Did you know the average retired couple spends $280,000 out of pocket on healthcare?
With numbers like that, retirees are struggling to make their retirement savings last.
But with this savings account, not only will your healthcare be taken care of, but you will also have some extra spending money if ever you find yourself in need of it.
If you contribute annually to this account, it can save over $138,000 of your hard-earned money from taxation, and ensure that healthcare bills are a thing of the past.
We all know about 401(k)s and IRAs. But not everyone knows about HSAs, or if they do, they don’t invest in them.
HSA stands for Health Savings Fund, and it’s a retirement savings plan that allows you to begin preparing for healthcare expenses when you retire.
HSAs are often shoved aside because they come with requirements like ‘must have a high deductible health plan’ that scare people off.
But all that means is a plan with a deductible of $1,350 or higher for a single person, or $2,700 for a family. Most Marketplace plans already meet these requirements, and many people are eligible for an HSA and don’t even know it!
Even if your current plan doesn’t make you eligible, it may be worth looking into changing plans to become eligible, because the benefits of this account are too good to pass up.
First, you can contribute up to $3,450 for yourself, or $6,900 for a family each year, and all of that money is added to the fund pre-tax. That’s thousands of dollars every year that are 100% tax deductible!
If you contribute to your HSA for 20 years, that gives you $138,000 in untaxed funds, free for you to use without penalty to cover your needs.
For a family in a mid-range tax bracket, that’s an extra $33,120 in your pocket that otherwise would have been in the hands of the system.
This also means that all the pre-tax funds you place in the account are building interest that can protect your lifestyle and wellbeing in the years to come.
Second, HSAs are free of any ‘use it or lose it’ penalties, which means your money is safe to continue growing from year to year at a steady interest rate.
Even better, as long as the money you withdraw goes towards healthcare (deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, etc.) you can begin using it at the age of 55 without any taxation or penalties.
As if that weren’t enough, after the age of 65, you can withdraw your savings penalty free to use for any purpose, whether its related to healthcare or not.
And that isn’t even the best part!
The best part is, on top of gaining interest from year to year, you can invest your HSA funds for an even greater earning potential!
This account allows you to build tax free medical security for your retirement years, gives you the opportunity for a greater potential gain through investment, and allows for penalty free withdrawal and continued savings from year to year.
Whether you have your retirement savings squared away or you are still on the path to cushioning your future, an HSA can ensure that you are happy and healthy in your retirement.
