Many baby boomers are utterly unprepared for retirement — but here are 3 things the savviest of them do to basically guarantee themselves a life of comfort. Do you do any of them?

Among Americans ages 65 to 74, the number increases to $200,000. But neither balance is a particularly large amount, given that retirement could easily last 20 years or longer.

Baby boomers as a whole might not seem prepared for retirement, but that doesn’t mean all older Americans are doomed. Some baby boomers are headed for financial security, and it’s all thanks to the smart decisions they make on a regular basis.

Here are three things financially savvy baby boomers do with their money that could lead to decades of comfort once they retire.

Pay themselves first

Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report found that 42% of Americans across all ages don't have an emergency fund.

But financially savvy boomers don’t let themselves get into a situation where they can’t cover a surprise bill and end up with debt. Rather, they practice paying themselves first.

On a basic level, paying yourself first means allocating money to your savings from every paycheck before using it for anything else — but there are different ways to do it.

If your employer offers a 401(k) and you sign up, contributions can be taken directly from your paycheck. If not, you can set up automatic transfers to an IRA so that you’re funding your retirement plan every month.

You can also set up automatic transfers from a checking account, where your paycheck might land, to a savings account to build an emergency fund. Having emergency cash reserves could spare you from having to take out a loan or put an unplanned expense on a credit card.

Experian says that baby boomers have an average of $6,754 in credit card debt. But having savings ready at all times could help you avoid debt and the financial insecurity it can lead to.

Avoid lifestyle creep

As people’s paychecks increase, a funny thing starts to happen. Instead of taking the opportunity to save more money, many folks opt to spend more instead. But that could lead to more stress, more debt and less stability.

A 2024 report from PYMNTS Intelligence found that 48% of Americans earning more than $100,000 a year live paycheck to paycheck. And the reason may boil down to lifestyle creep.

Financially literate boomers don’t let themselves increase their spending as they edge toward the end of their careers and their earnings peak.

Instead, they find ways to be happy with their current standard of living and continue saving so they can support their lifestyles without worry once retirement arrives. It’s a practice you may want to adopt so you can benefit from your growing paycheck instead of having it become a source of stress.

Smart investing

Investing isn’t just important when you’re young and trying to build retirement wealth. It’s just as important to hold your investments as you approach retirement, and during retirement.

Boomers that are financially stable continue to invest, and they don’t completely withdraw from the stock market out of fear.