To prepare for your future, it is always a good idea to save for retirement.
When planning for retirement, most people will need to invest money to beat inflation. That’s why this week’s information about stocks, bonds, and mutual funds is so useful. Most retirement accounts offer mutual funds, index funds, or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). You need an understanding of how stocks, bonds, and other investments work so you can make the choices consistent with the level of risk you are comfortable with.
Before responding to the discussion prompt, follow the steps below to complete the Retirement Analyzer in iGrad to estimate how much annual income you may have during retirement from your savings:
Access the Retirement Analyzer in iGrad.
Select Get Started to begin entering your current savings information and/or what you plan to save after graduation.
On the Your Retirement Analyzer screen at the end, click Edit Assumptions if you would like to adjust expected return rates and/or include Social Security or other retirement income.
Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
What did the Retirement Analyzer results show you about your retirement? Will you have enough monthly income to live comfortably in retirement? What steps can you take to save and invest in your future, while still paying bills and living now?
If you have a retirement account, or plan to start one in the future, how is the money invested (stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, or other types of plans)? How did you, or how might you, choose where to invest your money?
How does your preferred investment plan address risk? How did you, or how might you, determine how much risk you are willing to accept? What would help you become more comfortable with investing risks?
