of their lives if they make some concessions now.
Having sufficient insurance coverage
Your parents may be thinking about redirecting the money they would have spent on health or life insurance premiums into a retirement savings account.
Under certain conditions, these steps could be justified; but, proceeding without preparation would be unwise. There is no need for your parents to cancel their insurance policies if the primary motivations for buying them are still relevant.
On the other hand, you and they can determine together if they are over-insured after analyzing their plan. They can afford the same level of coverage throughout retirement if the premiums on their policies are reduced.
Talking with your parents about their retirement plans
There are several upsides to broaching such a weighty subject, which affects not just your parents’ but also possibly your own financial future and goals.
If you feel uncomfortable starting this conversation or are unsure of how to best optimize their retirement plans, consulting a financial advisor may be the best course of action. This individual will be in a position to give sound advice to your parents since they will have seen how other families approach financial planning, and they will be able to offer hypothetical situations and identify any gaps in your parents’ understanding.