The Money Game

Seniors are not always happy with the way that their retirement funds have panned out. They feel as if the money they have currently invested or set aside is not enough to carry out the lifestyle they are looking for in retirement. Some are worried, as they do not feel as though they have saved up enough money for their current lifestyle. Others feel as though they need to make up for lost time, as they may not have had the opportunity to save up as much as they want to.

“One of the ways that people try to make up time with their money is through the equity investing,” says Rene Lacape, Member of the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Marketing Manager for eQuote Life Insurance. The only problem is the fact that many of those in the older generations are afraid to put anything that they have in the stock market, not to mention time is not on their side.”

It is easy to understand the reluctance of those in the older generation. The stock market can be a roller coaster so anyone putting their retirement money into an investment vehicle that has fluctuations tends to make them uneasy. The problem, however, is the fact that a failure to invest over the long term can lead to no major returns. “The stock market always seems scarier from the outside than the inside” mentioned Rene Lacape. “The majority of people will admit the stock market is one of the greatest ways to make the most out of their retirement money. Older generations tend to think of bonds as a better way to invest. These no-risk types of investment cannot bring in the returns that stocks do over the long term.”

Not all of those in the older generation feel as if they cannot invest enough in the short term to maintain their current lifestyle. However, there are those out there who have taken full advantage of the stock market and the opportunity to make gains on their retirement funds.

“Anyone who went through the great depression is more likely to be wary of investing in the stock market,” added Rene Lacape. The others, however, lead a different story. “They are not as afraid of investing as people think. They realize that they can make the returns they are looking for in the stock market. They want to be secure, and this can help them to be more secure about their financial future.”

The trick is in the fact that stocks go up and down. While it may scare some retirees to see the fact that they have lost some money, they fail to see the fact that the markets will eventually bounce back. Stock portfolios are vast and expansive; the chance of every stock going down consistently is rare.

The stock market can be bumpy at best, but that’s how money is made. While the seemingly unstable stock market can shy away some investors in their latter years, others seize the opportunity to be able to live the rest of the lives that they want to live.