Planning For Early Retirement

Retirement planning is something that people usually do to prepare for old age. But did you know that it’s also something that you can do early on? Early retirement is an option for some but not many fully grasp its concept. Even though it seems impossible, do note that many have made this happen. Expatriates are among those that have retired early and are now enjoying life.

Before you opt for early retirement, think hard and ask yourself – do I really want to retire at an early age? For those of you who find it impossible to achieve given your circumstances in life, don’t push it. Maybe early retirement isn’t for you and you can always retire at an early age anyway, like most people do. But if you feel like it’s right for you and that it’s achievable at the same time, you can consider it as an option.

Once you have set your mind for early retirement, the next thing you have to do is plan for it. Early dream retirement planning starts with managing your finances properly. Try to live a minimalistic life and only buy what you need. Do not indulge too much on things that you want because that would be detrimental to your plans of retiring early. Living a minimalist life doesn’t mean taking your health for granted though. You must try to keep your body fit and healthy at all times to prevent most illnesses associated with poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. The last thing you want to happen is waste away all the money you saved for retirement on medical care.

If you have kids, instill in them the value of saving money and being independent early on. Along with early retirement, save money for their education as well. If you want to retire early, your kids should also develop a sense of personal responsibility and independence at an early age. Besides, you will be more at peace with yourself if you are able to raise kids that aren’t too dependent on you finance-wise.

Also part of early retirement planning is deciding what you’ll do by the time you retire. Decide whether you’re staying in your home country. Most early retirees, however, leave their country and migrate to countries with lower costs of living and have higher value for the money they saved. There, they can set up their own businesses or simply enjoy the rest of their lives free of burden.

Best Places To Live In The US – Deciding Before Retirement

At a party last week there started a discussion about the best places to live in the US. It quickly turned to matters of living in a pleasant climate with low cost of living as the group was primarily of the age about to reach retirement.

These friends were vigorously debating the virtues of living in a warm climate mostly to avoid the drudgery are dealing with winter temperatures and precipitation. Places like the Southwest and southern states dominated the conversation throughout.

If you are in the same age category as my friends and myself, there is a good chance you have considered this yourself. Statistics show that as the population ages and baby boomers reach retirement age more and more of them are choosing to move to the southern and southwestern United States.

It’s just too attractive an option when one no longer has the obligation of the job to be drawn to living in a place where the climate is primarily pleasant. Who wants to deal with snow and ice when another sunny day is a possibility?

If the move to a warmer climate is in your future, there are some tips that may help you decide which one is best. First set down in a quiet place with a pad and pen and begin by listing all your priorities. After you have listed them, place them in order of importance. This seems like a rather rudimentary task but one that is vitally important in any decision, especially when you are about to uproot your life and move to another part of the country.

The best places to live for you is not necessarily the best place for someone else but you can determine which place is preferred by using the exercise just described. Of course there are other considerations and you will no doubt want to visit each of the top choices that you come up with but finding your ideal location is not nearly as much of a challenge as it may first appear.