Retirement is not necessarily an entitlement that everyone can enjoy. It is something that you must seize through intelligent, long-term planning.
Social Security is a bare-bones safety net and it is not going to be enough for most people to live on comfortably. In addition, Medicare does not pay for all of your health care expenses, so you really have to be proactive about feathering your own nest.
Clearly, putting away money for retirement is important, and a lot of people contribute into the 401(k) plans at work toward this end. Taking advantage of this opportunity is certainly a good idea, especially if your employer is matching your contributions because it could be seen as nothing more or less than found money.
Another thing to consider as retirement nears is debt reduction. If you are aggressive about paying down your debts before you retire you will have that much more financial flexibility when the time comes.
Nothing says that you have to pay your required mortgage payment and nothing more; you can add additional funds to be applied to the principal, and it would certainly be a good feeling to enter into retirement without a mortgage payment. The same can be said of car payments and credit card balances.
Planning ahead for the future is essential if you want to be able to realize your ideal retirement vision. Expert advice can be invaluable, and if you would indeed like to discuss things with an expert take action right now to arrange for a consultation with a good Oklahoma City retirement planning lawyer.
Larry Parman
Author, President and Founding Attorney
Parman & Easterday
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