How to Stress-Test Your Retirement Income Plan Before Fall 2026

If you're getting close to ending your career, it's important to make sure you've saved enough to kick off your retirement. But seeing how much money you have in your IRA or 401(k) isn't going to cut it.

You may be looking at an impressive number on the screen. But will that number hold up over what could be a 20-year period or longer?

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Even if you're confident in your baseline withdrawal rate, you never know when surprisingly unfavorable circumstances could mess with your retirement income plan. So it's important to stress-test that plan to make sure it survives. Here are a couple of ways to do that over the next few months.

Model a market crash early in retirement

A stock market crash could hurt your savings if it happens at any point during your retirement. But a crash early on could be especially detrimental. If you're forced to lock in big losses early on, your portfolio might never manage to recover.

The solution? Run the numbers to see what would happen to your long-term income if your portfolio were to drop 20% or more early on. Then, figure out a way to limit your losses.

Part of that could involve maintaining a balanced mix of stocks and bonds so that a portion of your portfolio isn't as subject to volatility. It's also wise to have a cash buffer so you're able to cover a few years of expenses without having to sell stocks at a loss due to a market crash.

Make sure your income can keep up with inflation

You may not realize it, but continuously rising costs are a huge threat to your retirement income plan. That's why it's important to make sure your savings can hold up to inflation.

One thing you don't want to do is dump your stocks in retirement to unload risk. You need the growth potential they offer to beat inflation and help make up for the smaller returns your more stable assets might offer.

Second, consider filing for Social Security after full retirement age. Each year you wait beyond that point gives your benefits an 8% boost. Since those benefits are set up to get annual cost-of-living adjustments, starting off with larger checks gives you more inflation protection on a long-term basis.

Even if you're nearing retirement with several million dollars in savings, it doesn't mean your income plan will hold up over time. An early market crash could get in your way, and stubborn inflation could erode your buying power. So it's important to stress-test these scenarios ahead of retirement and make sure you're well-equipped to deal with them.

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