Retirement is supposed to be the most rewarding time of your life. You finally get to enjoy the benefits of all your hard work and saving. Of course, you can only enjoy these benefits if you actually save. Here are a few tips to help you model an appropriate retirement plan that you will enjoy.
When you plan to retire, save some money ahead of time. Set aside those savings for just your goals. Create a retirement plan, figure out how to accomplish it, and stay with it. Try starting small and increasing your savings as much as you can a month to reach those goals.
Save continuously from the time you start working until the time you retire. Even small contributions will help. The more you make, the more you need to put back. Putting money into an interest-bearing account can help your money grow as the years go by, which can greatly boost your earnings.
Start thinking about how you want to live when you retire years before you actually do retire. Make yourself a checklist detailing what you want out of retirement. What do you want your lifestyle to be like? How do you want to feel? Start thinking about retirement now so that you can plan on how to achieve those things.
Don’t forget to plan your life too, as you financially prepare for retirement. Most people learn early on that saving is very important, but they fail to take into account all the time they will have on their hands. Plan for hobbies, classes and volunteering, so you’ve got some productive things to do with your time!
Refrain from taking early withdrawals from your retirement account. These withdrawals will have substantial penalties, and will take away from the money that you have set aside. Typically, you will be charged a fee of 10% on top of the federal and state taxes that you will pay, reducing your amount by almost half.
Invest up to $5,500 a year in an IRA. An IRA is an Individual Retirement Account. $5,500 is the most you can save any given year, unless you are over the age of 50. You’ll have the option of opening a traditional or a roth IRA. This decision is up to you entirely, but should be researched first.
You may be feeling overwhelmed since you haven’t even begun to save. It’s not too late to begin now! Look at the finances you have and figure out what you need to get put away every month. If it’s not much, don’t worry. Even a small amount, if you stick to it, will yield more than if you don’t put away anything at all.
If the thought of retirement bores you, consider becoming a professional consultant. Use whatever you’ve spent a lifetime learning, and hire yourself out for a handsome hourly fee. You can make your own hours, and it will be fun teaching others about your expertize. The money you make can be saved for a rainy day or put toward immediate expenses.
Cut back in other areas of life to save more money. Saving money seems impossible when you have very little money left over at the end of the day. Try making small cutbacks in other areas and putting those savings into your retirement plan. You might find that those small dollars make a big difference.
Don’t waste that extra money. Just because you’ve got a few bucks left doesn’t mean you should waste it at the gas station. Take those few dollars extra you have here and there and stash them in your retirement plan. They’ll grow into more and more dollars over time and you’ll be glad that you did.
Never put off saving for retirement. Even if all you can do is a spare change jar that eventually adds up to a single piece of stock of minimum investment in a mutual fund, do at least that. Start small, and then build. The sooner you get going, the more you have in the end.
Your retirement plan should be based on a similar lifestyle you have. You can probably get by on roughly 80% of your current income, since you won’t have normal work-related expenses. Just don’t overspend during all your new free time.
Plan out your financial life after retirement, but don’t forget about the non-financial situations as well. For example, would you like to spend more time with your family? Would you like to sell your home and move into a condo? Would you like to have a truck instead of a car?
When you retire, you may want to spend time with your grandkids. Your children may need you to help them with childcare sometimes. Try spending time with the grand-kids by having fun and planning activities that you can all do. But it really isn’t wise to turn your retirement into a full-time childcare effort.
If you are used to extravagant tastes, you may need to tone that down during your retirement. Your stream of income will be much smaller because you will not be working. Since less money is coming in, less should be spent. If you do not control your spending, you may run out of money in your retirement.
Don’t be afraid of your retirement, it’s a time to rejoice. Remember though, you have to save if you want to play. Small amounts here and there do make a difference, so keep your chin up and keep saving. These tips will help you save better, but they won’t do the work for you.