You may only have a few semesters at college under your belt, but it’s really not too early to start thinking about retirement planning. Seriously. Even though, at this point, it may take all you have and a case of Red Bull to turn up for class, let us show you why starting now on your plans to become financially independent make good sense.
Retirement Planning Before Your College Graduation Benefits You Most
Being twenty-something, you can’t even picture your life at forty-, fifty-, or sixty-something, but the choices you make now can have a very real, positive or negative effect on your future self’s financial wellbeing.
The time that you are in college is geared toward learning and preparing for the future. It’s also a time for forming the networks and social supports that will carry you confidently there. What better time to add learning about strategies for your financial security than now? Instead of learning how you can work for money, now is the time to learn about all the ways that money can work for you.
Now, while there is no immediate pressure to choose between an IRA, a 401(k), a pension, or profit sharing, it’s the time to study and analyze the many different types of retirement accounts you have at hand. It’s also the best time to form a relationship with a trustworthy financial planner who can help you juggle your educational indebtedness while saving for the future. The struggle is real.
Understanding Retirement Planning Helps You Choose Your First Job Wisely
One of the first things you’ll be hoping to do after graduating is landing a position with a great company. You may even have companies competing for your talents. Knowing the differences between the retirement benefits that each company is offering and the best ways to grow your money can help you make that decision.
A Longer Growth Period Means Greater Returns on Your Investment
Investing in yourself is key to your success as a person. Part of that is the hard work and effort that you are putting into your college education. Equally as important is the investment you make in your financial future. Attending to your finances with an eye toward the future enhances the investment that you’ve made in your education.
The best part about beginning your retirement planning sooner rather than later is that it gives your money a longer incubation period. This means that you could possibly reach your goal of financial independence earlier than if you waited.
What It’s All About
“After graduation, I want to and plan to live in my parents’ basement,” said no one ever, and you certainly don’t want to reach your sixties and end up living in your adult kids’ basement. When all things are considered, isn’t your goal to live authentically and to have fulfilling relationships? Your educational and financial goals are means to those ends, and tending to them early on will help you realize your goals far more effectively than waiting till later.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend hours and days Googling retirement plans to figure out what will keep you decisively out of the lower level of someone else’s home and successfully in your own space. Retirement planning specialists are here to help you move past basic and reach your goals of living the sweet life of financial independence.
