Out of all of the post I share on my blog, conversations about saving for retirement are some of the most important. When you first enter the world of work as a twenty-something, or potentially even as a teenager, retirement can seem like this hurdle in the distance that will take you ages to reach. However, it is of vital importance that you begin to think about your retirement as quickly as possible. Though you might want to spend your money on having fun or milestones like buying a house, you do need to be thinking about how much you can put towards your retirement.
How Much Do You Need to Retire With?
Determining how much you need to retire with can be difficult. Everyone has a different standard of living, and different activities that they want to do in their retirement. Some might want to downsize and move abroad to a better climate. Others could want to remain at home but travel the world in a way that they might not have in their youth. There are even some who might decide that they wish to stay at home and throw themselves into new hobbies.
Whatever we choose to do, we need to make sure that we are maintaining the same standard of living that we currently enjoy. Though you might take a dip in income when you retire, some of your monthly expenses might also dip too, so everything should even out. How much money do you need to retire comfortably? That will ultimately depend on the lifestyle that you wish to enjoy. Even in your younger years, it is something that you need to give thought to. Therefore, the earlier that you can start saving for retirement, the better. You should be able to put aside a good pot of money that will help you out considerably once you are retired.
Other Expenses to Think About
With a goal of retiring comfortably in mind, you also need to make sure that you have enough saved for some of the inevitabilities of old age. It is easy to save to continue the lifestyle that you have at the moment, but you also need to make sure that you are able to meet some of the costs that come with senior living.
For example, many people’s health will decline as they age. There are numerous ways in which this can happen, and you have to be prepared for any eventuality that might come to pass. If you know that there are certain conditions that run in your family, you need to make sure that you are financially prepared to deal with them when they come around.
You might have to pay for medicine or private healthcare to treat these conditions. In addition to this, you might also need to pay for a carer or even a care home depending on how severely you are affected by the condition. There might be other changes that you might need to make to your home, such as the inclusion of a stairlift or a walk-in bathtub. No matter what, you need to make sure that you have the funds on hand to be able to afford these changes to your home and living arrangements on top of your daily living expenses.
The Benefits of Starting Early
You need to start saving for your retirement as soon as possible simply so that you can take advantage of some of the benefits that will come with doing so. The main one will be the interest that you can accumulate. There are many types of savings account out there that are specifically designed to aid retirement plans. Choosing one of these means that you should be able to take advantage of the interest rates attached to the account.
Interest is awarded for savings accounts based on how much is deposited there. The more that you are able to save, the more interest you will be awarded over time. As the amount in the bank account grows, so will the interest that you are paid.
Even if you do not make additional payments beyond the first deposit, you will be able to accrue more interest if you deposit early compared to if you were to deposit later. If one person was to deposit $50,000 in a savings account at 25, and another person did so at 30, the 25-year-old would have more money by the time they had both reached retirement age. This is simply due to compound interest, so its value cannot be ignored. The earlier that you are able to save for retirement, the better off you will be in the long term.
Know What Contributions You Will Get
When you start planning for your retirement, you need to know what contributions you will be able to get from other bodies, and how much of it you will have to do yourself. For example, if you are eligible for a state pension, how much will it be and when will you be able to start claiming it? Make sure you pay attention to announcements from your government regarding pensions – it is not uncommon for the minimum age to be raised.
You might also get contributions from your employers. These might be different amounts depending on your role and length of time with the company. A job that you held in your younger years for maybe eighteen months or so is going to have a paltry pension to pay out compared to the managerial role that you enjoyed for twenty years.
Do I Need to Change My Lifestyle Now?
One of the most important parts of saving for your pension is to know how much you need to put away each month. This will then allow you to build it into your spending, so you are able to manage the rest of your money more effectively.
Your younger years are for enjoying yourself – not saving! If you want to go out and see the world and all it has to offer, you can do so. You just need to make sure that you are indeed contributing to your retirement at the same time. With the right financial attitude, there is no reason why you cannot travel the world, own the big house, and live all the experiences that you want to while also saving a good amount for your retirement. Many people all over the world already do so, and it means that you can live a rich and fulfilling life while also ensuring that you have the money you need to be able to afford everything you will want and need come your golden years.
When should you start saving for your retirement? As soon as you can! If you want to be able to live as fulfilling a life as possible, you need to make sure that you have the funds to do so. That does not mean that you have to scrimp and save when you are younger, but it does mean that you will need to be a little savvy to ensure that money is getting put away. Who knows, you could even manage to retire early! If you are not yet saving for your retirement, you really need to think about doing so. Change the way you approach your savings and start working towards retirement now.