Massachusetts Retiree Income Shortfall Predicted

The study concludes that many retirees, including a majority of single women and a substantial number of single men, will ultimately find they have too little income to fund a basic lifestyle. The problem is less acute for married couples, according to the research. In every case, it is substantially more severe for those who require more than 121 days of home health care.

To avoid the inability to fund a basic lifestyle in retirement, people, not only in Massachusetts but anywhere in the United States, should think about what they’ll want in retirement, rather than what they’ll need, according to Joe Sciabica, a financial planner with Wealth Advisory Group, New York.

“The industry often focuses on what people need and can put artificial limits on” the amount of money they can actually make, Sciabica says. “You could say, ?I need to eat,’ but at what restaurant, and I may want to eat a particular meal.”

People should think about how to use their dollars most effectively and make sure that they get the most out of all of their resources, including protection resources such as liability insurance, life insurance and disability insurance, so that they don’t risk losing any of the wealth they’ve built up due to death, disability or inflation, Sciabica says.