Personal Finance Tips for 50s in 2021

Personal finance in your 50s

If you are hitting the half-century mark this new decade, it is time for you to revisit your finances. The beginning of a new year is a great chance to develop a new plan for personal finances that is consistent with the opportunities and limitations of being in your 50s. 

The 50s are definitely a tricky age to be in. While your income is rising, you are also struggling with rising expenses for your child’s education or marriage. This now gets coupled with the pressure to save for retirement.

No doubt, it is not the easiest age range to make sound financial decisions. There is too much scope for mistakes with little time to mend them.

But fret not! Here is a specially curated list of tips for you to manage your personal finance in your 50s. Read along to find your way to making secure and sensible financial decisions.

Reset your goals

A new inning of life requires resetting your financial goals. In your 30s and 40s, you may be saving and investing for a house, new car, or vacation. But entering your 50s means revamping your ambitions to cater to the different needs of life. 

You can reset goals by understanding:

• What you need to save for, or the Goals
• How much do you need to save for these Goals

You can use any easily available online retirement calculators for determining where you should be financially at 50.

Do away with debt

• As your retirement approaches, it is advised to do away with all your outstanding debts. This is because once the income stops at retirement, it becomes extremely difficult to pay off debt with savings. 
• The 50s is your last lap to catch up with debt, be it in the form of loans, mortgage, and credit cards, and make your personal finances more stable.

Don’t add any new debt

• This one is a piece of fairly obvious advice to follow the previous one. Since your 50s is supposed to be the time to clear off debts, it is very important to not take out another mortgage or apply for another loan as new debt can put a severe dent in your personal finance and goals.

Revamp your investment portfolio

• Another big change that comes with entering your 50s is your capacity to tolerate risk. With retirement closing in and endless fluctuations in the markets, the capacity to tolerate risks decreases.
• It is advised to switch to safer investments where the market volatility doesn’t pose more risk than you can bear. This is especially important in the light of the constant uncertainty that looms all over us ever since the Covid-19 pandemic began. 

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investing in your 50s

Take special interest in healthcare

• The most crucial yet neglected aspect of all our lives is our health. And entering the 50s must come with raging alarms to focus your personal finance decisions around your healthcare. 
• Do you have proper health insurance for you and your family? How much cover do you need? Do you have enough healthcare savings? These are some important questions that you must consider as you reassign your wealth this new year.

Cut down on all unnecessary spending

• While it is commonly believed that income defines your personal finance, it is actually the spending that shapes your wealth and how it is going to be. 
• The 50s is the peak time to cut down on your unnecessary hidden spending that may be coming in the way of stable personal finances. You can do so by preparing a monthly budget to identify some potential areas of taking a step back.

Time to build a retirement fund

• If you don’t already have one, this is high time for you to start a fund solely for your post-retirement life. Don’t confuse this with the emergency fund or your child’s marriage fund. 
• Your retirement fund is to support you to be able to live your life with the honor and luxury you deserve. 

Conclusion

Your 50s is the start of a new phase of life, but it doesn’t have to overwhelm you. With a carefully thought-out plan, you can sail right through these golden years, enjoying every bit of the change in life. 

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Frequently asked questions

1. How can I be financially secure after 50?

Here are some tips to be financially secure after 50:

• Make a budget
• Cut down unnecessary spending
• Have an emergency fund
• Invest in health insurance
• Clear off your debt and avoid new debt

2. What are the 5 areas of personal finances?

The 5 important aspects of personal finance are:

• Savings
• Investment
• Financial security
• Taxes
• Retirement plans

3. What are the 4 pillars of personal finance?

• The 4 essential pillars of personal finance are assets, debts, expenses, and income.

4. What are the 4 pillars of wealth?

For creating wealth at any stage, the 4 important pillars that must be kept in mind are:

• Accumulating money
• Accumulating assets
• Taking in necessary debts to create assets
• Preservation of wealth

5. How much do I need to save for retirement?

• It is recommended to save at least 7 times your income before retiring to live a comfortable life. So if you earn $50,000 a year, you must have at least 350,000 in your retirement fund.