Retirees Should Use Stocks For Retirement Income

Written by: Larry Klein

An issue that plagues many retirees is how to manage retirement income in the face of the increasing cost of living. Even with moderate inflation, costs of living tend to increase over time. This can reduce the retirement income retirees can obtain from fixed income investments, even while they must meet higher expenses. Where can you find a source of retirement income that can keep of with inflation, along with your expenses?

Our suggestion: consider putting some of your money into a portfolio of large capitalization dividend-paying stocks as an income generation alternative. This retirement investment could help to provide you with a retirement income that keeps pace with the rising costs of living. For the 30 years ending 12/31/04, the stream of dividends from an investment in a basket of stocks representing the S&P 500 index generated a growing stream of income. During that same period, interest rates from CDs fell 7.42% to 1.85% (the S&P 500 is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general; it is not possible to invest directly in an index).

Data 1/1/75 through 12/31/04. Dividends based on a $10,000 investment 1/1/75 in a basket of stocks representing the S&P500 from American Funds Distributors. Interest rates from Federal Reserve year end rate on 6 month CDs. You cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and an analysis of a different period may have revealed different results.

Although publicly traded stock can help you to manage inflationary risks, the dividends that these stocks pay out are highly dependant upon the overall profitability of the issuing company. Therefore, you will want to strongly consider the dividend payment history of the company prior to making such a retirement investment.

A few additional things should be considered about stocks and CDs. First publicly-traded stocks tend to be suited for investors that are seeking asset appreciation and are willing to take on the additional investment risk. On the other hand, CD

About The Author

Larry Klein, one of the nations leading financial speakers on retirement investing provides one of the larger libraries of retirement investing articles at Retirement Investing.

Article Source: ArticleRich.com