1. Lower interest rates prevailing currently is great for people
who are borrowing but terrible for the retirees who design their
future times by their ability to live off their interest income
after exiting from the work place.
2. Unlike younger age group, who have ample of time in hand to
decide their retirement plans, retirees are facing unique
challenges that previous retirees didn't face.
3. Manners in which cut in interest rates affects a retiree are
as follows:
- The ongoing rates cut has changed the scenario of long-term
care insurance policy, which has put pressure on Insurance
companies for hiking the
premium amount and lowering the insurance coverage
of the policy. This is presently one of the biggest fear, retirees
are facing.
- Annuities (these are the periodic payments earned by the
indiidual in return to their lumpsum investment) are getting
impacted by releasing lower payouts due to interest rate cut.
Insurance companies flows out their economic pain to its consumers
(which includes retirees group as well)
- Few retirees hopping onto the option of diversifying their
portfolio by higher equity allocation, perhaps is not turning out
to be the best option. They are increasing their equity base in the
fear of missing out moment (what we generally call as FOMO),
anytime when the markets correct itself, a huge downturn may be
witnessed, devastating the spending requirements of retirees.
Increasing the risk and moving in for equities in higer portion
(chasing for high yields) is definitely not a wise behaviour
reflected by retirees during rates cut.
- Most pension funds are at high risks. Higher interest rates are
needed for pension funds to sustain since most of its monies are
invested in fixed income.
4. Conclusion: The only hope of
seeing rise in interest rates or identifying the right investment
opportunity, may be the only wise call retirees should focus on,
rather than increasing their risk by chasing higher yields.