Shutterstock
Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.
If you’re planning on putting your feet up by the coast and sipping margaritas in your golden years, make sure you’ve got the funds for it. These days, even a seven-figure net worth may not be enough to pay for the retirement of your dreams.
Almost 50% of investors say it “will take a miracle” to retire securely, according to the 2025 Natixis Global Retirement Index (1). Of the individuals surveyed, 23% of those who are already retired felt that they needed “divine intervention” to live securely.
The survey also found that about 25% of all people surveyed and 21% of people who do have $1 million or more fear they’ll never have enough money saved to retire.
But it’s never too late to get your retirement savings in fighting form with these three steps to catch up on saving and help secure your retirement.
Before you bolster your retirement savings you’ll want to get any debt cleared.
Paying down your debt can open the door to the lifelong contributions needed to achieve your financial goals and secure your retirement. However, this can take up a lot of time, which can cut into your ceiling of life-time savings.
With home values higher than ever, you can make your home work harder for you by making the most of your equity. The average homeowner sits on roughly $311,000 in equity as of the third quarter of 2024, according to CoreLogic.
Rates on HELOCs and home equity loans are typically lower than APRs on credit cards and personal loans, making it an appealing option for homeowners with substantial equity.
Read More: Approaching retirement with no savings? Don’t panic, you’re not alone. Here are 6 easy ways you can catch up (and fast)
When it comes to retirement it’s important to remember that you don’t have to do it all on your own. Setting yourself up for your golden years is already nerve-racking enough — especially with rising market uncertainty and recession fears.
Finding a financial advisor that suits your specific needs and financial goals is simple with Vanguard.
Story Continues
Vanguard’s hybrid advisory system combines advice from professional advisers and automated portfolio management to make sure your investments are working to achieve your financial goals.
With a minimum portfolio size of $50,000, this service is best for clients who already have a nest egg built and would like to try to grow their wealth with a variety of different investments. All you have to do is set up a consultation with a Vanguard advisor, and they will help you set a tailored plan and stick to it.
Creating a diversified portfolio with assets that traditionally fare well over economic cycles is a great way to boost your retirement fund.
Real estate is known to yield steady returns while diversifying your portfolio. However, investing in real estate as an asset class has been out of reach for the average investor.
New investing platforms are making it easier than ever to tap into the real estate market.
Lightstone DIRECT offers accredited investors access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate — with a minimum investment of $100,000.
Founded in 1986 by David Lichtenstein, Lightstone Group is one of the largest privately held real estate investment firms in the U.S., with more than $12 billion in assets under management.
Over nearly-four decades, their team has delivered strong, risk-adjusted performance across multiple market cycles — including a 27.5% historical net IRR and a 2.49x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004.
With Lightstone DIRECT, you gain access to that proprietary deal flow.
Here’s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal — roughly four times the industry average. With its skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.
Another way to diversify your portfolio is through alternative assets like art, which has a low correlation with stocks and bonds.
Many investors consider it an asset reserved for the top 1%, but that’s no longer the case.
Now, with Masterworks, you can buy fractional shares in multimillion-dollar works by icons like Banksy, Picasso and Basquiat. While art can be illiquid and typically requires a long-term hold, it offers unique portfolio diversification.
Masterworks has sold 25 artworks so far, yielding net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.*
Moneywise readers can get priority access to diversify with art: Skip the waitlist here
*Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. See important Regulation A disclosures at Masterworks.com/cd
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
2025 Natixis Global Retirement Index (1);
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.