“Marry well.” “Have my kids get a good job and take care of me.” “Pick up cans on the side of the road for income.” These are all ways I have heard people say they are planning for their retirement. While most of these statements were made in jest, it’s never too early to start planning for retirement. When Bryan and I first won’t be retiring anytime soon, my goal is
Don’t Worry, Retire Happy. Here’s 3 tips we’ve used over the years to help us with retirement.

1. Make a retirement plan. Decide what you want to do when you retire. Travel the world? Live in a small house in Costa Rica? Raise a herd of sheep? Go ahead and make that bucket list! It’s much easier to plan for something when there are goals in place.

2. Realize everyone has setbacks. Let’s face it– life happens. Unexpected stock market crashes, lay-offs, kids with rare diseases that consume a large chunk of your paycheck each month, those are all part of the twists and turns of life. Maybe you didn’t start saving in your twenties and are concerned over how to handle retirement. It may seem difficult to believe, but most working Americans HAVE the time, financial resources and courage to retire happy. Accept if your retirement plan wasn’t met for this month (or year!) and start again.

3. Research, research, research. It’s good to talk to a financial adviser and learn how to achieve your financial goals. It is just as important to do research for yourself. Read books on the subject. Pick up a workbook on how to save money over your lifetime. Never stop learning more about the subject. Remember, Americans can define their own retirement, the way they want it!

If you would like to learn more about retirement security and retirement income, you can watch this Don’t Worry, Retire Happy special by Tom Hegna on your local public television station. See a trailer here. His seven steps for enjoying a comfortable lifestyle after retirement are some of the best I’ve seen and have left me feeling confident in my ability to retire to the house in Costa Rica (because I don’t think the picking up cans on the side of the road strategy will give me all the income I need.)

Get Social and learn more about How to Don’t Worry, Retire Happy.

ave to retire happy?

This blog post on “Don’t Worry, Retire Happy™”: The 7 Steps to Retirement Security”, is sponsored by State Farm®. I accepted the opportunity to participate and want my readers to know that the opinions and statements expressed in this post are completely my own.

<