It wasn’t long ago that most Americans had a secure three-leggedstool on which to rest their retirement concerns—a well-fundedSocial Security system, substantial corporate pensions with retireehealth benefits, and, ideally, a strong personal savings rate.

Nowadays, however, pensions aren’t what they used to be; they’vebeen largely replaced by employer-sponsored plans such as a401(k), 403(b), or 457, the reliability of which is yetto be proven.

Social Security, which was never meant to be a sole incomeprovider during retirement, is often said to be vulnerable forfuture generations.

Alarmingly, only 53 percent of the civilian workforcecontributes to or participates in a retirement plan, according tothe U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with subsets like the privateindustry at just 48 percent.

And, according to the Transamerica Center for RetirementStudies, 36 percent of baby boomers plan to rely on Social Securityas their primary source of income.

All is not lost; however, whether you’re retired, soon-to-beretired, or planning on it a few decades in advance, your best moveis to do something about it now.

While there are many clear factors to consider when planning forretirement—such as when to draw Social Security benefits and thepossibility of long-term medical care—here are five variables youmight be overlooking.

#1: You may need a housing plan—or two.

Between 2005 and 2007, U.S. home values spiked drastically invalue, but shortly thereafter plummeted. Fluctuations in thehousing market could impact your retirement income strategy.

Your home may not provide the backup retirement income you haveanticipated.

Looking ahead, the rate of house appreciation is likely torevert closer to the long-term norms (pre-2006) of 0.75 to 1percent per year over the rate of inflation—not double-digit annualincreases, according to the Urban Land Institute.

#2: Consider the potential impact ofinflation.

Inflation can be experienced a little differently when youretire because you’ll likely spend money proportionately ondifferent things.

For retirees, the tendency is to spend money on things thatexperience a higher rate of inflation.

For instance, health care—which has an inflation rate of about 8percent—is currently two to three times greater than the overallinflation rate.

#3: Reconsider your goals.

The distribution of retirement income differs from accumulationbecause, once retired, you may no longer have the timeline to helpyou recover from the impact of a down market.

You can’t control what the markets will do, or when they will doit.

The occurrence of a market downturn, such as in the first fewyears of retirement, can have an impact on how long retirementassets may last. One helpful strategy is to combine growthopportunity with reliable income sources.

#4: Understand taxes inretirement.

Many pre-retirees think that when they retire their taxes willbe less because they are no longer working. However, many of myclients pay more taxes in retirement than while they wereworking.

Shocking? It’s true. The house is paid off, you have nodependents, and less write offs.

Throw in your pension and Social Security income, plus RMDincome from IRAs and 401(k)s, and now you have a real taxationproblem.

Proper planning can help alleviate this future taxliability.

#5: Find your distributionstrategy.

Saving for retirement is like standing at the foot of a tallmountain and beginning the slow, steady climb towards yourretirement savings goal.

Once you reach it, if you’re not prepared for a long andcontrolled descent, you could run out of an adequate supply of ropeto make your journey safely. A distribution strategy is all abouthow to descend the mountain as steadily, carefully, and securely aspossible.

These are summary explanations of lengthy considerations. Besure to carefully review the many aspects of these retirementvariables.

As president of Wake Up Financial and Insurance Services,Inc. (www.wakeupretirement.net) for nearly two decades, MarcSarner provides retirement solutions for retirees and pre-retireesthat focus on reducing taxes, increasing income and managing risks.He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from CaliforniaPolytechnic State University.