Dad, 79, Has Been Retired 14 Years And His Nest Egg Is Still Growing — His Son Wonders, ‘Why Are We All Stressing So Much About Retirement?’

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A 79-year-old retiree has been drawing from his retirement accounts for 14 years, yet he has more money today than when he stopped working at 65. That left his child wondering whether his own retirement could eventually play out the same way.

"Why are we all stressing so much about retirement?" he asked on Reddit.

His Father Has More Money Than When He Retired 14 Years Ago

The poster said his father's retirement accounts had grown despite his annual spending, with market growth appearing to outpace what he was taking from the portfolio.

That experience wasn't unusual to everyone. "Statistically, many/most people end up with more in their portfolios decades after retirement," a commenter wrote. "Also, most people spend less money in the later stages in life."

Spending habits came up as another reason. "I have read this occurs a good bit of the time as retirees can carry the frugality of their accumulative years into their retirement," someone else wrote.

Then there are expenses that can disappear or decline altogether. "Many retirees also no longer pay into a mortgage and have lower out of pocket healthcare costs on Medicare than they do with private healthcare ," another person added.

His Retirement Date May Have Made All The Difference

The original poster's father retired after years that included the dot-com crash and the 2008 financial crisis, then spent much of the next 14 years invested as stock prices rose.

For some people, the timing said a lot. "Your father picked maybe the best time to retire, ever," someone wrote.

Others agreed. "Keep buying and buying during peak earning years while the market stays flat. Then right after you retire, the market starts climbing," another person wrote. "Can't ask for much better."

The problem is that no one knows whether the first years of their own retirement will unfold the same way. PCM Encore 's financial professionals can help investors plan their retirement withdrawals and position their portfolios around their goals and risk tolerance.

No One Knows What The Next 20 Years Will Bring