Retirement planning is part savings, part guessing game. While many of your day-to-day expenses will remain the same, there are big-ticket categories that can take a large bite out of your savings. The more you can plan, the better prepared you’ll be to weather the costs.
Here are four expenses to keep in mind as you prepare for retirement:
The average 65-year-old retired couple will need about $300,000 in after-tax savings to handle health care costs in retirement, according to a 2021 report from Fidelity. Fidelity is a NerdWallet partner. “And that’s just for regular health care,” says Michelle Gessner, a certified financial planner in Houston. “That’s not even counting unexpected chronic illness care.”
Your specific costs will depend on where you live, how long you live and your overall health. Taking care of your health and adequately managing conditions like Type 2 diabetes can help keep costs lower.