Do you remember what your first day of summer vacation felt like when you were in school? When I was a kid, the first day of summer break was filled with so much excitement and fun things to look forward to. It was a time with no worries or stress. I knew I’d have an extended period of time to do things I loved—whether it was spending time with friends and family, going on vacation, reading books, or exploring new opportunities.
Now that we’re older, we’re likely the ones planning for our family’s summer vacations—hoping that our children have the same or an even better experience than we remember. When you think about it, retirement isn’t all that different than an extended summer vacation. We all hope that our retirement will be worry-free and full of excitement, have dreams and goals we’d like to accomplish, and hope to spend time doing the things we love with the people we love.
However, when it comes to preparation, why is it that most Americans spend more time planning their weekly summer vacations than they do for retirement—a 30-year vacation? In fact, 1 in 3 Americans have no retirement savings at all.
Don’t get me wrong, planning for a 30-year vacation can appear to be a daunting task, but an achievable one that you’ll be happy you tackled once you’re finally there. That’s why we encourage you to put at least as much time into your retirement plan as you would for your summer get-away.
Your retirement should be the greatest vacation of your life, but it requires a plan to ensure that your savings can carry you for the rest of your life. The right plan takes into account when you want to start, what lifestyle you expect, what protection you have in place if you get sick, what you hope to accomplish, and how much time you want to spend with your grandkids and loved ones.
This is when seeking out the help of a qualified financial professional could make a huge difference in your life. There are many decisions to be made and selecting the wrong ones could have long lasting impacts to your retirement plan. We offer complimentary, no obligation financial reviews to help people planning for retirement know if they are on the right path or need some adjustments.
When we meet with you, we’ll learn your life goals and combine them with your financial situation to create a customized retirement plan that carries you through your ideal, 30-year vacation. Our goal is to help you live life on your terms so you can spend time doing the things that bring you the most joy. Isn’t that what vacations are for?
You’ve worked hard to this point. So, get planning! The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be one step closer to a retirement as blissful as your favorite summer vacation memories.
