Format for printing

There are only five sources of retirement income and two things you have to know about the that income:

• Whether or not it will increase with inflation, and
• Whether or not it will pass to a survivor in the event we die.

Those five sources of income are (drumroll please):

1.	Social Security
	•	Will likely keep pace with inflation.
	•	May be payable to children and to your surviving spouse.
2.	Employer-provided pensions
	•	May or may not increase with inflation, it depends on the plan itself, but be aware that most do not.
	•	Unless you specifically decline the option, it will always provide a continuing lifetime benefit to your surviving spouse.
3.	Personal Savings (taxable accounts, 401k/403b/457 plans, IRAs, etc.)
	•	May or may not keep pace with inflation, depending on how you invest.
	•	Will always pass to your heirs at your death.
4.	Work (wages)
	•	When it comes to what you make, you're always the judge of whether or not you're being paid fairly.
5.	Other (this is broad category, but includes things like gifts, inheritances, collectibles, homes, real estate, etc.)
	•	May or may not keep pace with inflation.
	•	What passes to whom depends on how you hold title or what you put in your will.