How to Take the Misery Out of Saving for Retirement

Published

April 12, 2018

AJ Smith is an award-winning journalist with more than a decade of experience in television, radio, newspapers, magazines and online content. She currently serves as the managing editor for SmartAsset. AJ has a passion for meeting new people, sharing stories and helping others. She has degrees from Princeton University and Mississippi State University. AJ and her husband also write and illustrate educational children’s books.

While we have all been told how important saving for retirement is, it can be hard to cut back on personal spending to watch your hard-earned money sit in an account you won’t have access to for years or even decades. Retirement can sound far away and even boring when you are in the prime of life with plenty of costly desires, but changing your attitude can help you save more and reach a better retirement, faster. Don’t think of saving as hindering your current quality of life; build enthusiasm for what is yet to come. First, calculate how much you need to save for retirement, then check out the following reasons to get excited about it.

Security

If you’ve been living paycheck to paycheck or are just starting out on your own, your personal finances can be intimidating. Having and regularly contributing to a retirement account can help you become and feel financially secure. Saving over so many years will help ensure you will have enough money in your old age. Giving that to yourself can be empowering.

Financial Freedom

A change of perspective may be just what you need to get excited about retirement. Try thinking about the concept of “financial freedom.” Consider it the stage where you can choose when and if you work and how to use your money.

Your Rules

Does your boss get to you? Are there days you just want to throw the alarm clock and your employment responsibilities out the window? By saving now, you will help give yourself the opportunity to make your own rules in retirement. You will have control over your time and can walk away from your desk forever.

Specific Goals

A great way to get pumped up about retirement is to make specific plans, even if they will change in the future. Visualizing where you want to be in retirement can help get you through the day and put a smile on your face while you make contributions to your retirement fund. Whether it is playing sports and lounging in the sun, traveling the world or just getting more time with your friends and family, picture what your hard work now will help you enjoy in retirement. You can even use a savings tracker to help you feel better about where you are now and know exactly how much time and money you need to reach your goals.

Your Money Makes Money

When all else fails, focus on the numbers. Do not think of your retirement funds as IRAs or 401(k)s, but as compounding wealth. By saving even a small amount each year, you will watch your money accrue interest and then that interest will accrue more interest. And don’t forget about those tax-deferred benefits.

No matter what it takes to get you motivated to save for retirement, it’s important to make sure you are socking away for post-work life and preparing for your future.