5 Retirement Mistakes 51 Year Olds Should Know About

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Retirement planning is no easy thing. It’s complicated and no walk in the park. It’s no surprise many of us make mistakes that can turn retirement dreams upside down.

As retirement nears, there are tons of things to think about, like when to take Social Security, how much to take out of your 401(k), creating a spending plan you can stick to and investing your retirement savings. And like the butterfly effect, tiny decisions now can lead to huge, life-altering consequences down the road.

5 top mistakes include failing to plan, waiting too long by putting things off until tomorrow, retiring too soon or not soon enough, hiring the wrong financial advisor, and taking too much or too little risk.

Sound like a lot to think about, right? That’s why it’s crazy to go at planning alone.

But where can you turn for guidance? In the past, you might not have had many options, but not anymore. Below are 5 retirement moves that 51 year olds should know about. They might make a big difference.

1. You Don’t Have To Do Everything Yourself. Get A Top Financial Advisor To Help You Reach Your Retirement Goals (This Is Not Just For The Wealthy)

Not planning for the future could literally be asking to fail. And nowadays there’s no excuse not to plan ahead with the internet making it easier than ever.

Getting a second opinion from a pro can’t hurt. A professional money manager/advisor could do wonders for your financial and retirement future. A financial advisor could help you create long-term strategies for building wealth and managing risk. They can help you create a plan, navigate investment options, maximize your Social Security, protect your assets and offer you peace of mind by ensuring you’re on the right track.

If you have a portfolio size of over $50,000 (it could be a combination of cash, stocks, bonds, or other assets), there are no-cost online services that make it easier than ever to find trustworthy financial advisers in your area. For example, WiserAdvisor. You fill out a short questionnaire and are instantly matched with up to three local fiduciary financial advisers, all legally bound to work in your best interests.

The process only takes about less than 2 minutes, and you’ll most likely be offered a free consultation. WiserAdvisor is an independent matching service that helps individuals find the best financial advisor for their unique needs. They have successfully helped over 100,000+ individuals like you find their ideal financial advisor since 1998.

The best advisors will work with you, as a partner, to make a game plan that puts you on track to achieve your financial goals and retirement dreams.

This has the potential to be hugely beneficial: Take a minute to fill out the short questionnaire now.

2. You Don’t Have To Wait Till Retirement To Sell Your Home & You Don’t Need A Real Estate Agent

Have you been thinking about upgrading or downsizing or maybe cashing out? Maybe you’re just curious about how much money you can get for your home or want to move. Whatever the reason, did you know there’s a way you could receive a no obligation cash offer within 24 hours without any broker/agent, or any showings (and it takes just 3 minutes of your time)?

There is no obligation to sell and it’s completely free to check what your offer is: Offerpad could give you a competitive cash offer right now. Even if you don’t want to sell to Offerpad, many people use it as a backup offer or to see what kind of offer they can currently get.

All you need to do is fill in a 3-minute questionnaire. Just fill in some info and Offerpad will carefully evaluate your home with local market expertise.

If you choose to accept your offer (you have time to think about it), Offerpad will also provide you with free local moving to your next place. You can also pick your closing day, which could be in as little as 24 hours, or choose to extend your stay to live in your current home a little longer.

Find out what your home’s cash offer is in 3 minutes right now.

3. Stop Lighting Your Money On Fire By Using High Interest Credit Cards

If you want cash to do something like pay off debt, make a home improvement or borrow money, you could use your home to take out a lower interest home equity loan instead of using a high interest credit card or other higher interest loans. You could use the cash for virtually anything you want and potentially save lots of money in interest payments.

A home equity loan allows you to borrow money using the equity in your home as collateral. Because you’re using your home as collateral you usually can get much better interest rates than other loans or using a credit card. You receive the money from a home equity loan as a lump sum, and you pay back the loan in monthly payments.

Check your rates now right here with LendingTree in under 2 minutes by answering a few questions and find out how much cash you might be able to get. Rates start at 6.99%, that’s way lower than paying 20% or so on credit cards, it could save you thousands of dollars in interest payments.

LendingTree is an online loan marketplace that will show you multiple offers from top lenders in under 2 minutes so you can easily compare. It has been finding top loan options for Americans for more than 20 years.

4. Add Gold & Real Estate To A Retirement Account

You don’t have to be super rich these days to invest in gold, real estate, and many other assets.

Gold and real estate are some of the best ways to diversify a portfolio, but so many people are missing out because traditional retirements accounts only let someone invest in stocks and bond. With a Equity Trust IRA (IRA stands for Individual retirement account) anyone can now set up a retirement account that allows them to invest in gold, real estate, and more. And it’s so easy to do online.

Equity Trust has been in business for more than 45 years, and has over $39 billion in retirement assets under custody and administration. They have over 400 client-focused associates that are there to provide dedicated, personalized service whenever someone needs it.

Simply start by requesting your free self-directed IRA success kit from Equity Trust, it contains useful information. Then (or whenever you’re ready), set up a free no obligation phone call with one of the Equity Trust associates that can help you set up your Equity Trust IRA account if you choose to do so.

5. Vet Bills Can Cost A Lot. Help Protect Your Dog Or Cat With Pet Insurance Without Breaking The Bank

We love our dogs and cats and want the best for them. We know that talking care of them can be expensive, and vet bills can add to that expense. Did you know that insurance company Lemonade now offers pet insurance for cats and dogs?

Lemonade offers a digital experience that allows users to get coverage in seconds and have their claims approved in minutes. Lemonade has a 4.9 star rating out of 5 stars in the App Store. The company also offers multiple discounts for policyholders, including a 10% bundle discount, 5% multi-pet discount, and a 5% discount for paying annually.

Coverage includes: wellness exams, diagnostics, procedures, medication, vaccines, blood tests, heartworm test, routine dental cleaning, fecal or internal parasite test, and flea/tick or heartworm medication.

Things like your pet’s age and breed (among other things) can affect the cost of pet insurance. Get a free pet insurance quote for your cat or dog now.