The Empty Nester Phase and Its Importance for Retirement Readiness

Parents know well the high costs of raising children. Certainly, this affects our ability to save for retirement or meet other financial goals, but what about when our kids leave home? How do empty nesters tend to respond financially, and psychologically?

Work from Andrew Biggs, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of The Real Retirement Crisis: Why (Almost) Everything You Know About the US Retirement System is Wrong, finds that the period after our children become financially independent can have a big impact on retirement readiness. On this episode of The Behavioral Divide, host Hal Hershfield, discusses the research with Dr. Biggs along with real-world perspective from Certified Financial Planner Robin Sherwood, who serves as a Principal at HTG Investment Advisors.

We look at how the empty-nester phase—and life transitions in general—can shape financial choices and personal fulfillment, and what can be done to make both better.

The book The Real Retirement Crisis: Why (Almost) Everything You Know About the US Retirement System is Wrong is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Avantis Investors or American Century Investments. 

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Important Disclosures
The views expressed in this presentation are the speaker’s own and not necessarily those of American Century Investments. This presentation is for general information only and is not intended to provide investment, tax or legal advice or recommendations for any particular situation or type of retirement plan. Please consult with a financial, tax or legal advisor on your own particular circumstances.

Hal Hershfield is not affiliated with American Century Investments.

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