Retirees Depleting Retirement Plan Lump Sums Faster than Five Years Ago

When approaching retirement, employees are faced with a decision that can have lifelong implications: take a lump sum payment or a guaranteed monthly annuity from their employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) plan. According to MetLife’s 2022 Paycheck or Pot of Gold Study℠, a growing proportion of retirees are depleting their lump sums at faster rates than previously seen. The full report is available at metlife.com/paycheckgoldstudy.

Today, one in three retirees (34%) who took a lump sum from their DC plan, depleted the lump sum in 5 years, on average. In 2017, the inaugural Paycheck or Pot of Gold Study found that one in five retirees (20%) who took a lump sum from a retirement plan depleted their lump sum, on average, in 5½ years.

“There can be significant drawbacks for retirees when taking a lump sum,” said Melissa Moore, senior vice president and head of Annuities at MetLife. “With the average American living 20 years or more in retirement, longer than previous generations, this can leave them at risk of depleting their money too quickly and needing to fund a significant portion of their retirement years with no income other than Social Security.”

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