When Is the Best Time to Start Planning for Retirement?
Not sure if you’re ready to make serious plans for a retirement home in Ann Arbor? Are your friends telling you that you’re still too young to worry about retirement? Want to know when is best time to plan for retirement?
Today you’re still young. It’s not time for retirement, or downsizing, or lifestyle changes, or any of that. But is it time to start planning? We spend much of our lives planning for the next big thing—careers, family, and marriage — but when it comes to making the most significant plans for retirement we often hesitate. Maybe it’s because we feel young and healthy that we don’t want to talk about or plan for a future when we might not feel that way.
But when those days do come, it helps tremendously to already have a plan in place. This doesn’t mean you should start touring retirement homes in Ann Arbor when you’re in your 30s, though! To help you decide when it’s the best time to start planning your retirement, consider these major factors:
1. Your Partner or Spouse
If you have the good fortune of sharing your life with a devoted partner, make a plan for your future now. It can be incredibly difficult to move and make or change plans for retirement following the loss of a spouse; but hesitation (or stubbornness) makes this too often the reality for retirees. Consider downsizing to a manageable home or move into a retirement community well before a loss to make your transition easier.
2. Health
It’s understandable to feel a little uncomfortable planning for health and memory issues that may affect you as you age. It might even seem silly to bring it up when it seems so far away. But things like that creep up and surprise you. Have a plan for the way you want to handle serious health conditions and discuss your plans with your spouse and your family to assure your wishes are honored no matter what happens.
3. Community
A retirement home in Ann Arbor isn’t the right choice for everybody, but one of their most appealing features is a community of people all in a similar stage in life. Living in that type of environment can make it much easier to engage in activities and make friends. So, when you can imagine yourself enjoying and benefitting from that kind of community, it’s a great time to start planning for a move. Making plans doesn’t mean you have to move next week or even next year, but planning early will give you enough time to make a stress-free choice.
4. Finances
When you’re talking about retirement, household economy is a major consideration. You need a pretty significant nest egg to sustain yourself comfortably for 20 years (or hopefully much more!). First things first, no matter your age, if saving is not already a part of your plan for retirement, start today! But if you already have one or more retirement savings accounts, as you get close to your retirement age it’s a good time to take a really close look at the numbers and make a plan to assure your money will last.
5. Lifestyle
Some people take pride in the work of keeping up a home and want to hold onto that for as long as possible. If that’s you, make plans that put staying at home in retirement at the top of your list. But if you’re already thinking about a simpler, easier day with more leisure time and less housework, make a plan to downsize or start looking into retirement homes.
6. Personality
Take a moment and consider your personality and how you’ll adjust to retirement or changes you may need to make as you get older. Do you like change? Do you like moving or do you like to be settled? Do you adjust quickly? Do you have a set routine? Are you adventurous or reserved? Do you make friends easily? Do you have trouble letting go? If you need more time to adjust, you probably want to start making and executing your plans for retirement earlier. If you’re more of a free spirit, you may not need to have set plans in advance.
Come see what Hillside Terrace Retirement Home in Ann Arbor has to offer.
Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer to the question of when is the best time to start planning for retirement. The truth is, the best time will be different for everyone. But a good, general rule for retirement is better sooner than later. If there’s any part of you that thinks a retirement home in Ann Arbor might be the right choice for you at some point, you don’t want to wait until you’re ready to make the move to start planning. Reach out to the experts at Hillside Terrace Senior Living today to talk about your options for retirement. Remember that at Hillside Terrace, our family shares life with yours.