My husband and I have been investing since our 20s for retirement. It's really hard to judge how much we'll need, because we don't know what our health situation will be by then. If we have to go into Assisted Living, it's very expensive and money could run out quickly.
As much as I have thought about retirement, with the way my life went up until now, it is something that I am still looking towards and will still plan for but I feel it will be a little different for me.
Right now I am working and I am hoping that in time, my working and doing what I am doing will pay off.
I am planning on using math and science tutoring jobs to get me by at that age, assuming nothing else comes up. I can't get social security in the U S.
I used to worry myself to death about retirement, but what will I even be able to physically do when I'm 65+ years old? I'd rather spend that money now. 😛
I've been working in some capacity since the age of 10 or 11 and I expect to be doing the same until the day I die. I don't need the money, I just want to be active.
This was something I was originally quite bad at when I started working, opting out of workplace pension schemes and the such. But recently I've been a lot better at paying in not just the minimum monthly contribution, but also some extra voluntarily. The UK is quite good for this though, as your employer must also pay in if you do, so it's a good way to raise your pension pot without paying in 100% of the cash yourself
We started adjusting our investments this year because we're both getting older, and as you age you want to take less risk. More bonds and less stocks when you're over 55 is the suggestion.
I've had a 401k everywhere I've worked. I always contribute the max that my employer will match, and that has typically been something like 4%. I also try and take advantage of stock options and things like that, when possible. Any time I can get some free money from my employer, I'll take it. 😛
The sooner you start thinking about retirement planning, the better. By regularly saving money, you can create a future that is both comfortable and financially secure for yourself.