Healthcare Provider Update: Healthcare Provider for Darden Restaurants Darden Restaurants primarily partners with Aetna to provide healthcare benefits for its employees. Aetna offers a range of health insurance plans that cater to the diverse needs of Darden's workforce, aiming to promote employee well-being and job satisfaction. Potential Healthcare Cost Increases in 2026 As Darden Restaurants navigates the changing healthcare landscape, the company is preparing for significantly higher costs in 2026. Anticipated increases in Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums and the possible expiration of enhanced federal subsidies could lead to substantial out-of-pocket expenses for employees. A forecasted surge in healthcare costs, driven by escalating medical expenses and aggressive rate hikes from major insurers, may compel Darden to reassess its benefits strategy, potentially shifting more costs onto employees during this challenging period. Click here to learn more
It's important for you to be involved in the retirement income planning process even
if you're married. While you may plan to be married forever, many women
end up single at some point in their lives due to divorce or death of a spouse.
More women are working and taking charge of their own retirement planning than ever before. What does retirement from Darden Restaurants mean to you? Do you dream of traveling? Pursuing a hobby? Volunteering your time, or starting a new career or business? Simply enjoying more time with your grandchildren? Whatever your goal, you'll need a retirement income plan that's designed to support the retirement lifestyle that you envision, and minimize the risk that you'll outlive your savings.
When Will You Retire From Darden Restaurants?
Establishing a target age is important because the time at which you retire from Darden Restaurants will significantly affect how much you need to save. For example, if you retire from Darden Restaurants early at age 55 as opposed to waiting until age 67, you'll shorten the time you have to accumulate funds by 12 years, and you'll increase the number of years that you'll be living off of your retirement savings. We'd also like our Darden Restaurants clients to consider:
- The longer you delay your retirement from Darden Restaurants, the longer you can build up tax-deferred funds in your IRAs and Darden Restaurants-sponsored plans such as 401(k)s, or accrue benefits in a traditional pension plan if you're lucky enough to be covered by one.
- Medicare generally doesn't start until you're 65. Does Darden Restaurants provide post-retirement medical benefits? Are you eligible for coverage if you retire early from Darden Restaurants? Do you have health insurance coverage through your spouse's employer? If not, you may have to look into COBRA or a private individual policy — which could be expensive.
- You can begin receiving your Social Security retirement benefit as early as age 62. However, your benefit may be 25% to 30% less than if you waited until full retirement age. Conversely, if you delay your Darden Restaurants retirement past full retirement age, you may be able to increase your Social Security retirement benefit.
- If you work part-time during retirement, you'll be earning money and relying less on your retirement savings, leaving more of your savings to potentially grow for the future (and you may also have access to affordable health care).
- For our Darden Restaurants clients who are married, and you and your spouse are both employed and nearing retirement age, think about staggering your retirements. If one spouse is earning significantly more than the other, then it usually makes sense for that spouse to continue to work in order to maximize current income and ease the financial transition into retirement.
How Long Will Retirement Last When You Leave Darden Restaurants?
We all hope to live to old age, but a longer life means that you'll have even more years of retirement to fund. The problem is particularly acute for women, who generally live longer than men. To guard against the risk of outliving your savings, you'll need to estimate your life expectancy. You can use government statistics, life insurance tables, or life expectancy calculators to get a reasonable estimate of how long you'll live. Experts base these estimates on your age, gender, race, health, lifestyle, occupation, and family history. But it's important for these Darden Restaurants clients to remember that these are just estimates. There's no way to predict how long you'll actually live, but with life expectancies on the rise, it's probably best to assume you'll live longer than you expect.
Project Your Retirement Expenses
Once you know when your retirement from Darden Restaurants will likely start, how long it may last, and the type of retirement lifestyle you want, it's time to estimate the amount of money you'll need to make it all happen. One of the biggest retirement planning mistakes you can make is to underestimate the amount you'll need to save by the time you retire from Darden Restaurants. It's often repeated that you'll need 70% to 80% of your pre-retirement income after you retire. However, the problem with this approach is that it doesn't account for your specific situation.
Focus on your actual expenses today and think about whether they'll stay the same, increase, decrease, or even disappear by the time you retire from Darden Restaurants. While some expenses may disappear, like a mortgage or costs for commuting to and from work, other expenses, such as health care and insurance, may increase as you age. If travel or hobby activities are going to be part of your retirement, be sure to factor in these costs as well. And don't forget to take into account the potential impact of inflation and taxes.
Identify Your Sources of Income
Once you have an idea of your retirement income needs, your next step is to assess how prepared you (or you and your spouse) are to meet those needs. In other words, what sources of retirement income will be available to you? Darden Restaurants may offer a traditional pension that will pay you monthly benefits. In addition, you can likely count on Social Security to provide a portion of your retirement income. Other sources of retirement income may include a 401(k) or other retirement plan, IRAs, annuities, and other investments.
