Are you ready for your retirement??
ONLY 5% of Malaysians are prepared for retirement. Despite a growing awareness for the need to prepare for one’s retirement, many do not translate their plans into action.
Those in their 20s think they are too young to think about retirement, while those in their 30s and 40s tend to believe they are doing enough because they have their EPF savings. By the time they are 55, it is just too late.
The sad truth is that at 55, most people cannot retire with financial security.
Based on EPF’s 2005 annual report, about 90% of EPF contributors have less than RM100,000 in their accounts – not enough to see them through 20 years past retirement.
Today, three meals cost you RM20 but in 20 years time – with an inflation rate of 6% a year – you will need RM64 per day for the three meals, estimates financial consultant Hazel Ong Archibald of CIMB Wealth Advisors. The government puts inflation rate at 3.2% to 4.8% but Ong says in urban areas, that figure is about 6%.
So while the RM500,000 in your EPF or bank account at retirement might look good on paper, she says, if you do not invest that money to make it grow at a rate higher than the inflation rate, 20 years later, it would be worth only RM145,053 in purchasing power!
While there is more awareness about retirement planning these days, particularly in the urban areas, in reality this does not often translate into preparedness.
“People are living longer, life expectancy for women is 76 years. For men it's 72. With this kind of longevity, people have got more than 20 years after retirement. 60 would be a more ideal retirement age."
People are marrying later too. Which means they are having children later in life. If a person has a kid at the age of 35 and retires at 55, the odds are that his child at 20 would probably still be at university or college and his education require financing.
On average, the Malaysian household spent 5.7% on education last year. With the cost of education rising by 6% each year, this is expected to climb steadily.
While parents might buy an education insurance plan for their children, 90% of the time the amount is insufficient. More often than not, parents are willing to give up “everything”, including their own retirement fund for the kids. Which leaves them in a vulnerable position in their old age, unless of course their children provide for them.
Right now, 99.9% of the contributors withdraw their EPF savings in a lump sum once they reach 55. And it is up to the contributors to manage that money. But sadly, EPF has found that contributors tend to go through that money rather quickly.
Their first survey shows that 70% of retirees use up all their EPF money within three years after retiring. A second survey done in 2004 shows them doing better – they managed to stretch their money up to 10 years.
But that might not be good enough given the fact that people tend to live a lot longer these days. In Malaysia, life expectancy for women is 76 years and for men 72 years, which means that after retirement they have to support another 20 years of living.
And on average, contributors have RM106,000 in their EPF account when they retire; and for a number of people the EPF is their only form of savings.
If one reaches 55, the probability is he could live until 80 even up to 83. But you can't stretch that RM100,000 for 30 years. It’s not possible.
p/s : article ni aku baca kat the star hari ahad lepas 27 may 2007.. just wanna share with all of you..
Those in their 20s think they are too young to think about retirement, while those in their 30s and 40s tend to believe they are doing enough because they have their EPF savings. By the time they are 55, it is just too late.
The sad truth is that at 55, most people cannot retire with financial security.
Based on EPF’s 2005 annual report, about 90% of EPF contributors have less than RM100,000 in their accounts – not enough to see them through 20 years past retirement.
Today, three meals cost you RM20 but in 20 years time – with an inflation rate of 6% a year – you will need RM64 per day for the three meals, estimates financial consultant Hazel Ong Archibald of CIMB Wealth Advisors. The government puts inflation rate at 3.2% to 4.8% but Ong says in urban areas, that figure is about 6%.
So while the RM500,000 in your EPF or bank account at retirement might look good on paper, she says, if you do not invest that money to make it grow at a rate higher than the inflation rate, 20 years later, it would be worth only RM145,053 in purchasing power!
While there is more awareness about retirement planning these days, particularly in the urban areas, in reality this does not often translate into preparedness.
“People are living longer, life expectancy for women is 76 years. For men it's 72. With this kind of longevity, people have got more than 20 years after retirement. 60 would be a more ideal retirement age."
People are marrying later too. Which means they are having children later in life. If a person has a kid at the age of 35 and retires at 55, the odds are that his child at 20 would probably still be at university or college and his education require financing.
On average, the Malaysian household spent 5.7% on education last year. With the cost of education rising by 6% each year, this is expected to climb steadily.
While parents might buy an education insurance plan for their children, 90% of the time the amount is insufficient. More often than not, parents are willing to give up “everything”, including their own retirement fund for the kids. Which leaves them in a vulnerable position in their old age, unless of course their children provide for them.
Right now, 99.9% of the contributors withdraw their EPF savings in a lump sum once they reach 55. And it is up to the contributors to manage that money. But sadly, EPF has found that contributors tend to go through that money rather quickly.
Their first survey shows that 70% of retirees use up all their EPF money within three years after retiring. A second survey done in 2004 shows them doing better – they managed to stretch their money up to 10 years.
But that might not be good enough given the fact that people tend to live a lot longer these days. In Malaysia, life expectancy for women is 76 years and for men 72 years, which means that after retirement they have to support another 20 years of living.
And on average, contributors have RM106,000 in their EPF account when they retire; and for a number of people the EPF is their only form of savings.
If one reaches 55, the probability is he could live until 80 even up to 83. But you can't stretch that RM100,000 for 30 years. It’s not possible.
p/s : article ni aku baca kat the star hari ahad lepas 27 may 2007.. just wanna share with all of you..
posted by a.z.i.d.i @ 10:03 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home