11 Jan 2022

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction

What do you want your golden years to look like? Do you want to pick up a hobby you've put on the back burner for many years? Or do you find joy in helping others? With early planning, you can be sure you'll be able to pursue your passions during retirement - without worry.

Ms Pereira, a secretary, is 62 years old and thinking about the retirement lifestyle she envisions and how she can live it up even after she has stopped working. When she turned 55, she chose not to withdraw a lump sum from her CPF savings as she was still working. She has been taking art classes and looks forward to creating beautiful artwork full-time after she retires.

^{Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction}

Based on her age and CPF balances, Ms Pereira is automatically covered under CPF LIFE and will receive lifelong monthly payouts from 65.

She has the option to choose from 3 CPF LIFE plans. As she is worried about things getting more expensive during her retirement years and not having enough savings for day-to-day expenses, she prefers the CPF LIFE Escalating plan.

^{Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction}

Ms Pereira uses the CPF LIFE Estimator* to find out how much she would need in her CPF savings to get the monthly payout she desires. The more savings she has, the higher the payouts.

^{Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction}

To further boost her monthly payouts, Ms Pereira decides to start making small regular cash top-ups to her CPF Retirement Account.

At 65, Ms Pereira switches to part-time work, giving her more time for her hobby. She chooses not to start receiving CPF LIFE payouts immediately, as she does not need the funds yet. For every year she delays the payouts, up to the age of 70, her monthly payout will increase by up to 7 per cent.

At 68, Ms Peirera stops working. She opts for the CPF LIFE Escalating Plan and starts receiving monthly payouts.

• Discover your life purpose at cpf.gov.sg/BeReady

*A tool designed to help members aged 55-79 estimate their CPF LIFE monthly payouts based on their desired retirement lifestyle.

**This includes the extra 2 per cent per annum on the first $30,000 and extra 1 per cent per annum on the next $30,000 of CPF savings for those aged 55 and above.

Disclaimer: Ms Pereira is a fictional character created for illustrative purposes only.

Information updated as of 11/01/2022