The Real Risks of Retirement Investing for Restaurateurs

To anyone in the hospitality industry on the glide path to retirement, it is becoming clear that today’s retirees are facing a completely different set of challenges than prior generations. This is the first generation in which retirees are carrying mortgages and other debt into retirement.

And the hospitality industry has its own set of challenges. According to a PEW report, a mere 34 percent of companies in the leisure and hospitality industry offer retirement plans, with a paltry 23 percent of those with access to such plans actually participating. Other reports cite problems for boomers in the hospitality industry who had their retirement plans put on hold due to the recession, in that these folks are looking for ongoing work even in physically demanding roles that they may not be equipped to fulfill.

Adding to the complexity, health care costs are expected to eat an ever increasing piece of the retirement budget. As well, an increasing number of those entering retirement are…