Myth: There’s no point preparing for retirement.
Reality: Preparing for retirement will make your life much better.
“I’ll never be able to retire, so why bother saving?” “I’ll just keep working.” These are some of the common refrains you hear from people who haven’t started saving for retirement.
The fact is, most of them aren’t true.
Here’s the reality:
- You don’t want to work forever
- You may want to stop working sooner than you think
- Even if you do want to work forever, it’s much better to work because you want to rather than because you have to
- The government won’t take care of you
- Your older years can be among the happiest in your life
Myth: Most people are on track for their retirement.
Reality: Planning for retirement is hard. Most people struggle.
If you find the topic of retirement daunting, you’re not alone. Our human nature and our culture conspire against retirement success.
We are hard-wired to prioritize today over tomorrow. Our fear of losses outweighs our hunger for gains, making it hard for us to make the right long-term investing decisions. We procrastinate when it comes to personal finance, especially so when the payoff is so far in the future.
Our culture of consumerism, easy debt, and one-click buying pushes us to make near-term purchases rather than save for tomorrow. We aren’t taught anything about personal finance in school, college, or university. No wonder our savings rate is at an all-time low.
Achieving financial security in retirement isn’t easy. It requires discipline, consistency, and thoughtful attention. But with the Common Good Plan, you will get on a path to retirement success.
