Many peopleperhaps youfeel they cannot afford to save for retirement. The truth is you may very well be able to afford to save, but you don’t realize it. That’s right. I am going to present a rationale to persuade you to contribute more than you think you can afford.
First, I am operating on assumption that you are following the cardinal rule of saving for retirement: If your employer offers a matching contribution to your retirement plan you are contributing whatever your employer is willing to matcheven if it is only a percentage of your contribution and not a dollar for dollar match.
Now, let’s assume you have been contributing only the portion that your employer is willing to match and yet you barely have enough money to get by week to week. Does it still make sense to make non-matched contributions or Roth IRA contributions assuming you do not want to reduce your spending? Maybe. (This article does not address Roth IRA contributions vs. non-matched 401(k) contributions and hereafter only refers to non-matched 401(k) contributions).If you have substantial savings and maximizing your retirement plan contributions causes your net payroll check to be insufficient to meet your expenses, you should maximize retirement plan contributions.
The shortfall for your living expenses from making increased pre-tax retirement plan contributions should be withdrawn from your savings (money that has already been taxed). Over time this process, i.e., increasing contributions to your retirement plan and funding the shortfall by making after-tax withdrawals from an after-tax account, transfers money from the after-tax environment to the pre-tax environment. Ultimately it results in more money for you and your heirs.
Another way to squeeze blood from a stone is to consider an interest only mortgage. The reduced mortgage payment (in contrast to what you would be paying on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage) is deductible as a home interest expense. The additional cash flow from the reduced payment could be used to pay credit card debt or fund one or more tax favored investments. You could open a Roth IRA, make additional retirement contributions, and/or purchase a tax-favored life insurance plan. In the long run, you could be better off, often by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Of course there are risks with this strategy.Another opportunity to shift savings from the after-tax environment to tax advantaged retirement savings might arise if you are the beneficiary of an inheritance.
Take this “Changing Your IRA and Retirement Plan Strategy after a Windfall or an Inheritance” mini case study for example:
Joe always had trouble making ends meet. He did, however, know enough to always contribute to his retirement plan the amount his employer was willing to match. Because he was barely making ends meet and had no savings in the after-tax environment, he never made a non-matching retirement plan contribution. Tragedy then struck Joe’s family. Joe’s mother died, leaving Joe with $100,000.
Should Joe change his retirement plan strategy? Yes.
If his housing situation is reasonable, he should not use the inherited money for a houseor even a down payment on a house. Many planners and people will disagree. Of course it depends on individual circumstances.
Instead, Joe should increase his retirement plan contribution to the maximum. In addition, he should start making Roth IRA contributions. Many of you who live in areas that have seen huge real estate appreciation think he should use the money to invest in real estate. You may have been right yesterday. You might even be right today. It is, however, a risky strategy, unsuitable for many if not most investors.
Assuming he maintains his pre-inheritance lifestyle, between his Roth IRA contribution and the increase in his retirement plan contribution, Joe will not have enough to make ends meet without eating into his inheritance. That’s okay. He should then cover the shortfall by making withdrawals from the inherited money. True, if that pattern continues long enough, Joe will eventually deplete his inheritance in its current form. But his retirement plan and Roth IRA will be so much better financed that in the long run, the tax-deferred and tax-free growth of these accounts will make Joe better off by thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands, of dollars.
The only time this strategy would not make sense is if Joe needed the liquidity of the inherited money, or he preferred to use the inherited funds to improve his housing.
Now, do you think you can afford to make the maximum contribution to your retirement plan? The truth of the matter is you cannot afford to ignore my advice and not make the maximum contribution to your retirement plan.

It’s never too early and never too late. Here are a few retirement myths to start busting right now! Retirement planning myth articles might not be at the top of your weekend reading list but this one will take you less than three minutes to read and it could save you a lot of financial pain later.

Six Retirement Planning Myths

Myth #1. When I retire I won’t need as much to live on.

Hogwash! How do you know what the cost of living is going to be? Sure the kids are off on their own and the house might be paid off but medical bills and cost of living are unpredictable. You should be able to live on less but why would you want to?

