I recently read an article in Benefit News asking the question “What accounts do retired employees withdraw from first?”
It is the first question in a series of questions about creating a plan for retirement, particularly focused on short-term tactics.
However, like any good plan you need to start with your objectives, then move to figuring out the strategy, and finally determine the tactics needed to deploy your strategy and reach your objectives.
If you start with a series of tactical decisions like the one in the Benefit News article, you may miss seeing how these decisions relate to one another and, in the process, miss out on some major income/tax saving ideas.
I happen to read the Reverse Mortgage Daily everyday, and find the information useful when it comes to reverse mortgages.
When they branch out into other topics like this article on how IRAs don’t help your average retirees, I find it less helpful and counter-productive.
All forms of savings should be encouraged whether through your home, IRA or after-tax savings account. The key is to make the best use of those savings in generating income in retirement.