Is it your dream to retire early? Do you plan to get out of the rat race at 45 and spend the rest of your life resting/playing/doing something worthwhile? If that’s your goal then it’s entirely possible – as long as you get your finances in order now.
How much are you actually going to need?
Before you start making any plans for retirement it’s a good idea to work out roughly how much you’re going to need. Factors to bear in mind will include whether you’ll be able to pay off your mortgage before your retire – or whether you will rent – as well as what your major expenses are likely to be.
How are you going to pay for your early retirement?
Money is the great enabler when it comes to enjoying retirement at any age. And the earlier you want to retire, the more of it you’re going to need to accumulate relatively early on. Start planning for early retirement as soon as you can so that you’re making financial decisions now that are based on releasing cash further down the years. Look at different ways to pay for early retirement, from investing in stocks and shares through to buying up property so that you can retire on income from being a landlord.
How can you keep your lifestyle lean?
Early retirement is rarely achievable if you have a lavish lifestyle – especially if your income isn’t quite able to support it. Overspending now will destroy any dreams that you have of retiring early according to the financial experts at Solution Loans, whether it’s as a result of being disorganised with your finances, borrowing heavily to fund your current lifestyle or being reckless with your cash. So, it’s important to stay on top of your income and outgoings – track and monitor it to look for savings opportunities – and become an expert with your budget. The more insight you have into your spending habits, the more opportunities there will be to maximise your income for savings.
What kind of risks are you willing to take?
There’s no doubt that investing your money, as opposed to saving, will generate a bigger return. However, it’s also a riskier way to try to earn more from what you have. Everything you invest you could also lose – which won’t happen with cash that you put aside for savings. However, if you’re really keen to retire early then investing could get you there a lot more quickly so it could be worth investigating. Start with some basic investments, learn how it works and then move on to larger amounts when you’re more confident.
What can you do with your finances now to make early retirement possible?
· Start paying into a pension as soon as you start work
· Plan to overpay your mortgage so that you don’t have to cover this as a living cost when you retire
· Find a partner who agrees with your early retirement vision and will help you work towards it
· Diversify your income streams – achieving early retirement might take more than one job
· Pay off your debts quickly – the more interest you pay, the less cash you’ll have for retirement so clear your debts as soon as you can
· Save as much as you can at every opportunity – small amounts here and there will really add up
When I was partially paralyzed at 20, I was already on a good course of saving/growing my retirement options. But I knew that I would need more to retire and maintain myself. I wasn't even sure would offer me a job. I had to dip into my retirement early to hire people to take care of me and keep me working. Stock market downturns in 1989, 2001 and 2009-10, as well as a local real estate market bust in 1983-85, reduced greatly my retirement prospects. I have worked hard to recover and, in some cases have, while others, failed. I now have about five income streams to help manage my depleting resources. Luck played a bigger part in my gains and planning strategy played a bigger part in my losses.
Ron