Myth #2. I’m a young pup and retirement is far, far away!

Get real dude, time flies when you’re having fun and burning mun. Of course it’s much easier to save a measly $29 a week at 34 than it is to save a whopping $240 at 54! That’s about what it’s going to take to have $200k in the old nest egg at 65. So there you have it. You can do it the hard we or the easy way. You decide oh youthful one!

Myth #3. My adorable children will take care of me.

Whoa! Haven’t you been watching TV? Your kids are more likely to move back in with you than they are to take care of you! Think back a bit… didn’t you preach to your kids about personal responsibility and good old independence? Keep your kids in your life but keep them out of your retirement planning.

Myth #4. I’m counting on social security to save my bacon!

Yeah, that will be the day when pigs fly. Uncle Sam hasn’t figured out if there will even be any social security in another decade or two. If you want to hold onto a weak retirement strategy then just count on Uncle Sam to be there with that retirement check when you need it. You are better off counting on your own discipline and resourcefulness. You can start drawing social security at 62 but depending on your age, you might be better off to consider that as a bonus than a sure thing.

Myth #5. I don’t have enough money to save or invest for retirement.

That might be true but then… maybe not. Take a hard look at where your money is going. Have you maximized your contributions to your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plans? Have you considered leveraging your home equity or other under-performing assets into safe and secure investments? Have you scrutinized your spending habits? Do you really need that satellite dish and 500 channels of mind numbing video? Do you really need the newest and shiniest shoes and chicest Chevy’s? Even if you can only save a small amount each week, start now. Be consistent and automatic with savings and investing. You might never feel like it’s enough but that is no reason to not to start.

Myth #6. I can’t afford a financial planner.

Many financial planners are compensated by the companies they represent and therefore charge nothing to you unless you do business with them. Others charge for their time on an hourly or fee-based schedule. Find someone you trust and get references. Take your time, go slow and do a little homework. Retirement planning is all about the future but it needs to start today.

There are several people, who take up retirement as the end of their active life and get depressed over the issue. However, there are others, who take a different perception to the prospect of retirement, as they would have free time completely to themselves. Most of these people start retirement planning and retirement investment much before they are about to retire, so that they get to execute their plans in a proper manner. Their retirement plans may include different things like spending quality time with the family members, devoting more time to their hobbies or try for some side jobs to keep themselves engaged.Start building social lifeDefinitely for the hard workers, life becomes miserable due to the hectic work schedule they have to follow every day; it is as if they do not have any social life. Thus, individuals should take the opportunity of retirement to make up for everything that they have been missing so far. When you would be going about your retirement planning, try to focus on the different ways you could make use of the time by staying with your family. Even your family members, who have been seeing much less of you, due to your busy schedule, would feel happy to have you around.Make use of your hobbyMost of you have unique abilities or interests, which you might not have been able to culture with during your working phase. These things, like your hobbies, may have been very dear to you before you started working; but owing to the pressure you had to keep them bottled in. This is the best opportunity for you to start fresh with them, and try to keep space for them in your retirement planning. Some of you might have even better plans to go out on travels and enjoy your life, viewing the various wonderful places the world has to offer.Consider doing some side jobsMoreover, you might also consider continuing doing some side jobs, as part of your retirement planning program. This obviously is a good measure, as it will keep you active even after you retire and provide you with a standby income, which would further promote your financial stability. If you feel that this may be a tough call for you, think again; there are plenty of options of getting side jobs even after your retirement. Starting from the internet to several other firms and organizations, experienced individuals are required to help them stabilize their work process.Keeping these factors in mind, try to continue your retirement planning in such a way that it helps you to get the upper hand. Make sure that your retirement planning would guarantee you the enjoyment and space that you wanted for a long time. The thought of retirement should bring a new hope to you, pushing you further to dream about the numerous possibilities that lie ahead of you; consider all these in your retirement plan. If you do it with some time in hand and do it in a proper manner, then you could enjoy your retirement in a grand style that could be envied by many.