Here's 1 Big Money Move That Sets Rich American Retirees Apart From Other Seniors - Do It Now To Rocket Up The Wealth Ladder

2025-10-09 11:03:33

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What's the secret to a wealthy retirement? It's more than saving or investing earlier - though those help. The real game-changer, the move that separates the financially comfortable from the truly rich retirees, doesn't involve a single trade or real estate deal.

It all starts with a plan.

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“The biggest piece of advice for retirees is to create a financial plan before retiring,” Patrick Marcinko, a certified financial planner, told Nasdaq.“A good financial plan should provide peace of mind that you are on track for a successful retirement, financially.”

Getting retirement right goes way past hoping for the best. It's mapped out, and now we have evidence those plans can help retirees thrive while others are just getting by.

How a financial plan drives your retirement

Many retirees wonder if they're saving enough or putting their money in the right places. A plan answers those questions with precision, showing you how to optimize your 401(k), IRA, or Health Savings Account (HSA) to take full advantage of tax benefits. It also ensures you're not leaving money on the table when it comes to employer matches or overlooked savings opportunities.

Next, it addresses your lifestyle. No two retirements are the same: Whether you envision traveling the world, downsizing to simplify your expenses or picking up part-time work, a financial plan aligns your income with your personal goals.

It also prepares you for rising costs in critical areas like health care, which Fidelity estimates will cost the average 65-year-old retiring in 2024 around $165,000 over their lifetime. With medical expenses rivaling inflation - WTW's Global Medical Trends Survey anticipates a 10.2% increase in U.S. medical costs in 2025 - planning ahead can mean the difference between staying afloat and struggling to cover basic needs.

To make a rock-solid financial plan, you need an advisor you can trust. Finding a match is easy with Advisor - a platform that can connect you with a vetted professional best suited to your income level and portfolio.

Just answer a few quick questions about yourself and your finances, then the online platform connects you with a vetted financial advisor in minutes. You can schedule an initial consultation for free and with no obligation to hire.

Diversify your portfolio

Risk management is another essential piece of the puzzle. A recent outlook from Morgan Stanley found that a diversified investment strategy is more likely to offer better risk-adjusted returns compared to familiar approaches like passive exposure to the S&P 500 Index. A financial advisor can also help you manage the right asset mix for your portfolio based on your risk profile, investing time horizon and financial goals.

Diversification acts as a hedge against market downturns, economic uncertainty, future inflation spikes and even your own longevity.

If you're feeling shaky about the current state of the stock market, you can spread your risk by investing in commodities.

One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold .

Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, which combines the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold , making it an attractive option for those looking to potentially hedge their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.

To learn more, you can get a free information guide that includes details on how to get up to $10,000 in free silver on qualifying purchases.

For seasoned investors with portfolios of $50K or more, you might consider diversifying your nest egg through a flat-fee self-directed retirement account .

A self-directed retirement account is a tax-advantaged individual retirement account (IRA) that lets investors allocate funds to a significantly broader range of alternative assets than typical IRAs offered by banks or brokerage firms.

While traditional IRAs limit options to stocks, bonds and mutual funds, a self-directed account allows you to invest in real estate, cryptocurrency, private businesses, precious metals and private lending.

With IRA Financial , you can work directly with experienced retirement specialists. If you prefer making your investments online, their platform and mobile app makes it easy to manage your account. They also have an in-house tax team to ensure your investments stay fully compliant with IRS rules.

With over $5 billion in retirement assets under custody, guaranteed IRA audit protection, 25,000+ clients nationwide and a 97% client retention rate, IRA Financial can help you grow your retirement fund with alternative assets .

Simply answer a few questions - including the kinds of assets you would like to invest in and how much you'd like to start with - to prequalify for an account in just 90 seconds .

Read more: US car insurance costs have surged 50% from 2020 to 2024 - this simple 2-minute check could put hundreds back in your pocket

Real estate investing

Another investment that has a reputation for potential growth is real estate. It used to be cumbersome, costly and very admin-heavy, but no longer.

For accredited investors, Homeshares gives access to the $36 trillion U.S. home equity market, which has historically been the exclusive playground of institutional investors.

With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund - without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property.

With risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, this approach provides an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets.

Accredited investors might also consider investing in commercial real estate.

For years, direct access to this $22.5 trillion sector has been limited to a select group of elite investors - until now.

First National Realty Partners (FNRP) allows accredited investors to diversify their portfolio through grocery-anchored commercial properties, without taking on the responsibilities of being a landlord.

With a minimum investment of $50,000, investors can own a share of properties leased by national brands like Whole Foods, Kroger and Walmart , which provide essential goods to their communities. Thanks to triple net leases, accredited investors are able to invest in these properties without worrying about tenant costs cutting into their potential returns.

Simply answer a few questions – including how much you would like to invest – to start browsing their full list of available properties .

Fine art investing

In times of economic uncertainty, alternative investments can be an appealing way to hedge your investments. One of the most attractive options is investing in fine art.

Instead of buying a single painting for millions of dollars, you can now invest in fractional shares of blue-chip art - by renowned artists including Pablo Picasso, Basquiat and Banksy - through Masterworks.

Masterworks takes care of all the heavy lifting in art investment - from buying the paintings, to storing them, to selling them opportunistically for you - with no art experience required.

All you have to do is select how many shares you want to buy and Masterworks will take care of the rest. As soon as Masterworks sells a piece you invested in, you get a return from the net proceeds. While every artwork performs differently, from their 23 exits so far, Masterworks investors have realized representative annualized net returns like +17.6%, +17.8%, and +21.5%, among assets held for longer than one year.