When was the last time you thought about your future? It probably isn’t something you think about regularly, and who can blame you? We are all encouraged to live life in the moment and make the most of the here and now. But yet, it is safe to say that time moves incredibly quickly, so it is always going to be a good idea to think about the future and to make things feel secure. Actions that you can take to ensure that it isn’t something you need to constantly think about.
Save for the future
Saving is something we are all encouraged to do. Saving for the actual future is actually harder to do whereas with short term savings we tend to have more motivation. Saving for a holiday, a house, or christmas, for example. However, there are things you can do to help you save or create extra income for the future. Regular savings accounts are great as you can set up a standing order for a small amount each month and then leave it alone in a regular savings account. If it is small regular amounts over time that will build up. You could also use bigger things like your house as a great way to save for retirement. Money set aside can help for assisted living arrangements or help you to enjoy your retirement. You could increase your savings poty by making improvements to your home, selling and improving as you go throughout your life. It is a great way to boost your income when the time comes to down size or remove some of the equity that you have built up out of your home to fund your retirement.
Write a will
It may seem like you are hedging your bets but having a will is vitally important for your future. It protects you and your family and ensures that your estate and assets get divided up where they need to be. It isn’t set in stone, and as time goes on you can amend it. There are plenty of solicitors that can help you through the process and discuss your needs. Once it is done, you can forget about it. Only needing to amend it if your circumstances change or you have other things you would like to add. This will help make things easier on the family for when you are no longer around. It is always best to be prepared, especially when children are involved.
Think about what you want from your retirement period
Finally, as we don’t think about the future too much, it is always a good idea to spend some time looking into that crystal ball and imagining what you might want to do with your time once work is done. Spending time with the family, travelling and ticking off places on your bucket list, and even just the hobbies you may like to do. You may not think of this everyday, but having some form of plan in place can help you to make other arrangements such as feeling inspired to save for it, sorting out pensions and making provisions for the future. This is especially important to help you feel more secure about the later years in your life. Once you do enter retirement, the wage goes away and you need to rely on savings, investments and pensions.
Let’s hope that this has prompted you to think about your future.
