Prepare for Retirement

Retirement planning is a multistep process that evolves over time. To have a comfortable, secure—and fun—retirement, you need to build the financial cushion that will fund it all. The fun part is why it makes sense to pay attention to the serious—and perhaps boring—part: planning how you’ll get there.

After decades of working and saving, you can finally see retirement on the horizon. But now isn't the time to coast. If you plan to retire within the next 10 years or so, consider taking these steps today to help in your efforts toward having what you need to enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle. Examining your income sources well in advance of your target retirement date gives you time to make any necessary adjustments.

Retirement planning starts with thinking about your retirement goals and how long you have to meet them. Then you need to look at the types of retirement accounts that can help you raise the money to fund your future. As you save that money, you have to invest it to enable it to grow.

The last part of planning is taxes: If you’ve received tax deductions over the years for the money that you’ve contributed to your retirement accounts, then a significant tax bill awaits when you start withdrawing those savings. There are ways to minimize the retirement tax hit while you save for the future—and to continue the process when that day arrives and you actually stop working.

On the surface, retirement planning hasn’t changed all that much over the years. You work, you save and then you retire. But while the mechanics may be the same, today’s savers are facing some challenges that previous generations didn’t have to worry about.

First of all, life expectancy is longer, which means you’ll need your money to last longer – potentially into your 90s. Bond yields are also much lower than they used to be, which means you can’t buy a few fixed income instruments and earn a double-digit return.

Retirement planning means preparing today for your future life so that you continue to meet all your goals and dreams independently. This includes setting your retirement goals, estimating the amount of money you will need, and investing to grow your retirement savings.

Every retirement plan is unique. After all, you may have very specific ideas on how you want to spend your retired life. This is why it’s important to have a plan that is designed specifically to suit your individual needs.

Retirement will look different for each of us. One person may have found their lifelong passion and plans to work until the day they pass away. Another person may want to retire as soon as possible and never work another day. That same person may want to live a lavish lifestyle that includes travel and vacation homes, while their neighbor may dream of moving to a cabin in the woods and living a simple life until they pass away.

As you attain financial independence, you begin planning for all expenses, from daily costs to significant milestones. One such period of your life that must financially prepare for is retirement. Essentially, retirement planning entails make moves as early as possible to ensure that you have a financially secure old age. To that end, you can make investments, create a nest egg, purchase policies, etc. The point is to evaluate your retirement goals and make financial choices that will help you fulfil those requirements without stress.

Whether you’ve just begun your career or you’re approaching retirement, it’s important to start planning ahead. You may be surprised at how much money you’ll need to maintain your standard of living after you retire—and how much of that will need to come from savings.

It’s really exciting as you get closer to starting one of the most rewarding chapters in your life, but it’s perfectly normal to have some doubts and questions. Now’s the time to re-evaluate your plan to make sure you’re on the right track and make any adjustments you need to help you retire the way you want.