Tips on How to Prepare for Retirement

When you get older, you start thinking about retirement. You start making bucket lists and start thinking about all the fun things you want to do.  The biggest question is "How am I going to afford it?" It depends on your employment if you receive a retirement check. You usually have to pay in to it out of your wages.  Many people have worked for most of their lives, some at the same job. My mom is a teacher and has been teaching for thirty six years. She was a teacher in Indiana for 33 of those years. So, naturally she has paid into it for a long time.  So, when she retires she will be fine. The amount of your retirement from your job will be less than your salary. It also depends on how much you paid in to it. Unless you have a high paying job that you have been at for many years, you won't be able to live on that retirement alone. I read an article on Fox Business about three insurance policies that can help pay for your retirement.

There is also Social Security. That too depends on your employment and how much you pay in to it. Social Security also isn't a big amount each month usually either. I know that some people opt for 401k's.  A 401k is retirement savings plan. The contributions are often partially or fully matched by the employer. There are also other private retirement savings plans you can save for your retirement on your own on before taxed income. Another option is an IRA which is an Individual Retirement Account. An IRA reduces your taxable income until you take it out when you are usually are in a tax bracket. You are saving for retirement and saving money by using an IRA. There is a limit of how much money you can put in an IRA a month.   I know this is all kind of confusing, thankfully my friends at Genworth has tons of information to help protect your nest egg.  Be sure to check out their Everything Retirement section.

If you are close to retirement or not, I don’t think you can be too early when you start planning. The earlier you start; the better off you will be later. Retirement is meant to be a happy and joyful experience, don't let finances take your joy away.

This post was inspired by Genworth and Brandfluential. All thoughts and opinions are my own.