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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Retirement has been on my mind this week. I’ll take you on the journey of how I got there. It started with nice weather last weekend. The sun, the breeze, it all felt so good. I know it’s still cold out, but it gave me a glimpse of what’s coming. Spring is almost here, then it’s summer.  I love summer. There are few things better than sitting in my backyard and reading a good book. The only thing better, would be reading a book on the beach. Not just any beach, but the ocean. My folks are near the ocean now, enjoying the nice weather. When I retire, I wonder if I’ll drive south for the winter, or have a condo in Arizona. And that’s how I started thinking about retirement.

Not just thinking, but asking all the questions. How old will I be? How much money will I need each month? Will I still live here, or will I move? How much money do I need to save? How much money have I already saved? What steps do I need to take for me to get to my goals?

If you caught me on the day where all these questions hit me, I may have seemed slightly overwhelmed. I was. I’m 40 and I’m well aware that I should already have a plan and be deep into implementing it. However, I’m not. In my 20s I worked for companies that didn’t have retirement plans. And let’s be honest, there’s not a lot of 23-year-olds who are thinking about putting money away for the future. Any extra income I had, I was spending it on shoes and dining out. In my 30s I raised my children and didn’t have any extra to set aside even if I wanted to. Now here I am — 40 and realizing that I need to do something.

Now.

Like I do with most of my questions, I took it to the internet. I found an easy website that asked me half a dozen questions and then told me exactly what I needed to do. I know how much money I need to put aside each month if I want to retire at 65. I know what I need to do if I want to retire sooner, or if I’d like access to more funds in my retirement. I have a road map for where I want to go, and I no longer feel confused or overwhelmed.

Getting a much-deserved raise would be the easiest way for me to save more money (hint hint if my boss is reading this). But until my wages increase, there are other ways I can “find” money. These last few days I’ve been going through my accounts and figuring out what I can cut from our budget. Where are we spending needlessly and how can I tighten everything up so that I have more cash available to put aside. I’m already starting to see purchases differently. That fast food dinner could have been an extra $40 in my savings. Nuggets today or beach condo tomorrow is my current mindset.

As I start to put money aside, I’ll be on the lookout for a financial adviser. If you know how to invest money, or you have someone you highly recommend, please reach out to me. I know I’m not the only person in this town who needs help planning their financial future, so I’ll keep you posted on what I learn.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.