Generating enough retirement income to meet your spending needs is crucial. Although Social Security provides inflation-protected retirement income, it is simply not enough for many retirees.
If you need help planning for your retirement, consider working with a financial advisor.
John Rekenthaler, director of research at Morningstar, recently evaluated three other ways to generate guaranteed retirement income – treasury bills, TIPS ladders and annuities – to determine which is best. The answer? It all depends on inflation and life expectancy.
Guaranteed retirement income options
Retirees looking for guaranteed sources of income should look beyond Social Security and pensions.
According to the Social Security Administration, the average monthly benefit check in May 2023 was worth about $1,700. Pensions, meanwhile, have gone from mundane to increasingly rare. There were more than 100,000 defined benefit plans in 1975, but that number has fallen to less than 46,000 in 2020, according to Labor Department data.
The three retirement income options Morningstar recently assessed include:
Treasury bonds. Debt instruments issued by the US Treasury Department, these bonds are long-term securities with maturities of up to 30 years. Until then, treasury bills pay a fixed interest rate twice a year.
TIPS scales. Another type of US government investment is Treasury Inflation Protected Securities or TIPS. TIPS, however, are designed to protect against rising inflation. While the interest rate is fixed, the principal or face value of a TIPS bond is indexed to inflation. As the principal value increases with inflation, your interest payments will also increase.
A TIPS ladder is a strategy for building a portfolio of bonds with varying maturity dates. The idea is to hold a TIPS bond that matures every year during your time horizon, thereby protecting the purchasing power of your money during that time.
Single premium immediate annuities. Also known as SPIA, these insurance contracts turn a lump sum of cash into a series of guaranteed periodic payments that usually begin within a year of purchase.
Treasury Bills vs TIPS Ladder vs Annuities
Retirement strategies that rely on treasury bills, a TIPS ladder, or single-premium immediate annuities can all be good ways to generate guaranteed income. The best option, however, often depends on inflation and a retiree’s life expectancy, according to Rekenthaler.
Using a hypothetical 20-year retirement – the approximate remaining life expectancy of a 65-year-old woman – Rekenthaler evaluated each strategy’s performance under different long-term inflation rates. To do this, he calculated the growth of $100,000 invested evenly in each strategy over a 20-year period.
Under moderate annual inflation (2.4%), he found that Treasury bills would yield nearly $127,000 after 20 years, while the TIPS scale would yield nearly $118,000. Annuities, however, would only generate about $113,500.
If inflation averaged 5% per year over the 20-year period, the TIPS ladder strategy would outperform treasuries and annuities by 29% and 32%, respectively. Meanwhile, if inflation hovered at just 1% per year during this period, Rekenthaler found that Treasury bills would generate $155,000, significantly more than an annuity or TIPS ladder strategy.
But what if a retiree lives past 20? Assuming moderate inflation (2.4%), Rekenthaler found that annuities become the best income option over a 30-year period, offering $153,000.
“The rent under this inflation assumption exceeds the TIPS scale in year 21, then the Treasury bills in year 25,” he wrote. “If inflation is pleasantly low, annuities will also thrive, although it will take them a few more years to catch up with Treasuries.”
Conclusion
Retirees looking for guaranteed income beyond Social Security can consider strategies based on treasury bills, TIPS laddering, or annuities. Morningstar’s John Rekenthaler found that over a 20-year horizon, Treasuries perform better if inflation remains low or moderate. A TIPS ladder generates the highest return if inflation averages 5% per year. An annuity, on the other hand, is preferable if a retiree ends up living past 20 years.
Retirement Planning Tips
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Planning for retirement can be complicated and confusing, but a financial advisor can guide you through the process. Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be difficult. SmartAsset’s free tool connects you with up to three approved financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, start now.
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How much money do you think you have saved when you retire? SmartAsset’s Retirement Calculator can help you estimate the value of your savings when your golden years arrive.
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Social Security remains an essential part of many people’s financial plan for retirement. SmartAsset’s Social Security Calculator can help you get an idea of the value of your benefits.
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