YOU'RE GOING TO RETIRE SOMEDAY

It can be difficult to actually picture your retirement, especially if your finances are out of control. 

There are multiple people in my life that constantly say they are never retiring. They are good people. They are smart. However, they can’t seem to get a handle on their finances. 

When they want something, they buy it. 

For them, and I believe for many others, retirement seems so far away that it’s not worth thinking about. It’s so far in the future and there’s no certainty that we’ll live that long or we’ll have enough money to really retire. When we can’t see something, it’s difficult to believe it.

We find safety in our old beliefs. We believe what we can see, and we are more apt to take action on something we can see now, instead of something we can’t see well in the future.

It doesn’t matter if you can see it or not though. 

You’re going to get old. 

You’re lucky if you stay healthy while you age. You may not be so lucky though. 

What if something happens to your health before you’re eligible for Social Security and you need to live on disability for a decade? 

You’re not going to bring home as much as you currently do. And, most health conditions aren’t even covered by disability.

I was listening to Suze Orman’s podcast, Women and Money, the other day. A question came in from a woman in her early 50’s. 

Out of nowhere, her husband fainted. The doctors determined he has a heart condition and recommended he doesn’t work in a stressful position any longer. That condition is not covered by disability. 

Most jobs come with stress. Luckily, this couple was on top of their finances. They only had a couple months left to pay off their mortgage and had a sizable retirement account.

What if something like this happens to you? 

Can you financially take care of yourself if you had to take off an extended period of time from working? 

What if you were forced to choose between retiring early or potentially damaging your health and working?

None of us know what the future holds. 

Don’t assume that you can work the rest of your life and ignore your money. 

You don’t know how long you will be capable of working.