Living on a $500,000 Nest Egg
Simple Pleasures
Annual income: $70,000
$30,000 from Social Security
$20,000 from a pension
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
$20,000 from personal savings
Expenses: About $45,000 will go to pay for basics, such as food, housing, health care and taxes, according to the Aon study. But if you don’t have retiree health benefits from your former employer, expect to pay an extra $5,000 a year or so for Medicare premiums and supplemental medigap coverage. The study budgets about $225 a month for entertainment. Skip the weekly Saturday night at the multiplex and join Netflix instead.
Lifestyle: With a cushion of about $20,000 a year, you can put a down payment on a used RV and tour the country. Focus on staying healthy and active because your budget doesn’t include long-term-care insurance premiums. If you need cash in the future, you could take out a reverse mortgage on your home.
Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — free
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
-
Winners and Losers of Fed Rate Cuts
Navigating interest-rate changes can seem daunting, but these areas of the fixed-income market could perform better (or worse) than others.
By Jeffrey R. Kosnett Published
-
What You Should Know About Spousal IRAs
Without spousal IRAs, you would need an earned income to contribute to your retirement account.
By Sandra Block Published
-
457 Plan Contribution Limits for 2025
Retirement plans There are higher 457 plan contribution limits for state and local government workers in 2025 than in 2024.
By Kathryn Pomroy Last updated
-
What Does Medicare Not Cover? Seven Things You Should Know
Healthy Living on a Budget Medicare Part A and Part B leave gaps in your healthcare coverage. But Medicare Advantage has problems, too.
By Donna LeValley Last updated
-
13 Smart Estate Planning Moves
retirement Follow this estate planning checklist for you (and your heirs) to hold on to more of your hard-earned money.
By Janet Kidd Stewart Last updated
-
Medicare Basics: 11 Things You Need to Know
Medicare There's Medicare Part A, Part B, Part D, Medigap plans, Medicare Advantage plans and so on. We sort out the confusion about signing up for Medicare — and much more.
By Catherine Siskos Last updated
-
Six of the Worst Assets to Inherit
inheritance Leaving these assets to your loved ones may be more trouble than it’s worth. Here's how to avoid adding to their grief after you're gone.
By David Rodeck Last updated
-
SEP IRA Contribution Limits for 2024 and 2025
SEP IRA A good option for small business owners, SEP IRAs allow individual annual contributions of as much as $69,000 in 2024 and $70,000 in 2025..
By Jackie Stewart Last updated
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2024 and 2025
Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up. Here's what you need to know.
By Jackie Stewart Last updated
-
SIMPLE IRA Contribution Limits for 2024 and 2025
simple IRA The SIMPLE IRA contribution limit increased by $500 for 2025. Workers at small businesses can contribute up to $16,500 or $20,000 if 50 or over and $21,750 if 60-63.
By Jackie Stewart Last updated