Avoiding Outliving Your Money: Building a Retirement Plan That Can Last
One of the biggest fears people have about retirement is simple:
What if I live longer than my money does?
You can spend decades working, saving, and investing for retirement, only to face a new challenge once you stop working: making sure those assets can support you for the rest of your life.
This is known as longevity risk—the risk that you live longer than expected and eventually run out of retirement savings.
Fortunately, there are strategies you can use to help reduce this risk. Creating multiple sources of retirement income, managing withdrawals, maintaining appropriate investments, and considering lifetime income solutions can all play a role.
Why Outliving Your Money Is a Risk
Retirement can last much longer than people expect.
Someone who retires in their 60s could potentially spend 20, 30, or more years in retirement.
During that time, you'll continue to pay for:
Housing
Food
Utilities
Transportation
Healthcare
Insurance
Taxes
Travel
Family expenses
Unexpected costs
At the same time, your paycheck may disappear.
That means your retirement assets need to generate enough income to support you throughout your retirement years.
What Is Longevity Risk?
Longevity risk is the possibility of living longer than your retirement assets are able to support.
For example, imagine you retire at 65 with $1 million.
That sounds like a substantial amount of money.
But if you need $60,000 per year for living expenses, the portfolio has to support withdrawals while also accounting for inflation, investment performance, taxes, healthcare costs, and potentially several decades of retirement.
The question isn't simply:
"How much do I have?"
It's:
"How much sustainable income can my assets provide?"
Start With a Retirement Budget
One of the best ways to reduce the risk of running out of money is to understand how much you'll actually need.
Create a retirement budget that separates expenses into essential and discretionary categories.
Essential Expenses
These might include:
Mortgage or rent
Utilities
Groceries
Healthcare
Insurance
Property taxes
Transportation
Debt payments
Discretionary Expenses
These might include:
Travel
Dining
Entertainment
Hobbies
Gifts
Major purchases
Knowing your essential expenses helps you determine how much reliable income you need every month.
Calculate Your Retirement Income Sources
Next, identify where your retirement income will come from.
Potential sources include:
Social Security
Pension income
Annuities
401(k) withdrawals
IRA withdrawals
Investment income
Rental income
Business income
Savings
Then compare your expected income with your estimated expenses.
For example, if your household needs $6,000 per month and Social Security provides $3,500, you have a $2,500 monthly gap that needs to be addressed through other sources.
This calculation can help you determine whether your current retirement strategy is sufficient.
Don't Rely Entirely on Investment Withdrawals
Many retirees rely on their investment portfolio to generate retirement income.
This can provide flexibility and growth potential, but it also creates risk.
Your investments can decline during a market downturn.
If you are forced to sell investments while markets are down to cover living expenses, you may permanently reduce the amount of money available for future growth.
This is sometimes called sequence-of-returns risk.
The timing of investment returns can matter just as much as the average return over your entire retirement.
Consider Guaranteed Lifetime Income
One potential way to address longevity risk is to create a source of income designed to last for life.
Certain annuities can provide contractual lifetime income according to the terms of the policy.
This can create a retirement income stream that isn't directly dependent on the daily performance of the stock market.
For example, a retiree might use an annuity to cover a portion of essential expenses while keeping the remainder of their retirement assets invested.
The goal isn't necessarily to put all of your money into an annuity.
Instead, guaranteed income can potentially serve as one layer of a broader retirement strategy.
How Annuities Can Help
Annuities are contracts issued by insurance companies.
Depending on the type, an annuity may provide:
Lifetime income
Tax-deferred growth
Fixed interest
Index-linked interest
Investment options
Death benefits
Other contractual guarantees
Certain annuities can provide income for life, helping address the possibility of outliving your savings.
However, guarantees depend on the specific contract and the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.
Social Security Can Provide a Foundation
Social Security can be another important component of a retirement income strategy.
Your benefit amount depends on your earnings history and when you claim benefits.
For some retirees, Social Security may cover a significant portion of essential expenses.
The timing of when you claim benefits can therefore have a major impact on your long-term retirement income.
Consider how Social Security fits together with your other income sources rather than treating it as a standalone decision.
