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Not having kids might mean fewer financial obligations, but it doesn’t automatically make retirement planning easier. In fact, flying solo as you age comes with its own set of complexities, from health care costs to estate decisions.
Here’s what child-free adults should know when planning for life after work.
Key Takeaways
- Child-free retirees often enjoy more flexibility but must proactively plan for long-term care and estate decisions.
- Without heirs, the focus shifts from legacy building to safe spending, optimal risk taking, and tax-smart asset drawdowns.
- Naming trustworthy proxies and setting up proper beneficiary structures is particularly important when kids aren’t in the picture.
More Freedom to Take Financial Risks
Without children, many adults have fewer day-to-day expenses and more discretion over how—and when—they spend their money. “For most clients without kids, legacy planning is not a concern,” said Alex Caswell, founder of Wealth Script Advisors. As a result, they are often more laser-focused on trying to determine how to maximize their portfolio during retirement and spend it down to zero, he said.
That shift can open the door to more aggressive investments, said Samantha Mockford, an associate wealth advisor at Citrine Capital. “If an account will likely not be drawn from for years or even decades, then it can be invested more aggressively,” she said. “Its value can go through sharp dips and spikes without impacting anyone’s household cash flow.”
As an alternative, charitable giving and supporting nieces, nephews, or younger friends can also often take the place of direct inheritance, Mockford said. “You don’t have to be a parent to love kids and invest in the next generation,” she said.
Warning
Though having no children may mean looking beyond estate planning, Caswell cautions that retirement still requires a lot of care and thought. “The only part of retirement that is easier without kids is saving more money, but even then, someone can try to plug the hole of not having kids with an expensive lifestyle,” he said.
Health Care Planning Without Heirs
Even with more financial freedom, planning for future care is essential. “Without a question [the biggest concern] is how to make sure they have enough money in case they need to go into a long-term care facility,” Caswell said. While many parents might expect adult children to help, child-free individuals need a dedicated backup plan, especially when no family caregiver is in place.
This means child-free retirees should be particularly intentional about exploring options like long-term care insurance, which can cover expenses for assisted living or in-home care, and Health Savings Accounts, which provide tax-free savings for qualified medical expenses.
Estate Planning Can Be More Complicated
It might seem like skipping kids means a simpler estate, but not having heirs can complicate who handles what when you’re gone. “The biggest pitfall I see is that people completely neglect estate planning just because they don’t have kids,” Caswell said.
Mockford advises extra caution. A childless person drafting an estate plan should be “very thoughtful” when naming someone as an executor, power of attorney, or successor trustee to ensure that person is nearby and in relatively good mental and physical health, she said, further warning that skipping the right legal structures—like titling real estate in a trust—can result in costly probate and squabbles from distant relatives.
The Bottom Line
Being child-free doesn’t mean skipping out on retirement planning. It just means approaching it differently. You may have more flexibility and fewer obligations, but you’ll also need to think ahead about long-term care, estate logistics, and how to build a legacy that fits your values. Yes, you can save more, but the rest requires just as much—if not more—thoughtful planning.
