Early Retirement Planning - What Factors You Need To Enjoy The Perfect Retirement!
No matter where you are in life, it is extremely important to
look ahead to years when you are not going to be interested in
or able to keep working the forty hours a week you may be used
to. As time goes on, retirement planning becomes more and more
crucial; you need to plan out things like what you want to do and
where you want to live, and that can be an overwhelming thought.
If you just keep a few things in mind however, you'll realize that
planning for the perfect retirement is a lot easier than you think
it is!
The first thing to keep in mind is that you want plan for much
longer than you plan to be alive. It is important to do so, because
on retirement, you'll be living on an fixed income, and careful
planning is the key to surviving and thriving on it. With regards
to living on a fixed income, as the time for retirement draws closer,
you may want to eliminate most discretionary funds from your spending
and see what living on a fixed income is like. This will prepare
you for a time when you have less leeway to experiment. If it turns
out that you are spending more than your assets are earning or
you, this is something you want to know well in advance.
You will want to make regular contributions to your employer's
401(k) plan or your SEP-IRA. In light of planning for the inevitable,
check out Roth IRAs or a traditional IRA if you qualify. These
investments are your future, and you'll want to make sure that
you treat them with the appropriate seriousness. In a similar vein,
you'll want to pay off major debts as quickly as possible so that
they are not a drain on your finances. Things like home mortgages
and student loans can work against you when you're trying to set
up a decent retirement plan. If the debt is unavoidable, consider
putting some cash towards the debt and the rest towards a saving
plan. A low interest loan or a low interest line of credit can
help you with regards to reducing credit card debt and some high-interest
debt.
If you are concerned about a combination of loss of assets and
the need for nursing-home care, you may wish to invest in long
term care insurance. This insurance will make sure that you will
have basic needs like eating and bathing met if you are in a situation
where you can no longer perform those acts yourself without aid.
Examine your health insurance carefully, and you will likely find
that while the health insurance covers things like hospital stays
and medication, long term care is not covered. It is very important
to find out what will be paid for and what you will need to cover
yourself.
When you are trying to plan for your future, do yourself a favor
and don't sell yourself short! Plan for the worst, and most likely,
it won't happen.