Don't Forget Inflation
Running out of money isn't the only risk.
You can also lose purchasing power.
A retirement income of $5,000 per month might seem sufficient today, but inflation can make the same amount worth considerably less over a long retirement.
This is why retirement planning should account for rising costs.
Some retirees may use investments for long-term growth while using other income sources for stability.
Certain annuity contracts may also offer features designed to increase income, although these features can affect the amount of initial income and may involve additional costs.
Healthcare Can Change the Equation
Healthcare expenses can become increasingly important later in retirement.
Consider potential costs such as:
Medicare premiums
Supplemental coverage
Prescription medications
Dental care
Vision care
Long-term care
Out-of-pocket medical expenses
A retirement plan that looks comfortable on paper may become less comfortable if healthcare expenses are significantly higher than expected.
Building flexibility into your retirement plan can help you prepare for these costs.
Maintain an Emergency Fund
Even during retirement, unexpected expenses happen.
You may need money for:
Home repairs
Vehicle repairs
Medical bills
Family emergencies
Major purchases
Keeping a portion of your assets in accessible savings can help prevent you from selling long-term investments during an unfavorable market.
The appropriate emergency reserve depends on your expenses and overall financial situation.
Diversify Your Sources of Income
One of the strongest ways to build retirement resilience is to avoid relying entirely on one source of income.
For example, your retirement income strategy might include:
Social Security — predictable government retirement benefits
Annuity — potential contractual lifetime income
Investments — growth potential
Retirement accounts — additional income and flexibility
Cash savings — emergency liquidity
Other assets — additional financial resources
Each source can serve a different purpose.
Consider Your Spouse
Married couples need to consider what happens if one spouse dies first.
Household expenses may not decrease proportionally when one spouse dies, while certain sources of income may change.
Consider:
Survivor Social Security benefits
Pension survivor benefits
Joint annuity income
Life insurance
Retirement account beneficiaries
Housing expenses
Healthcare costs
A retirement plan should address both spouses' financial security.
Be Careful With Retirement Withdrawals
The amount you withdraw each year can significantly affect how long your savings last.
Withdrawing too much too early can increase the risk of depleting your portfolio.
At the same time, being overly conservative may prevent you from enjoying the retirement you've spent decades preparing for.
Your withdrawal strategy should consider:
Portfolio size
Investment allocation
Age
Expected lifespan
Market conditions
Inflation
Taxes
Other income
Healthcare expenses
There isn't one withdrawal percentage that is appropriate for everyone.
Review Your Plan Regularly
Retirement planning isn't something you complete once and forget.
Review your strategy when:
Markets change significantly
Your expenses change
You retire
Your health or family circumstances change
Your spouse retires
You purchase or sell a home
Your income changes
Your investment strategy changes
Regular reviews can help you identify problems before they become serious.
Questions to Ask Before Retirement
Ask yourself:
How much will I need each month?
How much will Social Security provide?
Do I have a pension?
How much can I reasonably withdraw from my investments?
Do I have a source of lifetime income?
How will inflation affect my retirement?
What happens if the market falls early in retirement?
How will I pay for healthcare?
How much emergency savings should I maintain?
What happens financially if I live into my 90s?
What happens to my spouse if I die first?
What assets do I want to leave to my family?
These questions can help reveal potential weaknesses in your retirement strategy.
The Bottom Line
Avoiding the risk of outliving your money requires more than simply accumulating a large retirement balance.
You need to think about income, expenses, longevity, inflation, market risk, healthcare, taxes, and unexpected costs.
Social Security, pensions, investments, savings, and annuities can each play different roles in a retirement income strategy.
Certain annuities can provide contractual lifetime income, potentially helping address one of retirement's biggest uncertainties: not knowing exactly how long your money needs to last.
The goal isn't to predict exactly how long you'll live. It's to build a financial strategy that can continue supporting you even if you live longer than expected.
A well-designed retirement plan can provide a combination of dependable income, growth potential, liquidity, and flexibility—helping you enjoy the retirement you've worked so hard to build without constantly worrying about whether your money will run out.