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One in five Americans over the age of 50 doesn\u2019t have any retirement savings, according to a survey by the AARP (1).<\/p>\n
And even if you have something tucked away, it may not be enough.<\/p>\n
Top Picks <\/p>\n
The ultra-rich use these 5 real estate strategies to build wealth while they sleep \u2014 you can start with just $100<\/a><\/p>\n The IRS usually taxes gold as a collectible \u2014 but this little-known strategy lets you hold physical bullion tax-free. Get your free guide<\/a> from Priority Gold<\/p>\n Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake \u2014 here\u2019s how to fix it ASAP<\/a><\/p>\n Federal Reserve (2) data shows that the median retirement savings for households with members between ages 55 and 64 is around $185,000.<\/p>\n While that might seem like a lot, it is likely not sufficient to secure a comfortable retirement.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s do the math. Further data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics finds the average retiree spends $59,616 a year, or a little less than $5,000 a month (3). With the estimated average Social Security check hitting only $2,071 a month in January 2026 (4), that\u2019s a difference of almost $3,000 per month.<\/p>\n From these numbers alone, it\u2019s clear today\u2019s retirees will need ample savings to bridge the gap \u2014 and they know it.<\/p>\n In a survey published by Clever Real Estate in January 2026, American retirees said they believed the average retiree will need $823,000 in savings and investments to cover their retirement in the coming years (5). Meanwhile, the average American believes the \u201cmagic number\u201d is closer to $1.46 million, based on research by Northwestern Mutual (6).<\/p>\n If these numbers are starting to make your own retirement plan seem trivial, not all hope is lost.<\/p>\n It\u2019s never too late to ramp up your retirement savings, so here are four tips to secure your nest egg.<\/p>\n 1. Review your investing strategy with a pro <\/p>\n First up, you don\u2019t have to navigate your retirement savings alone. People who work with financial advisors can see up to 3% increased returns through a combination of asset allocation, investment selection, systematic rebalancing and tax management, according to a report by Envestnet (7). This is backed up by research from Vanguard, which suggests investors can see a perceived value add of 3% when working with an advisor (8).<\/p>\n So, if you want to ensure you\u2019re maximizing your retirement contributions, it could pay to speak to a qualified financial advisor.<\/p>\n Advisor.com<\/a> connects you with licensed financial professionals in your area who can provide personalized guidance.<\/p>\n How it works is simple: Just enter a bit of basic information about yourself, like your ZIP code and retirement goals. Then Advisor.com will match you with a professional advisor<\/a> who can help you determine how many years you have left to invest and assess your comfort level with market fluctuations \u2014 two key factors in building the right asset mix for your portfolio. They can also offer advice on other key retirement considerations such as eligibility for taxable deductions.<\/p>\n Even better, you can schedule a free, no-obligation consultation<\/a> to discuss your retirement goals and long-term financial plan to make sure they\u2019re the right fit for you and your portfolio.<\/p>\n Read More: Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can become a landlord for $100 \u2014 without the headache of actually being one<\/a><\/p>\n 2. Preserve your retirement fund <\/p>\n Investing in gold can be a solid alternative to preserve your nest egg. Unlike the U.S. dollar, which has lost 87% of its purchasing power between 1971 and 2023 (9), gold\u2019s value tends to remain stable over time.<\/p>\n Gold is regarded as a hedge against inflation for a simple reason: It can\u2019t be printed out of thin air like fiat money.<\/p>\n In fact, investor enthusiasm for the yellow metal has recently propelled it to record levels, with gold prices jumping over 30% since this time last year (10). Despite a correction in late January, J.P. Morgan estimates that gold could hit highs of between $6,000 and $6,300 per ounce by the end of 2026 (11).<\/p>\n \u201cTraditionally, a weaker dollar and lower U.S. interest rates increase the appeal of non-yielding bullion,\u201d noted a less bullish report on gold from J. P. Morgan from December (12). \u201cIt has low correlation with other asset classes, so can act as insurance during falling markets and times of geopolitical stress.\u201d<\/p>\n A gold IRA is one option for building up your retirement fund with an inflation-hedging asset.<\/p>\n Opening a gold IRA with the help of Goldco<\/a> allows you to invest in gold and other precious metals in physical forms while also providing the significant tax advantages of an IRA.