These costly purchases can easily ruin your retirement funds!
The beginning of retirement is a time period when people tend to spend freely, aiming to check off various things they have on their bucket lists. Expensive toys, vacation homes, or antique cars are all some of the items many fresh retirees buy, but are there any consequences for this?
You are excited about this new freedom, and this can make you more optimistic and ready to make your dreams come true, but impulse spending is dangerous and can destroy your savings.
Maybe you think that you’ve not spent all of these years saving money for nothing, right? And this is exactly the point. You need that money. But there are some costly purchases retirees make that they regret later, and we want you to know about them so you don’t make the same mistakes.
The lesson here is to be cautious and realistic when considering significant purchases in retirement. What seems like a dream item today may become a burden tomorrow. Read on and find out what costly purchases to avoid at all costs.
1. Timeshare
Once you are retired, you might start thinking about going on vacation more often. And you might think that a timeshare is the perfect solution to permanently have a vacation spot.
Partially this is true. You’ll have a place to spend time with your family, but at what cost? Yes, there is the allure of having a place where you can escape whenever you want, but owning a timeshare often falls short of expectations and quickly becomes one of the costly purchases many retirees regret.
One of the biggest drawbacks of a timeshare is represented by the cost that appears over time that may actually exceed the initial cost of the purchase. Annual maintenance fees, utilities, and property taxes are just some of the recurring expenses that can quickly add up.
This is how a timeshare transforms into a heavenly place where you spend your vacations in a real financial burden that is slowly but surely draining your savings accounts.
Another thing that makes timeshares reach our list of costly purchases is that they have almost no resale value. It’s extremely difficult to sell them, so if you no longer want your timeshare, you have a high chance of remaining stuck with it.
2. The “dream house”
Sometimes people don’t want to abandon their dreams, and once they are retired, they consider that it’s finally time to start working to make their dreams come true. This is a fantastic initiative and can give your life a sense of purpose. But all of this is true if you don’t plan to build your dream house.
If this is what you wish for, you need to know that you are ready to make one of the costly purchases many people regret afterward.
There are some folks who consider that building their dream home with all the amenities and features they’ve always wanted is a perfect way to celebrate this milestone, but this is not as easy as it sounds and can leave you financially stressed and emotionally burdened.
This dream home can become a money pit in no time, and if you want a happy retirement, it’s a good idea to skip this dream. Remember that the joy and satisfaction of building a custom home can be quickly overshadowed by the anxiety of watching your retirement funds disappear.
If you manage to build the home and move into it, there are still many expenses that will drain your accounts because a big home requires maintenance more often. Higher utility costs and property taxes are also factors that can make you hate this investment.
Don’t spend your golden years worrying about paying taxes and utilities for a big home. Instead, avoid making costly purchases and live a simple, stress-free life.
3. A boat
Owning a boat and going on adventures is a widespread fantasy among many American retirees. They see this as a good way of escaping from the boredom of day-to-day life, but the idea of cruising on calm waters and exploring new places is often replaced by the worry that is born from the unexpected financial and logistical challenges that appear when you own a boat.
First of all, the initial costs of buying a boat can be very high for most people, ranging from tens of thousands to even hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are just the upfront costs, but there are also many significant ongoing expenses that many tend to overlook. There is a reason a boat is one of the costly purchases many people regret.
We are sure you want your boat to always be in good condition. Engine check-ups, hull cleaning, and addressing wear and tear are all a must. Then you have the insurance, docking fees, maintenance, and fuel costs that again are something you just have to do. There is no way to avoid them.
Also, taking care of a boat means you’ll have to invest a lot of time that you might actually not have. Not even to mention the emotional energy. All of these are not wrong, especially if you realize that you are not using your boat as much as you imagined you would.
So, before making any costly purchases, you better think twice and analyze if you are going to take advantage of this investment or not. There is no reason to throw money out the window.
4. Fancy cars
If you have dreamed for years and years about buying a car and you’ve decided to wait until retirement before you make the purchase, this can be a mistake. Many people dream of having an extravagant car—a sleek sports car, a high-end SUV, or a lavish motorhome—all of this can represent the culmination of a lifelong dream.
The problem is that luxury vehicles depreciate incredibly quickly. Drive it one time, and the values drop by 20%. It’s simply not a good investment because, in the end, you’ll lose money.
Besides this, if we ignore the initial costs, there are other ongoing costs such as fuel, insurance, and maintenance. If you are dreaming about owning a high-performance car, then be ready to have the money to buy premium fuel. Also, luxury vehicles often have specialized parts and services, which can be costly.
A monthly car loan payment is also not a good idea because once you retire, you probably have a lower income than the one you had when you were working, and in the end, this can result in a financial burden that you don’t need during your retirement.
The secret is to balance your dreams with the financial reality. Doing this will make you happy while you also take care of your retirement funds. In the end, retirement should be about enjoying all the free time that you now have without compromising your financial well-being.
If you don’t know how to have fun in retirement then this book might help you get some good ideas: 101 Fun Things to Do in Retirement: An Irreverent, Outrageous & Funny Guide to Life After Work
Are you eligible to get Social Security benefits? If you want to find out, you should definitely read this: 8 Types of Americans Who Aren’t Eligible to Get Social Security
