Late last year, in our 2022 U.S. Retirement Market Outlook, we expressed our concern that investment returns might be lower over the next several years than they have been historically. Little did we know that our concerns would materialize so fast. In the first half of 2022, the S&P 500 Index dropped 21%. For those of us involved in retirement planning, the recent volatility begs the question of whether—and how—retirement savers should react.
We address this question by revisiting our retirement saving guidance, particularly, our suggested saving rate of 15% (including employer contributions) and age‑ and income‑specific savings benchmarks. We also outline possible strategies for workers and retirees to adapt to the current market conditions.