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Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I believe that the vast majority of people are pessimists when it comes to religion and politics, but when it comes to their finances they are mostly optimists. The banker loves to sell you a variable mortgage because he knows that rates will go up, but you, being the eternal optimist, are sure they won't. We buy things on credit because we believe we'll have more disposable income next year than we do today.

But when it comes to retirement planning, it might be a good idea to take a "what if?" frame of mind as you make your decisions. Here are 4 areas that you should consider.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I believe that the vast majority of people are pessimists when it comes to religion and politics, but when it comes to their finances they are mostly optimists. The banker loves to sell you a variable mortgage because he knows that rates will go up, but you, being the eternal optimist, are sure they won't. We buy things on credit because we believe we'll have more disposable income next year than we do today.

But when it comes to retirement planning, it might be a good idea to take a "what if?" frame of mind as you make your decisions. Here are 4 areas that you should consider.

Retirement should be prepared for!

We spend a significant amount of time preparing for our working years. Our parents taught us the value of hard work. We may have attended several years of post-high school education. We worked hard on our job skills, and maybe even mastered the art of office politics, and all of this with a single goal in mind. We wanted to retire one day. We wanted to achieve financial independence so that we would be able to do what we wanted. And then the magic day finally came. We took our gold watch and strolled into the unknown: retirement.

And yet, studies have shown that the majority of Americans spend more time planning for their next vacation than for their successful retirement. Today, thanks to advances in healthcare, it's quite possible that you'll spend almost as much time in your retirement years than you did working!

The Road to Retirement: Do You Know What Stage You're In?

Retirement looks like different things to different people. If you are 62 years old and you've never saved any money, then retiring might seem unlikely. When you are in your twenties it seems like an eventuality that will never happen. How these two people will prepare financially for the day that they will not, or cannot work anymore, will look differently for each of them. I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss the different stages of your financial life, and what your financial approach should be in each of these stages.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I believe that the vast majority of people are pessimists when it comes to religion and politics, but when it comes to their finances they are mostly optimists. The banker loves to sell you a variable mortgage because he knows that rates will go up, but you, being the eternal optimist, are sure they won't. We buy things on credit because we believe we'll have more disposable income next year than we do today.

But when it comes to retirement planning, it might be a good idea to take a "what if?" frame of mind as you make your decisions. Here are 4 areas that you should consider.

Retirement should be prepared for!

We spend a significant amount of time preparing for our working years. Our parents taught us the value of hard work. We may have attended several years of post-high school education. We worked hard on our job skills, and maybe even mastered the art of office politics, and all of this with a single goal in mind. We wanted to retire one day. We wanted to achieve financial independence so that we would be able to do what we wanted. And then the magic day finally came. We took our gold watch and strolled into the unknown: retirement.

And yet, studies have shown that the majority of Americans spend more time planning for their next vacation than for their successful retirement. Today, thanks to advances in healthcare, it's quite possible that you'll spend almost as much time in your retirement years than you did working!

The Road to Retirement: Do You Know What Stage You're In?

Retirement looks like different things to different people. If you are 62 years old and you've never saved any money, then retiring might seem unlikely. When you are in your twenties it seems like an eventuality that will never happen. How these two people will prepare financially for the day that they will not, or cannot work anymore, will look differently for each of them. I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss the different stages of your financial life, and what your financial approach should be in each of these stages.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

I believe that the vast majority of people are pessimists when it comes to religion and politics, but when it comes to their finances they are mostly optimists. The banker loves to sell you a variable mortgage because he knows that rates will go up, but you, being the eternal optimist, are sure they won't. We buy things on credit because we believe we'll have more disposable income next year than we do today.

But when it comes to retirement planning, it might be a good idea to take a "what if?" frame of mind as you make your decisions. Here are 4 areas that you should consider.

Retirement should be prepared for!

We spend a significant amount of time preparing for our working years. Our parents taught us the value of hard work. We may have attended several years of post-high school education. We worked hard on our job skills, and maybe even mastered the art of office politics, and all of this with a single goal in mind. We wanted to retire one day. We wanted to achieve financial independence so that we would be able to do what we wanted. And then the magic day finally came. We took our gold watch and strolled into the unknown: retirement.

And yet, studies have shown that the majority of Americans spend more time planning for their next vacation than for their successful retirement. Today, thanks to advances in healthcare, it's quite possible that you'll spend almost as much time in your retirement years than you did working!

The Road to Retirement: Do You Know What Stage You're In?

Retirement looks like different things to different people. If you are 62 years old and you've never saved any money, then retiring might seem unlikely. When you are in your twenties it seems like an eventuality that will never happen. How these two people will prepare financially for the day that they will not, or cannot work anymore, will look differently for each of them. I'd like to take a few minutes to discuss the different stages of your financial life, and what your financial approach should be in each of these stages.