New York - We generally believe that one of the most important thing about planning for retirement is to have fun while your young while you are saving for retirement. Saving for retirement does not mean you need to give up vacations, a new car or new clothes. However, it does mean you need to establish a disciplined long-term approach to saving for all your goals. You do need to develop an investment strategy that takes into account your investment objectives, tolerance for risk and your exact time horizon. Here are some good points to follow.
Save Early - Despite the struggle of paying off any college debts or the initial struggle of meeting living expenses, we believe that at a minimum, you should save 5% for your income for retirement and 5% for emergency money (until you have six months worth of living expenses saved). After you've saved emergency money, save at least 10% of your gross income for retirement.
Maximize Use of Tax-Deferred Accounts - Establish a 401(K) retirement account at work if offered or open an IRA account. These plans give you the power of tax-deferred compounding and allow you to earn interest on money you would have paid to the IRS.
Invest for Growth - Be aggressive and go for growth. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, equities have clearly outperformed all other investments. Any additional disposable income should be saved for your goals including buying a first home or a new card.
Check Insurance Coverage - Ensure that you have disability insurance through your work benefits or get one. The importance of adequate disability insurance can not be underestimated. Do not burden your parent's retirement or your families welfare by not taking care of yourself. Disability insurance protects you should you get injured and be unable to work.
The most important advice you need to follow is that you should begin saving something. The longer you wait to begin investing, the more you need to save for retirement in later periods of your life. Although each individual should plan for their own specific goals and their own circumstances, we have developed the following sample investment asset allocations based on sample risk profiles:
Lower Risk
Medium Risk
Higher Risk
Remember, it is important to understand your overall financial profile and your risk tolerance levels before you begin an actual investment program.
An independent Fee-Only financial adviser can help you structure an appropriate financial strategy to help guide you through retirement.
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