Ready, set, plan!

August 11th 2016 | Categories: Retirement |

Retirement, by nature, involves lots of planning. While it may seem like a drag now, the more preparation you do early on, the better you’ll be positioned down the road. This process involves a hefty portion of foresight. Sure, it may seem difficult to conceptualise what you’ll want and need at age 75 as a 35 year old but it is well worth the effort. What did your mother always tell you? Better safe than sorry!

Consider this: a 25 year old that sets aside $3,000 annually in a retirement account for 10 years has the potential to see their investment grow to over $338,000 by age 65 (assuming a 7 per cent annual return), according to CNN Money. And that is only 10 years worth of savings! Taking the time to make preparations early on in life can safeguard you considerably down the road.

Sitting down and making plans for retirement early on can improve your future circumstances.

Planning your path

Okay, so we have you convinced. Now comes the part where we outline just what to do. Retirement planning may seem like a daunting task but the process isn’t actually as hard as one might think. It’s a relatively painless practise (other than having to part ways with some of your hard earned cash). We’ve boiled it down to a three step process, let’s take a look:

• Assess your finances: The first step to planning for your future savings is to assess your current situation. Sit down and map out what assets you own, how much they are worth, how much super you have and what age you can access it. According to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission, finding the answers to these questions can help you get a step ahead of the game. You can also take our Financial Health Check to get a general understanding of where you stand.
• Map out a long-term plan: This step is arguably the trickiest of the three as it involves quite a bit of guessing. You must consider what you will need (and want!) during the course of your retirement. Do you hope to take a long-term vacation? Are you planning on buying a new home or moving into a condo? The trick here is to look as far ahead as possible, consider all of your life stages and what you will need as you get older and then decide on a plan to support these needs.
• Grow that retirement income: You don’t want to spend your retirement waiting for the money to run out. While your long-term plan will help with this to some extent, no one can truly predict the future. That’s why it’s important to recognise ways to make your retirement income grow. ASIC suggests seeking out professional advice early on to determine the best investment strategies for you.

Regardless of what stage you are at in your retirement planning journey, Invest Blue is here to help. Contact us for some more detailed financial advice today!

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What you need to know

This article contains information that is general in nature. It does not take into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. You need to consider your financial situation and needs before making any decisions based on this information. If you decide to purchase or vary a financial product, your financial adviser, Invest Blue Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries operating as Invest Blue, 1300 346 837 and other companies within the AMP Group may receive fees and other benefits. The fees will be a dollar amount and/or a percentage of either the premium you pay or the value of your investments. Please contact us if you want more information.