Planning Your Retirement

The challenge when planning for retirement is figuring out how much you will need to spend each month once you retire and how much you need to save in order to give you that level of income.

Company pensions are definitely an effective way to grow your retirement savings, but knowing how much you should be contributing and what you should be investing in have a significant impact on the ultimate lifestyle you will be able to live in retirement.

Many experts recommend saving sufficient funds to provide for about 70% of pre-retirement income. In retirement, living expenses are usually lower, with no mortgage or education costs, children moved out of the home and no more work-related expenses. But inflation and health related expenses have to be taken into account. If you have a spouse, both of you should complete the Retirement Planner to have a comprehensive plan.

During the planning stages, using approximations is adequate to give you a good idea of what it takes to meet your retirement income goals.

Documents Required

In order to complete the retirement planner, it would be helpful to have the following documents readily available:

  • Annual employment earnings
  • Pension account statement
  • Recent investment account statements
  • Social insurance pension
  • Statement from a defined benefit pension plan (if applicable)

Complete the information and click the Results button to see your retirement plan. The results will let you know if you are on track or whether you should consider contributing more, possibly consider retiring a bit later or possibly selecting a different investment option.

Adjust any amount and your results will automatically be refreshed.

Personal Information

Current Age  
 years

Gender
    

Retirement Age
 years

 

Length of Retirement  
years

Annual Earnings  

Increase Rate 
 %

Retirement Savings

Current Account Balance

Pension Account   

Monthly Scheduled Savings

Monthly Savings   

Future Lump Sum

Amount  

Year Expected

Enter your current account balances for all company and individual pension plans and planned monthly scheduled savings to these accounts.

You can also include other assets that you expect to receive in the future, such as a lump-sum payment or inheritance.

Future Income

Social Insurance Pension

  

Other Lifetime Pension

Monthly Amount  

Starting Age
 years

Other Income

Annual Amount   

Start Year 

End Year

Enter the monthly amount you expect to receive in Social Insurance payments.

If you are in a defined benefit pension plan, enter the expected monthly amount and the age on which you plan to start receiving the pension. You can also include other income you expect to receive during retirement, such as a part-time or contractual income, or rental income.

Retirement Income Goal

 

 
 % 

 $  

Use of Funds at Retirement

 


Annual withdrawals throughout retirement

With this option, your account will remain invested and you will receive payments directly from the account. The maximum drawdown rate is prescribed by the Department of Labour and Pensions. The payments will be variable based on investment returns and your age. In the event of death, the balance of the account is payable to your beneficiary.

Life annuity with no guarantee — A fixed pension is payable to you for as long as you live and ceases at your death.

Life annuity with five years guaranteed — A fixed pension is payable for as long as you live, but if you die before receiving payments for five years, the pension is payable to your beneficiary for the remainder of the guarantee period.

Life annuity with ten years guaranteed — A fixed pension is payable for as long as you live, but if you die before receiving payments for ten years, the pension is payable to your beneficiary for the remainder of the guarantee period.

Life annuity with cash refund — A fixed pension is payable for as long as you live. Upon your death, your beneficiary will receive the difference, if any, between the total periodic payments made to you and the initial amount paid to purchase the annuity.

If you select to receive annual withdrawals throughout retirement, the calculations will assume that your account remains invested and that you will take withdrawals from the account until funds run out. The maximum drawdown rate is a prescribed by the Department of Labour and Pensions. The payments will vary each year depending on how much you need to meet the income goal, subject to the maximum amount set by the Cayman Islands pension legislation. In the event of your death, the balance of the account is payable to your beneficiary.

Investment Profile Options

The expected rate of return used in the calculations is based on the investor profile selection.

Select profile: 


Accumulator

Calculations use a higher expected rate of return for funds invested more heavily in equities. However, when selecting your allocation, keep in mind that there is a chance that more risky investments underperform expectations in the future, and this would result in lower retirement assets than a more conservative investment strategy.

Complete the Investment Risk Strategy Quiz to find the Investment Profile Option that is most appropriate for you.

Results

You must click the Update Results button on the left side to update the calculations.
Your projected assets and savings at retirement are not going to be enough to provide the income required for your retirement income goal.

Required vs. Projected Assets at Retirement

Required assets are the amount you will need at retirement to meet your retirement income goal for the duration of your retirement. Projected assets are an estimate of the amount you will have at retirement. These include your current assets today, all monthly contributions until retirement, plus investment income assuming the expected rate of return for your investor profile.

The shortfall of assets is the difference between what you need to meet your retirement income goal and the estimated assets you will have at retirement.

Additional Savings to Reach Retirement Income Goal

This table shows your current monthly savings and the additional savings required to reach your goal. The additional savings, planned savings and future investment income should be sufficient to achieve your selected retirement income goal. Additional savings are capped at 100% of your annual income. In such case, it may be difficult to save enough to meet your goals.

Description Value
Current monthly savings $0  
Total savings required to reach income goal $1,901  
Additional savings required to reach income goal    $1,901  

This chart compares expected income for each year of retirement to your retirement income goal, assuming your assets earn the expected rate of return. The chart covers the first year of retirement to the end of life expectancy.

This chart shows how your assets may change over time if you earn the expected rate of return, deposit the planned monthly savings and take withdrawals to meet your retirement income goal. In reality, your assets will have a lower value if investments underperform expectations and a higher value if you get very good investment returns.

If you find that it is unlikely that you will reach your retirement income goal, you may change one or more of the key items of your plan:

  • Include or increase part-time or contractual income for a few years at the beginning of retirement. This will make it possible to take lower withdrawals in the first years of retirement while earning compounded rates of returns on unused assets over that period.
  • Reduce your retirement income goal. Even small adjustments can make a big difference over the long term.
  • Plan to retire one or more years later. Your assets will be compounded longer and you will not take withdrawals from your pension account.
  • Save more toward retirement. It is often possible to spend less and save more; added funds can earn investment income and compound over time.
  • Consider using other assets that you were not planning to use as a source of retirement income.