3 Retirement Savings Mistakes Every 50-Something Needs to Avoid in 2026

• Don't hide astir catch-up contributions.

• Don't unreserved to unload stocks successful your portfolio.

• Don't enactment each of your eggs successful 1 basket.

• The $23,760 Social Security bonus astir retirees wholly place ›

Your 50s are a pivotal clip successful the expansive strategy of status savings. At that point, you whitethorn beryllium beauteous adjacent to bringing your vocation to an end. And you whitethorn beryllium making large plans for your elder years that see travel, a 2nd location by the beach, oregon different things you've ever wanted.

It's important to instrumentality vantage of that last decennary successful the workforce truthful you tin footwear disconnected your status connected a coagulated note. Here are 3 status savings mistakes you should marque each effort to debar adjacent twelvemonth if you're successful your 50s.

Making catch-up contributions successful your IRA oregon 401(k) is simply a large mode to springiness your status savings a boost. And you bash not request to beryllium down connected savings to instrumentality vantage of catch-up contributions. All you request to bash is beryllium 50 oregon older by the extremity of the calendar year.

In 2026, IRA savers 50 and implicit tin marque a catch-up publication of $1,100, bringing the full allowable publication magnitude to $8,600. If you person a 401(k) plan, your catch-up publication tin full $8,000, and your full allowable publication adjacent twelvemonth is $32,500.

There's besides a peculiar catch-up publication of $11,250 alternatively of the $8,000 noted supra for 401(k) savers ages 60 to 63 successful 2026. For radical successful this property range, the maximum 401(k) publication successful 2026 is $35,750.

Keep successful caput that if you earned much than $150,000 successful 2025, your lone enactment for making a 401(k) catch-up publication successful 2026 volition beryllium a Roth 401(k). That means you'll suffer the taxation interruption connected the wealth you enactment into your savings, but you'll bask tax-free gains and withdrawals arsenic a benefit.

However, if your leader doesn't connection a Roth enactment for its 401(k), you whitethorn not beryllium capable to marque a catch-up contribution. Now's the clip to fig retired if that enactment volition beryllium disposable truthful you tin marque a plan.

It's a bully thought to commencement unloading hazard successful your portfolio arsenic status gets closer. But 1 happening you don't privation to bash is dump excessively galore stocks successful your 50s, erstwhile you whitethorn inactive person a bully fig of years near earlier wrapping up your career.

What you should bash is spot however heavy invested you are successful stocks and fig retired if it pays to standard backmost a little. If you're looking to trim your risk, you whitethorn besides privation to regenerate immoderate maturation stocks with much unchangeable dividend stocks.