The “vinyl rule” of retirement: plan both sides in your next act

Exchange the record collection. Not only could it be worth something, but there is also a precious lesson in retirement in there.
Since the launch of Disk store day In 2008, vinyl made a serious return. What is the size? In 2022, vinyl sold CDs for the first time since 1987, accumulating more than a billion dollars in sales. One of the main reasons why recordings are again the hip is cultural nostalgia.
And this is not the only thing that people are nostalgic these days. An overwhelming number of workers would be happy to return to the era of pensions. According to a recent Nuveen and Tiaa Institute investigation93% of participants in plan 401 (K) said it was important to have the possibility of converting their savings into guaranteed monthly income. Two -thirds said that this option would make them feel more confident about retirement.
Fairly $ 107.88 $ 24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Be a smarter and better informed investor.
Click for a free problem
Register for free Kiplinger newsletters
Profit and prosperous with the best expert advice on investment, taxes, retirement, personal finances and more – directly to your email.
Profit and prospere with the best expert advice – directly to your email.
The survey highlights one of the greatest challenges of retirement: to find how to transform your savings into a regular flow of income, so that you can enjoy life today without losing sleep tomorrow.
Because, just like a vinyl file, the retirement for the most part has two separate sides. It begins with great energy, then turns to something slow – each with its own pace, their needs and its funding decisions.
To understand what retirement really looks like and why it is not a continuous groove, consider the Régeire du Vinyl Retirement: plan to make the most of the first active and high energy years while preparing the slow side and focused on the care that then comes.
A: Active and adventurous years of retirement
A Allianz investigation have found that the best retirement aspirations are to “continue new hobbies” and “find new adventures”. For many, this happens during the first decade.
“It is at this time that people check the list articles of buckets that they dream of all their lives,” explains Jacob Martin, CFP® and financial advisor at Keeler & Nadler family wealth. “I often see customers moving to a new city, traveling through the world and generally enjoying their physical health while they can still.”
Expenditure tends to reflect this stripe of activity. JP Morgan research Shows that the Americans with $ 1 to 3 million in investable assets have generally reached their spending peaks in the forties and early retirement, but often see a drop before spending increases later in life due to health care needs.
The graph below illustrates the Annual age spending in households with an investable wealth ranging from $ 1 to 3 million.
(Image Credit: JP Morgan, Retirement Guide, 2025. • Changes in expenses with $ 1 to 3 million dollars)
This is why Martin encourages customers to adopt this early phase. “Some retirees hold back, thinking that they will spend later. But it’s the decade to really live. Spend more than 65 to 75 often work very well, because costs generally drop later. ”
His recommendation? “Get in place a regular withdrawal of your investments, such as a pay check, to create a coherent feeling of cash so that you feel confident to spend the things that are important to you.”
Ralph White, director and financial planner at Benten financial planningsuggests creating separate silver basins for different objectives. The first is a traditional retirement portfolio invested in a diversified mixture of shares, bonds and two years of cash reserves for regular expenditure needs.
Then do something similar for your Active retirement years. “As this is such a finished period, I don’t want market slowdowns to have an impact on this because you can’t recover this time,” he said. “I recommend putting aside the funds available specifically for travel or other fun activities, ideally in a savings brokerage account or conservatively invested.”
(Credit image: Getty Images)
The flip: depending on the next chapter
Finally, the tempo slows down. There is a progressive change in retirement, moving from adventure and activity at a quieter and more reflective rate. This transition can result from health changes, evolutionary priorities or the reality of a narrowing budget.
According to Martin, this “slower phase” tends to emerge between 75 and 85 years old. “This is when I start to see health becoming a limiting factor,” he said. “Large trips and active activities become more difficult to manage. Even if external care is not yet necessary, expenses tend to fall and a substance around the age of 80.”
This change is rooted in biology as much as lifestyle. For example, research Indicates that after 30 years, force decreases from 10% to 15% per decade up to around 70 years, when the loss accelerates 25% to 40% per decade.
This means that even daily routines may require more energy or assistance, from retirees to growth towards lower intensity activities, such as river cruises instead of hiking, or evenings during long adventures.
This transition does not have to take you off guard. Planning “Flip” means Make sure your assets can go awayEspecially with inflation eroding your expenditure power over time.
A key decision is to think carefully when claiming social security, says Bill ShafranskyCFP® and senior wealth advisor at Moneco Advisors. “Taking your benefit before the full retirement age results in a permanent lower monthly payment,” he said. “This smaller base means future cost of living (Colas) will also be smaller, which can be added over time.”
However, none of this means that music stops.
On the B side: slower, calmer – but always rich in meaning
Like the reversal of a record, the last years of retirement offer a different tempo – slower, softer, more reflective. But they are no less significant or even cheaper.
In fact, spending can increase again during this stage, largely due to the increase in health care and potential care needs. A 65 -year -old retirement in 2025 can expect to spend an average of $ 172,500 in health care during retirement, estimates loyalty.
This explains why Two in three workers (66%) say they are worried about their health as they get older. And for a good reason: Genworth 2024 Survey on the cost of care Petilla The annual median national cost of assisted life at $ 70,800.
Not everyone will need long -term care and there are different ways to finance it. However, Martin advises people to consider long -term care insurance to help cover life spending later. “If you have planned rear health care needs,” he says, “you can feel more comfortable spending freely during your years of retirement earlier and more active.”
Shafransky considers it a blind spot for many customers. “What I find interesting is how optimistic some pre-retirees are in recent years,” he says. “They think,” It won’t happen to me. But even if long -term care insurance is not the right solution, it is essential to have a financial strategy for the worst case. »»
The prosperity of the “side B” does not only concern finances, because non -financial preparation can also make a big difference in your quality of life. Research indicates that people with a sense of goal experience Less cognitive decline. Regular volunteering is linked to slower organic agingand stay mentally and socially committed can help extinguish depression, solitude and memory loss.
And, of course, regular exercise There remains one of the most effective tools for aging well.
However, these have just been impatiently waiting for years, because older adults tend to be happier than their younger counterparts. Research shows that age comes greater emotional resilience and contentmentAs the elderly tend to live more in the present, enjoying time rather than constantly planning the next step.
This shows that the resurgence of the vinyl record can also mean the value of being “old-fashioned” like that. Like John Lennon (who had a personalized turn-back installed in his Rolls-Royce) said: “Life is what is happening when you are busy making other plans.”




