women's retirement planning

Overcoming Retirement Risks for Women with Texas Estate Plans

Published on: April 19, 2022 | By David W. Miller

While families usually think about creating estate plans and planning for the future as a single unit, this is not always advisable. Every individual has unique estate planning needs that may differ from their spouse or children. For example, women may want to think differently about estate planning—and specifically saving for retirement—than many men. This is for a variety of reasons, including the gender pay gap and higher life expectancy, among others. Below are some of the explanations for why women should approach estate planning differently and how to overcome these obstacles.

Longer Life Expectancy

On average, women have a longer life expectancy than men. While this does not sound critical for estate planning and retirement purposes, it should. When saving for retirement, women may not be considering that they may live beyond their life expectancy. If they outlive their life expectancy, they may not have saved enough for retirement. Thus, they would not have enough money to live comfortably—and have the discretionary funds for health expenses.

Solutions to Women-Specific Needs in Estate Planning

Published on: April 6, 2022 | By David W. Miller

Over time, people have recognized the differing needs individuals have when it comes to estate planning. While they may know that no two people will have the exact same estate plan, depending on the person’s livelihood, relationship with loved ones, and even their sex. This is surprising to most individuals. For example, women may have some unique estate planning needs that most men do not have. These needs extend to all aspects of the estate planning arena, including retirement needs, caretaking responsibilities, and end-of-life care. Below are some common issues that women face when going through the estate planning process, along with how life insurance may be the solution to these difficulties.

Earning Challenges

One such struggle with estate planning that women face is the earning power challenges that make it difficult to plan for retirement. Considering women still only earn approximately 82 cents for every dollar a man makes—with the amount being lower for women of color—this makes it even more essential to plan ahead for the future. Without adequate savings for retirement, women may feel they need to work even longer in order to be financially secure in their final years of life.

How Estate Planning Can Help Women Overcome Retirement Risks

Published on: February 22, 2022 | By McCulloch & Miller, PLLC

woman retirement risks and estate planning

Most Texans are under the misassumption that estate planning is similar for all people—regardless of socio-economic status, gender, age, and other factors. However, this is not the case. While estate planning is critical for everyone, the type of estate plan and the strategies taken will depend on the person’s unique situation. This is why no two estate plans are the same. For example, there are inherent retirement risks that many women uniquely face that should be factored into their estate plan. Below are questions and tips on how women specifically can plan to avoid potential retirement risks in their estate plans.

What Are Some Potential Retirement Risks for Women?

Statistically, women live longer than men of the same age. While this may not seem critical for estate planning purposes, it does impact the potential resources they will receive as they age, along with the funds they have to pay for services. For example, many seniors will have to balance paying for medications or other healthcare services against their savings—for women who live longer, they may not have the money for these expenses.