To prepare for this writing, I just spent about 30 minutes updating my personal retirement and education savings plan. All the basic facts were there — it just needed some minor tweaking. As a nerd, it’s fun to track progress towards meeting our goals. But, being married to a sweet lady who defines “fun” differently from me, I understand we are all wired differently.
Maybe you or someone you know would like to start planning for retirement, but they don’t know where to start. Whether you’re a nerd or a free spirit, here are three things you can do to start planning for retirement.
1. Take Inventory
There’s no way around organizing what you have. For many, this step is the greatest fear. Why? It’s a reality check. Start with your most recent bank statements and other account statements. Soon to follow would be your tax return and other financial records. We have a one-page checklist that’s extremely helpful. Let us know if you would like to receive it.
2. Know Your Number
No, it’s not the balance of your overall retirement nest egg. I’m talking about the number it takes you to live each month. We have to use certain assumptions when developing retirement plans, such as inflation, rates of return, monthly savings, etc. But we would argue no assumption impacts the success of your plan more than minimizing this number. How do you reduce it? Have a plan to be totally debt-free when you reach your retirement age. We can help.
3. Work with a Professional
I know…but what about online retirement estimators? Sure. You can try it. But know that all aspects needed to develop a sufficient retirement plan are rarely included in these tools. For example, does the online calculator factor in social security maximization strategies, tax-efficient withdrawals strategies, realistic growth rates, etc. You may enjoy managing your own investments and do well with it. So maybe you need a fee-based financial plan to make sure you’re not missing any critical pieces to your plan.
I often say that there is only one guarantee when presenting a retirement plan: It won’t look exactly this way. Life happens, and goals can change. So then why plan? Managed money goes farther….period. As the late Zig Ziglar said, “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time!” Let’s aim at something. You might be surprised. Schedule a call today so we can help you plan for tomorrow.