<\/p>\n With a minimum purchase of $10,000, Goldco offers free shipping and access to a library of retirement resources. Plus, the company will match up to 10% of qualified purchases in free silver<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious whether this is the right investment to diversify your portfolio, you can download your free gold and silver information guide today<\/a>. Just keep in mind that gold is typically best utilized as one part of an otherwise well diversified portfolio.<\/p>\n 3. Automatically invest your spare change <\/p>\n Gold and gold IRAs can be big changes to your portfolio mix, but that doesn\u2019t mean that more traditional investment vehicles can\u2019t move you towards your retirement goals.<\/p>\n For many Americans, your 50s aren\u2019t just a countdown to retirement, they\u2019re actually your peak earning years. This means you have a real opportunity to accelerate your retirement investments.<\/p>\n One way to do that is by automating your contributions so they line up with each paycheck. When your investing happens first, before bills or impulse spending, you can consistently build your nest egg without having to think about it.<\/p>\n Platforms like Stash<\/a> make this incredibly straightforward.<\/p>\n With over 1 million active subscribers and more than $5 billion in assets under management, the intuitive app lets you set daily, weekly, or monthly recurring investments that fit your cash flow.<\/p>\n You can build a diversified portfolio in just a few clicks<\/a> using its award-winning Smart Portfolio, which adjusts your investment mix based on your goals and risk level. Prefer a more hands-on approach? You can also choose your own stocks and ETFs, or combine both styles.<\/p>\n And if catching up on retirement is a priority, a Stash+ subscription offers 3% IRA matching1, which can give your contributions an extra boost.<\/p>\n You can set up a recurring deposit in just a few minutes<\/a> and steadily build your nest egg on autopilot.<\/p>\n Plus, you can get a $25 bonus investment<\/a> when you fund a new Stash account with $5, plus a 3-month trial to explore the platform.<\/p>\n *All investments are subject to risk and may lose value. View important disclosures. Offer is subject to T&Cs<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4. Find additional sources of passive income <\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for more ways to generate passive income, there is always investing in real estate. It\u2019s also seen as a hedge against rising costs as land tends to store value well, and rents increase with inflation. However, becoming a landlord yourself takes both capital and time. Those with one might not have much of the other, and vice versa.<\/p>\n But now there are opportunities to get passive income from real estate that also keeps your money relatively liquid.<\/p>\n For example, the Arrived Real Estate Income Fund<\/a> is designed to generate regular dividend income while focusing on capital preservation.<\/p>\n The fund already manages more than $83 million in assets and has historically delivered an annualized cash yield of more than 8.1%<\/a>. To put this in perspective, even the “aristocrats” of dividend stocks struggle to reach a high-water mark of 5.51%, according to Morningstar (13).<\/p>\n How it works is simple: Arrived offers short-term loans for professional real estate projects seeking to renovate, refinance or fund new construction. Each loan goes through a disciplined selection process and is backed by residential real estate, adding another layer of underwriting rigor and downside protection.<\/p>\n Even better, Arrived Real Estate Income Fund investors<\/a> also have quarterly liquidity options beginning six months after their initial investment, offering more flexibility than many traditional income-focused investments.<\/p>\n You May Also Like <\/p>\n Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise\u2019s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.<\/a><\/p>\n Article sources <\/p>\n We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n AARP (1<\/a>); Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (2<\/a>), (3<\/a>); Social Security Administration (4<\/a>); Clever Real Estate (5<\/a>); Northwestern Mutual (6<\/a>); Envestnet (7<\/a>); Vanguard (8<\/a>); GIS Reports Online (9<\/a>); APMEX (10<\/a>); J. P. Morgan (11<\/a>), (12<\/a>); Morningstar (13<\/a>)<\/p>\n This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below. One in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":473667,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[138,3205,246,65274,111,139,69,244,245,13081,4657,1050],"class_list":["post-473666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-business","tag-dave-ramsey","tag-finance","tag-investing-in-gold","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-real-estate","tag-retirement-savings","tag-social-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=473666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/473666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/473667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=473666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=473666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=473666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}