Retirement Planning

When you Google how to do retirement planning most of what you see in articles, books and of course from every financial planning company in the world is about money, how much you should save, setting up a trust, and learning to protect what you have. Ok good advice. We all know that we need money to retire that is pretty much a no brainer. To fully understand retirement planning, what I could not find was a check list, a place to start, some kind of special tool or words of wisdom that gives more personal advice. If I was going to do or move forward with the next important step besides saving money, what would it be? So many of us are already behind in retirement planning by the time we think seriously about it there should be a go to something to help us pave the way. There was little out there that was a comprehensive look at where to start. In fact, a June 27, 2013 study published by Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies® states that “retirement un-readiness is pervasive across demographic segments of the work force and only 12 percent of all workers have a written strategy.”

The most important part is of course just getting started talking about it. I saw an ad in a magazine from GamePlan Financial Marketing, LLC. It said, “Women can no longer afford to take a back seat in the decisions surrounding their retirement planning”. They are right. As women we often look to our spouses or other people for guidance which is fine but as we plan we should selfishly also look at what happens when we are alone. As the plan begins to take shape we need to be invested right from the get go for it’s all about our tomorrows. Just as you run your business developing a strategic plan, a marketing plan, and a budget.  So the personal plan for retirement planning, saving and investing along the way is a bigger plan and without it you are just rolling the dice and speculating on what might be.