What's Happening
1 hour ago

Apple's Foldable iPhone To Use Samsung's Crease-Free Display Tech, Says Top Supply Chain Analyst: What We Know

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Japan's 10-Year Yield Hits 1.59%, Highest Since 2008 — Lawrence McDonald Warns Global Bond 'Anchor' Is Breaking Amid Stimulus, Tariff Jitters

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Elon Musk's xAI Launches 'Grok For Government' After Winning $200 Million Pentagon Contract

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Chamath Palihapitiya Warns US May Fall Behind in AI Race — Not for Lack of Models, But Electricity: 'We Are Way Behind'

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Longevity Health Surges 60% After Hours On Merger With THPlasma

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Trump's '100% Tariff' Threat On 'Almost Nothing' Trade With Russia A Prescription For 'How To Sound Tough But Do Nothing,' Says Economist

benzingabenzinga.com
2 hours ago

Bitcoin Treasury Companies' Play Like 'Ponzi Built On A Pyramid,' Says Peter Schiff; Economist Warns 'Wild Centralized Speculation' Eroding BTC's Foun...

benzingabenzinga.com
3 hours ago

New Harry Potter Shown Off By HBO As TV Reboot Set To Hit Screens In 2027

benzingabenzinga.com
3 hours ago

The Trade Desk Shares Spike 15% After Hours — Here's Why The Stock Is Trending Tonight

benzingabenzinga.com
3 hours ago

Jamie Dimon Will 'Go All In On Crypto,' Says Jim Cramer After Bitcoin's Explosive Rally: 'I'd Like To Pay The Bookie…'

benzingabenzinga.com
3 hours ago

Nvidia Resumes H20 Shipments To China As Jensen Huang Meets Trump, Beijing Officials — 'Fully Compliant' RTX PRO Aims To Bridge AI Cold War

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

Jim Cramer Made 'FAANG' Popular, Now He Says There's A New Acronym To Describe These Retail Favorite Stocks — 'PARC'

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

Brazil Potash Soars 86% After Hours After Signing $200 Million Deal With Fictor Energia

benzingabenzinga.com
4 hours ago

Elizabeth Warren Rips Pentagon Deal With Elon Musk's xAI Days After Company Apologized For Grok's 'Horrific' Behavior: 'What Could Possibly Go Wrong?'

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Bitcoin Retraces From Highs Ahead Of CPI Report; Ethereum Gains And Dogecoin Falls: Analyst Says $135,000–$140,000 Isn't Hopium, But 'One Clean Brea...

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Palantir, The Trade Desk, Tilray, Sonnet Biotherapeutics, And Tesla: Why These 5 Stocks Are On Investors' Radars Today

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Marjorie Taylor Greene Backs Move To Create New Census That Only Counts US Citizens, Calls For 'Proof Of Citizenship' In Elections — 'Americans Don'...

benzingabenzinga.com
5 hours ago

Jeff Bezos Is In A Star Trek Movie And He's Completely Unrecognizable — Amazon Founder Says He Made His Acting Debut By 'Literally Begging'

benzingabenzinga.com
6 hours ago

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang To Attend China Supply Chain Expo In Beijing On Wednesday, Says State TV

benzingabenzinga.com
6 hours ago

Where Will Lucid Group Be in 1 Year?

foolfool.com

Retiring in a Year? 3 Moves to Make Now.

When you’ve spent many decades in the workforce, being one year away from retirement might almost not feel real. But if you’re beginning that final countdown, it’s important to make the most of it. Here are some key moves to make with retirement only being 12 months out.

1. Get an estimate of your monthly Social Security benefit

There’s a good chance Social Security will become an important income source you rely on once you retire. So it’s important to know how much monthly benefit you’re in line for.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

A person at a laptop.

Image source: Getty Images.

An easy way to get that information is to create an account on SSA.gov and check your most recent earnings statement. But also, understand that if you don’t wait until full retirement age (which is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later) to file for Social Security, your monthly benefit will be reduced.

It’s a good idea to run the numbers so you can decide if it makes financial sense to claim Social Security right away versus wait. If you have savings to live on, you may not need to file for Social Security as soon as you retire. That could set you up for larger monthly checks for life.

2. See how much you’ve saved — and what annual income it gives you

If you’re a year away from retirement, you probably have an idea as to how much you’ve saved. And a quick IRA or 401(k) checkup could give you a concrete answer.

But don’t just look at a (hopefully) large number on your screen. Instead, figure out how much annual income your savings will provide you with.

For example, if you have $1.2 million and decide to withdraw at a rate of 4% per year, that’s $48,000 annually. You’ll need to decide if you’re happy with that. If not, you may want to make some spending adjustments in the coming year to boost your nest egg and buy yourself more freedom later on.

3. Check up on your investments

If retirement is right around the corner, now’s not the time to have 90% of your portfolio in stocks. In fact, it’s a good idea to scale back a few years ahead of retirement. If you haven’t done so yet, start moving some of your assets out of stocks and into more stable assets, like bonds and cash.

It’s also a good idea to retire with a year to two years’ worth of living costs in cash in case the market tanks and a good chunk of your portfolio needs to be left alone to ride things out. If you’re not there yet, sell some assets accordingly.

At the same time, it’s important to make sure your portfolio is well diversified. The stock portion, for example, should offer you exposure to different companies and industries. If you feel you need more diversification, an S&P 500 ETF might do the trick.

You may be excited to retire and bring your career to an end. But make sure to tackle these moves in the coming months so you’re able to get your financial house in order first.

The $22,924 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook

If you’re like most Americans, you’re a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known “Social Security secrets” could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $22,924 more… each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we’re all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

View the “Social Security secrets” »

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Related Posts

My friend Lauren is one of the most responsible people I know. She budgets and avoids flashy spending. But last year, a string of bad

Key Points President Trump promised to end taxes on Social Security and the White House says the One, Big, Beautiful Bill makes good on that

Key Points Social Security’s Trustees just delivered some bad news about the state of the program’s finances. Benefit cuts may be closer than previously anticipated.

Premium credit cards promise a lot — huge welcome offers, travel upgrades, statement credits, and exclusive perks. Looking for a secure place to grow your