For many people thinking about retirement does not conjure up thoughts of loneliness. Instead they are busy planning about going on cruising trips, or using their time to finally pursue their interests or hobbies, or spending more quality time with their partners and other members of the family. Howevera spouse's death or a divorce can leave people at the latter half of their lives feeling unsure and lost, wondering how to go on from there. However, being single and retired need not mean the death knell of life. There are many ways that you can beat loneliness after retirement and feel safe.

Except for the wealthy, the basic goal for almost all retirement planning is to ensure that your assets last, and your cash flow remains steady, for as long as you live. At the end of a regularly earned salary, balancing your retirement income against your total household expenses must be the focus of all further financial planning. Due to an increasing life expectancy, keeping the cash flow going has become increasingly critical. The average American, retiring at 65, can expect to live for at least another 20 years. So, it is essential that you don't let the cash flow stop, even after retirement There is something to think about in terms of 401 retirement plan issues.

Something important to remember, especially if you have periodic distributions set up, is to keep an eye on the amount of cash available for withdrawal from your account. In most cases, your account will be invested in things such as stocks, bonds and/or mutual funds; though the value of these holdings may be more than enough to cover your withdrawal, if there is no actual cash available you can run into an "insufficient funds" error with your custodian. As a general rule of thumb we recommend keeping at least 3-6 months worth of expenses in cash and available for distribution.

This takes care of your distribution needs while also keeping your cash position at a minimum, leaving the majority of your portfolio invested for the potential of long-term higher returns. In addition, when it comes to replenishing your cash balance, remember that interest, dividends and capital gains distributions generated from the positions you own will help with this. However it is a good idea to stay apprised of your amount's cash balance so that if you do need to sell a holding for funds it can be done in time so as not to interrupt the your monthly distributions.

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