No matter what your age, day by day and minute by minute you are moving closer and closer to retirement.
For some people, the idea of retirement seems so far off in the future they tend to dismiss it. For others, it’s just around the corner.
But if you have been thinking about your retirement lately and it scares you even a little, here’s how you can avoid the fear of retirement.
Hire a Financial Planner
One way to help ease the fear of retirement, no matter how close or far from it you are, would be to hire a financial planner. Make sure it is someone you are comfortable with and then get started formulating a plan for your retirement that works for you and any family you may have. When you meet you will likely evaluate your current finances, make goals for your retirement, and formulate a plan for how to get there.
Control Your Spending
Controlling your spending is a common theme when you hear others talk about the retirement years. However, that doesn’t have to mean you must live in poverty when you retire. By planning ahead you should be able to create a reasonable budget that doesn’t force you to live so frugally you are doing things like saving restaurant ketchup packets to take home and squeeze into your own ketchup bottle.
Find Good Insurance
A common fear of those who are planning ahead for their retirement years is the fear of rising health costs. It’s true that as we age, health care costs tend to increase. Of course, you can affect that somewhat by living a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly and eating right. But you can also spend the time it takes to learn about health care plans so you can get the best one for you and your needs. There are plenty of resources to help including the internet and your local health care provider, just to name a few.
Invest
Most projections say social security is going to run out if left as it currently is. However, the good news is that those same projections say it should last-with no changes- for another eighteen years or so. That should be enough time for our political leaders to figure out ways to either extend or replace it altogether.
In the meantime, that doesn’t mean you have to sit passively by not doing anything to help yourself. Just because you can’t control the situation with social security doesn’t mean you have to feel helpless. If you don’t already have investments, go ahead and get started right away. You would be surprised how much of your discomfort about retirement can be eased by you taking control of your own investments.
Find New Interests
So far the advice above has been focused on the financial aspects of retirement. But there are other considerations as well. What to do with the time on your hands could also be causing you anxiety when you think about retirement. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. You can take up new interests such as starting a card club or a book club with friends. Or, take up a hobby, such as sewing lap quilts to donate to charity organizations. There are lots of possibilities.
Retirement doesn’t have to be scary or cause you sleepless nights, as you can see. Use some of the ways above to help you avoid the fear of retirement so you can enjoy the years ahead.
Are you afraid of retirement? Why or why not?
Kayla is a personal finance blogger in her mid-20s who loves to write about money topics of all kinds.