The following article was written by the team at Morningstar. We found this to be a timely analysis of risks related to bond investing.
Concerns about shortfalls in traditional retirement income sources like Social Security and pension plans have caused people to expect to rely more heavily on personal savings to fund their retirement. The graph illustrates that while only 50% of current retirees utilize their personal savings for retirement income, 65% of current workers anticipate personal savings to play a role during retirement. Further, 73% of workers expect to receive retirement income from an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan, while only 51% of those already retired actually receive income from such a source.
It may be a good idea to plan for a diminished reliance on Social Security or a pension plan. Whatever extra funds you save by taking this more conservative view will make retirement all the more enjoyable.