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Social Security benefits were meant to bolster existing retirement savings and pensions — not to make up for a non-existent nest egg.
Yet, according to the United States Census Bureau, in 2023, 35.8% of people aged 55-64 had no personal retirement savings (1).
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Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don’t have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here’s how
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Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP
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Let’s say you’re 65 years old and set to retire in a few months. You don’t have any retirement savings, but you’ll receive a monthly Social Security check of $2,000 — just slightly less than the $2,071 monthly average for retired workers as of January 2026 (2).
Is it possible to live comfortably on what amounts to an average of $24,000 a year? Instead of waiting to find out the hard way, check out these three ways you can make your retirement dollars go further
Whether you rent or own property, one way to help free up some money in your retirement years is to downsize your home. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, almost 35 million Americans were mortgage-free (3).
If you no longer need the same square footage you once did when you were working or had more dependents, you can even consider looking outside your home city or state for areas where property taxes are lower and insurance costs aren’t as high.
This applies to renting as well. According to RentCafe.com, in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and North Dakota the median rent for a one-bedroom is $1,056, $1,133, and $1,174, respectively. That’s significantly lower than the national average rent of $1,740 per month (4).
Read More: Approaching retirement with no savings? Don’t panic, you’re not alone. Here are 6 easy ways you can catch up (and fast)
While the growing price of real estate can be a good thing if you already own real estate, it’s made things increasingly hard for those looking to buy homes as an investment or to retire in.
Fortunately, whether you rent or own, platforms like Arrived allow you to benefit from the hot rental market as an investor.
Backed by world class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes and vacation rentals, without taking on the responsibilities of property management.