Home - Finance Over Fifty (2024)

FAQs

Does it make sense to buy a house at age 50? ›

When you're in your 50s, buying a house might cut into your retirement savings significantly, if it pushes your living costs up much higher. Maximizing your retirement contributions may ultimately net you more money than the cash you'd save by paying off a mortgage in the 15 or 20 years before you retire.

You Can Get a 30-year Mortgage at Any Age

The lender may not deny a loan because they don't think you'll live long enough to pay it off.

To get a ballpark figure of how much you'll need, start by estimating your expected income by age 50. Depending on the type of retirement you want, multiply that salary number by anywhere between 0.6 (60%) and 1.0 (100%) to get an idea of how much you'll need to finance each year of your retirement.

Retiring at 50 is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the years ahead without worrying about work and $4 million is a reasonable amount to make it possible. The initial nine and a half years may be difficult since federal penalties bar access to your retirement account.

Any first-time homebuyer should take time to understand the true costs of homeownership. At 58, you'll have a few extra considerations, but if you have good answers for the questions those considerations create, then homeownership might just be for you.

The bottom line: “You could obtain a new 30-year mortgage at 110 years old,” Harn says. There should be no issues with senior homebuyers landing a mortgage “as long as your income supports the monthly payment,” she says.

And if you're looking to buy a house, you might wonder if you can still land a 30-year mortgage when your age is north of 60. The short answer: absolutely!

Age doesn't matter. Counterintuitive as it may sound, your loan application for a mortgage to be repaid over 30 years looks the same to lenders whether you are 90 years old or 40.

The upshot is that if you're over the age of 62, you're almost 30% more likely to get rejected for a standard mortgage.

Suppose you hope to retire at 50 with $100k in retirement savings and plan for a life expectancy of 80 years. In that case, you'll need that money to keep you afloat for 30 years, equating – without accounting for any other possible sources of retirement income such as Social Security – to $278 a month.

Can I retire at 60 with 300k? ›

Yes, you can. As long as you live strictly within your means and assuming certain considerations, such as no significant unexpected costs and no outstanding debts.

Let's walk through the scenario. With $300,000 planned for your use as a retiree, a retirement age of 50, and an anticipated life expectancy of 85 years, you need that money to last you 35 years. This should mean that your yearly income is around $8,571, and your monthly payment is around $714.

Now, most financial advisors recommend that you have between five and six times your annual income in a 401(k) account or other retirement savings account by age 50. With continued growth over the rest of your working career, this amount should generally let you have enough in savings to retire comfortably by age 65.

Looking to retire on $4 million? If you leave work at 61, the average retirement age as of the latest Gallup data, you'll have more than enough to see you through to a life expectancy of 90 or even 100. Across 29 years, $4 million could equate to a generous $11,494 a month.

It's Never Too Late To Grow

The age that you enter the wealth-building game is certainly important. Time and compounding are your friends. So, of course you'd prefer to start investing in your 20s and never face big financial setbacks for your entire life.

As long as you can meet the financial requirements, you're allowed to take out a loan at any time. To take out a mortgage over 60 you will need to be able to prove your ability to repay the loan. The first thing your lender will do is check your income.

Buying a home after 60 can make sense if you have sufficient monthly income and find an affordable home. In addition, if you're physically capable of maintaining the home or can pay for extra help, homeownership won't become burdensome.

In a recent study analyzing the "sliding homeownership ladder," data showed the majority of residents in California don't own a home until age 49. SUGGESTED: These are the top US states people moved to and from in 2023: See how California ranked.