It’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: Fifty is the new thirty. More and more people are entering their last full decade of employment with a whole host of personal goals to reach and adventures to undertake upon retirement.
With the average lifespan currently about 78.5 years and almost 82 years for women in the U.S., you may want to begin saving long before you enter the “New Thirties.” The easiest, simplest way to begin investing is to practice saving your money at an early age, so that saving isn’t a “must,” but rather something you just do on your own to prepare for your financial future.
People are creatures of habit: we brush and floss our teeth, take walks, haul dirty hampers to the Laundromat, and shop for groceries with such regularity that these practices become second-nature. The key to a healthy long-term portfolio is to incorporate saving into your habitual behavior so that it too becomes a regular part of your life. Planning for retirement begins decades before you plan to retire. If you endeavor to make saving as second-nature as your daily shower, you should find that by the time you are ready to live out your dreams, your assets are as prepared as you are.
We all have long-term goals we wish to accomplish, adventures we want to set out upon, and far-off corners of the world we hope to explore in our lifetimes. Make saving a habit and set yourself up to live as fulfilling a life as you can aspire to.
