When the future is cloudy
Retirement is inevitable. When the big day comes, will you be ready? The idea is to be able to retire and have enough savings to balance out your pension in such a way as to afford you a comfortable standard of living. The earlier you start the better off you’ll be, but the important thing is that you start.
Fidelity Investments offers a brilliantly simple retirement calculator that, after you to plug in your age and few other number, gives you a quick overview of where you financially and where you need to be in order to retirement without living the risk of living n a cardboard box on a cold wintery day.
Clear the way
Fidelity points out a simple savings strategy: “Spend less than you earn.” In other words, says Fidelity professionals, “Having a budget puts you in control, so you can enjoy your money, instead of worrying about the bills.”
Other sage advice includes taking advantage of matching contributions, pay off high interest rate credit card debt, establish an emergency fund that will last at least three months and finally fund an IRA.
It’s not rocket science. But apparently if planning for your retirement was this easy, everybody would be doing it. The missing ingredient here is DISCIPLINE. And no one, not Fidelity, not your parents or best friend can ingrain that quality in you.
You need to have the fortitude to spend less, save more and do it consistently.
A few words about building wealth
The Fidelity Retirement Tracker can put you on the fast track to a common sense blue print for planning for your retirement. According to Fidelity.com, once you’re in a position to save for other important priorities in addition to retirement, consider the following:
– Identify and prioritize your short- and long-term savings goals (i.e., buying a car or home renovations vs. saving for college or a second home).
– Examining the tradeoffs, time horizons, and costs of each of your financial goals; and learning about the types of investments that may help you achieve your goals.
– And finally ensure you don’t lose sight of your retirement savings goals.
Your future is one thing you CAN control. Don’t save for a rainy day, save for a sunny retirement!
