Don’t Panic About Retirement: Do This Instead

Retirement worries can make every market decline feel personal. A weaker jobs report, a jump in borrowing costs, or a falling account balance can suddenly look like proof that your plan won’t work.

The more useful response is to identify what you can change. A regular savings amount, an appropriate investment mix, and a realistic retirement date do more work than checking your account several times a day.

Putting worry into dollars

Suppose you have $150,000 invested and 15 years before retiring. At an assumed 5% annual return after investment costs, with no further deposits, that balance grows to about $311,839. Add $500 at the end of every month, using a monthly rate equivalent to that 5% annual return, and the ending value rises to about $444,252. You contribute another $90,000, and those deposits add approximately $132,412 to the final balance.

If you can save $750 monthly instead, the same assumptions produce about $510,458. The extra $250 a month adds roughly $66,206 over the period. Those are meaningful changes that don’t require finding a stock that doubles next week. But there is one that can increase slowly and steadily.

DOL

Dollarama (TSX: DOL) provides an interesting long-term business example because it sells everyday products to customers watching their spending. Its sourcing scale and store network can help it offer value while earning a profit. In the fiscal second quarter ended August 2, Canadian comparable-store sales increased 5.4%. That included 3.7% more transactions and a 1.7% increase in the average transaction amount. More customers were buying, not merely paying higher prices.

Earnings per share (EPS) rose to $1.29 from $1.16. However, overall operating profit grew 7%, while sales grew 17.6%. The Australian business, included for a full quarter this time, affected the mix and profitability.

That’s an important investing lesson. A fast-growing sales headline can hide slower profit growth. Dollarama’s Canadian operation remained strong, while its Australian transformation still needs time and spending. Buying the stock means paying for both.

Considerations

At the recent price of $191.93, Dollarama traded at about 37.2 times earnings. The stock’s dividend yield was only about 0.25%. So this is a growth investment, not a solution for someone who needs a large retirement payment immediately. A successful company can still deliver disappointing shareholder returns when the entry price expects too much.

My judgment is to keep Dollarama as a measured growth holding or buy it gradually, not use retirement anxiety to justify an oversized purchase. Continued Canadian customer growth supports the business. Australian costs and the high earnings multiple reduce the room for mistakes.

For retirement saving, a diversified Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) can keep eligible future withdrawals tax-free. The account can combine growth investments with cash or other suitable holdings. One retailer shouldn’t be responsible for achieving the entire 5% return assumption.

Bottom line

The savings example makes a manageable target visible. The first goal isn’t doubling the account immediately. It’s keeping a $500 contribution affordable through ordinary expenses and market swings. A plan that survives a difficult year can be more useful than an ambitious contribution abandoned after a few months.

The useful response to retirement worry is a funded plan, not a rushed stock purchase. In this example, $500 monthly adds about $132,412 over 15 years. Dollarama offers a strong Canadian business, but its valuation calls for restraint. Consistent saving and sensible diversification remain the more reliable parts of the plan.

The post Don’t Panic About Retirement: Do This Instead appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

More reading

• What $10,000 in Dollarama Became in 10 Years
• I’m Betting on Dollarama’s Latin American Growth After 29 New Stores in One Quarter
• New to Investing? 5 Canadian Stocks I’d Start With (and How Much)
• Got $1,000? 3 Canadian Stocks I’d Buy Right Now
• Tariffs Are Squeezing Canadian Businesses: This TSX Stock Has More Pricing Power

Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Dollarama. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.