Steaming gravy, savory stuffing and sweet potatoes — four types of pie for dessert: pumpkin, apple, sweet potato, and pecan. Every family has its Thanksgiving dinner traditions and recipes to create a perfect holiday meal. If you fail to plan or measure your ingredients, your pie could be a real flop. Planning for your future is the same. Follow this perfect recipe, and you’ll be rewarded with a delightful retirement:
Start your retirement pie by dropping in some simple information — on our online Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/retire/estimator.html. It uses your past earnings and estimated future earnings to project about how big your pie will be when you retire. Experiment with the recipe; drop in different future earnings and retirement dates until your financial security in retirement is just the way you want it. Next, top it with some savings. Social Security replaces about 40 percent of the average worker’s pre-retirement earnings. Most financial advisors say you will need 70 percent or more to live comfortably. To the Social Security pie, add your savings, investments, plus pensions or retirement accounts you will receive from your employer. Beautiful.
You like to taste while you bake? It’s easy to set up a secure online my Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount and check your reported earnings and projected benefit estimates any time you want. When your retirement pie is done, enjoy! You deserve a comfortable retirement. For more sweet retirement recipes, visit www.socialsecurity.gov.
For questions, online applications and local SSA offices:
1-800-772-1213 (toll free) | 1-800-325-0778 (TTY)
www.socialsecurity.gov