The amount of income you receive from those sources will depend on the amount you invest, the rate of investment return, and other factors. Finally, if you plan to work during your retirement from Darden Restaurants, your earnings will be another source of income. When you compare your projected expenses to your anticipated sources of retirement income, you may find that you won't have enough income to meet your needs and goals. Closing this difference, or 'gap,' is an important part of your retirement income plan. In general, if you face a shortfall, you'll have five options: save more now, delay your Darden Restaurants retirement or work during retirement, try to increase the earnings on your retirement assets, find new sources of retirement income, or plan to spend less during retirement.
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Transitioning Into Retirement
Even after that special day comes, you'll still have work to do. You'll need to carefully manage your assets so that your retirement savings will last as long as you need them to.
- We suggest that our Darden Restaurants clients review their portfolios regularly. Traditional wisdom holds that retirees should value the safety of their principal above all else. For this reason, some people shift their investment portfolio to fixed-income investments, such as bonds and money market accounts, as they enter retirement. The problem with this approach is that you'll effectively lose purchasing power if the return on your investments doesn't keep up with inflation. While it generally makes sense for your portfolio to become progressively more conservative as you grow older, it may be wise to consider maintaining at least a portion in growth investments.
- Spend wisely. You want to be careful not to spend too much too soon. This can be a great temptation, particularly early in retirement. A good guideline is to make sure your annual withdrawal rate isn't greater than 4% to 6% of your portfolio. (The appropriate percentage for you will depend on a number of factors, including the length of your payout period and your portfolio's asset allocation.) Remember that if you whittle away your principal too quickly, you may not be able to earn enough on the remaining principal to carry you through the later years.
- Understand your retirement plan distribution options. Most pension plans pay benefits in the form of an annuity. For our Darden Restaurants clients who are married, you generally must choose between a higher retirement benefit that ends when your spouse dies or a smaller benefit that continues in whole or in part to the surviving spouse. A financial professional can help you with this difficult, but important, decision.
- Consider which assets to use first. For many retirees, the answer is simple in theory: withdraw money from taxable accounts first, then tax-deferred accounts, and lastly, tax-free accounts. By using your tax-favored accounts last and avoiding taxes as long as possible, you'll keep more of your retirement dollars working for you. However, we'd like to remind our Darden Restaurants clients that this approach isn't right for everyone. And don't forget to plan for required distributions. You must generally begin taking minimum distributions from Darden Restaurants retirement plans and traditional IRAs when you reach age 72, whether you need them or not. Plan to spend these dollars first in retirement.*
- Consider purchasing an immediate annuity. Annuities are able to offer something unique — a guaranteed income stream for the rest of your life or for the combined lives of you and your spouse (although that guarantee is subject to the claims-paying ability and financial strength of the issuer). The obvious advantage in the context of retirement income planning is that you can use an annuity to lock in a predictable annual income stream, not subject to investment risk, that you can't outlive.** Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to retirement income planning. A financial professional can review your circumstances, help you sort through your options, and help develop a plan that's right for you.
According to the Society of Actuaries, in 2019, a 65-year-old woman in excellent health has a 53% chance of living to age 90, compared to a 42% chance for a similarly healthy man. *Due to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, required minimum distributions (RMDs) are waived in 2020. **Generally, annuity contracts have fees and expenses, limitations, exclusions, holding periods, termination provisions, and terms for keeping the annuity in force. Most annuities have surrender charges that are assessed if the contract owner surrenders the annuity.
What types of retirement savings plans does Darden Restaurants offer?
Darden Restaurants offers a 401(k) savings plan for eligible employees to help them save for retirement.
How can employees of Darden Restaurants enroll in the 401(k) plan?
Employees can enroll in the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan during their initial onboarding or during open enrollment periods.
Does Darden Restaurants match employee contributions to the 401(k) plan?
Yes, Darden Restaurants offers a matching contribution to the 401(k) plan, which helps employees maximize their retirement savings.
What is the maximum contribution percentage that employees can contribute to the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan?
Employees of Darden Restaurants can contribute up to 100% of their eligible compensation, subject to IRS annual contribution limits.
Are there any fees associated with the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan?
Yes, like most 401(k) plans, the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan may have administrative fees and investment-related fees, which are disclosed in plan documents.
Can employees of Darden Restaurants take loans against their 401(k) savings?
Yes, Darden Restaurants allows eligible employees to take loans from their 401(k) accounts under certain conditions.
What investment options are available in the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan?
The Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan offers a range of investment options, including mutual funds, target-date funds, and other investment vehicles.
How often can employees change their contribution amounts to the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan?
Employees can change their contribution amounts to the Darden Restaurants 401(k) plan at any time, subject to plan rules.
What happens to the 401(k) funds if an employee leaves Darden Restaurants?
If an employee leaves Darden Restaurants, they can choose to roll over their 401(k) balance to another retirement account, cash out, or leave the funds in the Darden Restaurants plan if eligible.
Is there a vesting schedule for the Darden Restaurants 401(k) matching contributions?
Yes, Darden Restaurants has a vesting schedule for matching contributions, meaning employees must work for a certain period to fully own those contributions.