Advice for Young Women: Plan for Retirement Now

Unfortunately, many people do not think about planning for retirement when they’re young. In your twenties, it might not seem like a major concern to start planning for when you retire and no longer have a significant income regularly coming to you. However, it’s extremely important to educate yourself and start planning for retirement when you’re young, particularly for women. Many women aren’t confident in their ability to live comfortably after retirement and claim to not understand investing and the best financial moves for retirement. This issue is a major one, leading to the necessity of women educating themselves about the best financial steps for their future. Here are some steps you can take for a comfortable retirement, starting now.

Take advantage of what your job offers

This step is one of the biggest mistakes people make when planning for retirement. When you’re young, retirement seems far off and you’d much rather have the extra money to buy something you feel like you need or plan a vacation. While this mindset is understandable, you need to be taking advantage of these benefits now because you do not know what the future holds. If your company matches retirement contributions, take full advantage of it. Even if you don’t get retirement benefits from your company, you can still open up an IRA and contribute on your own.

Think about retirement when making decisions

When you decide to change jobs or get married, consider how it affects your retirement. When taking a new job, always examine the benefits that go along with it. If you get married, think about how it’ll affect both of your retirements, whether you’ll plan together or keep individual accounts. Do some research to determine what’s the best option for you.

Put as much money away as possible

Figure out how much you can put into your retirement fund (for IRAs, it’s a cap of $5,500 a year) and how much it takes to max out your employer contribution and then do it! If you can’t make these numbers, just contribute as much as you can.

Plan for major expenses

Most people plan for retirement determining how much money they’d need to cover expenses each month. Unfortunately, what they don’t plan for is what happens if a major expense crops up. When planning money for retirement, make sure you put away extra money to cover medical costs, increased living expenses, or some other emergency.

Avoid drawing money from retirement

With some retirement plans, you can easily withdraw money before you start getting payouts from it. Avoid making this mistake at all costs! You need that money for retirement, do not take it out to cover school costs, pay for home improvements, or something else. You’ll regret this move once you’re actually retired and realize you didn’t put enough money away.

Talk to a professional

Finally, talk to a financial professional who can help direct you in your retirement decisions. They’ll look over your assets and advise you on the best steps to take for your personal retirement plan. Take your time choosing a financial advisor and make sure they’re reputable and do not charge high fees to advise you.