16 Retirement Mistakes You Will Regret Forever

From saving too little to claiming Social Security too early, there are plenty of ways that current and future retirees can sabotage their golden years.

A senior man planning his finance, paying bills and looking unhappy while using laptop at home.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As more and more baby boomers start eyeing a happy retirement, thoughts turn from worry over the workday slog to concerns about how to fund the golden years.

How prepared are you? How much money do you really need to retire? Do you know the ins and outs of your pension (if you're lucky enough to have one)? How about your 401(k), IRA and other retirement accounts that make up your nest egg? Do you have a good handle on when to claim Social Security benefits? 

These are some of the questions to contemplate as retirement approaches. But long before you punch out, make sure you're making the right choices.

To help, we've compiled a list of the biggest retirement planning mistakes and how to avoid making them. Take a look to see if any sound familiar.

Bob Niedt
Contributor

Bob was Senior Editor at Kiplinger.com for seven years and is now a contributor to the website. He has more than 40 years of experience in online, print and visual journalism. Bob has worked as an award-winning writer and editor in the Washington, D.C., market as well as at news organizations in New York, Michigan and California. Bob joined Kiplinger in 2016, bringing a wealth of expertise covering retail, entertainment, and money-saving trends and topics. He was one of the first journalists at a daily news organization to aggressively cover retail as a specialty and has been lauded in the retail industry for his expertise. Bob has also been an adjunct and associate professor of print, online and visual journalism at Syracuse University and Ithaca College. He has a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a bachelor’s degree in communications and theater from Hope College.

 

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