5 Tips To Planning a Stress Free Retirement

| October 14, 2013

Stress Free Retirement

Many people look forward to a comfortable retirement with a high quality of life. Getting to this stage requires careful saving and financial planning. Simply placing money into a low-interest bank account will not result in enough savings for a comfortable retirement. Here are five tips that will help anyone to plan stress free retirement.

Pay Attention to Investments

Planning for retirement should mean paying attention to all investments. Investments that are allowed to remain the same for years are likely not performing as well as they could. Investments should be managed strategically in response to long-term market trends and retirement savings goals. This can include leaning more heavily on lower-risk investments as retirement approaches.

Deal With Debt Now

Debt should be eliminated before retirement begins. Any remaining debt will take away from retirement savings. The debt also grows over time so that more money is spent on interest or fees. Debt lowers the money available and can make retirement less comfortable. It is best to pay down all debts before retirement, even if this means cutting back on spending. Although debt can be overwhelming, try setting aside some money each month to pay off your bills. Paying off debt slowly may seem impossible, but it will make a difference and save you from paying more interest in the future.

Seek Disability Retirement Benefits If Necessary

Anyone who has been disabled and unable to work for a year should apply for disability retirement benefits. These are retirement benefits paid to individuals who can no longer work. Some disabled workers must also meet local requirements. It is important to file for disability retirement as soon as possible. It is often a good idea to retain an experienced disability retirement lawyer to help navigate the process and paperwork involved with the claim, suggests professionals at Harris Federal.  Disability retirement benefits can help to cover living costs and make retirement stress free.

Talk To a Financial Planner

It is always beneficial to speak to a financial planner before retirement. Planners can provide advice about investments and assets that will increase savings. Financial planners can help with issues like taxes and annuities. They can also help with inheritance and estate planning. If you are unable to find a good financial planner or can’t pay to meet with someone, consider talking to a good friend or family member who has good financial habits. They can at least help you decide how much you can invest and what you can do with your money before retirement.

Make Maximum Contributions

Maximum contributions should be made to retirement accounts each year. Even contributions from just a year or two before retirement can grow significantly during the following decade. This will make a large difference over time. Making the maximum contributions annually is one way to ensure a comfortable retirement.

Retirement savings should be seen as an investment. This sometimes means foregoing immediate spending in order to increase savings. The amounts that are saved early will grow considerably when managed and invested correctly. This can turn moderate lifetime savings into enough for a long and stress free retirement.

 

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Category: Financial Planning

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