GOING THE DISTANCE

Without careful planning, your money will never go the distance for your retirement.

Well, unless you win the powerball or stumble upon buried treasure.

The simple fact is that retirement can last a long, long time and often be expensive. According to the Federal Reserve, the average American can expect a retirement of almost 20 years, requiring $1.2 million.1

How long would it take you to save $1.2 million? Even if you could stash away your entire paycheck, it would likely take over a decade. Factor in the daily costs of living, and decades may become centuries.

Unless, of course, you leverage two simple strategies…

Strategy One: Maximize the power of compound interest.

Strategy Two: Start saving today.

These are time-proven strategies that anyone can leverage. And they can mean the difference between your savings running out of steam or lasting as long as you do.

Let’s start with strategy one:?Maximize the power of compound interest…

Compound interest can supercharge your savings. Instead of taking centuries, you have the potential to reach your retirement goals just in time!

That’s because compounding unleashes a virtuous cycle. The money you save grows on its own over time.

But here’s where the magic happens—the more money you have compounding, the greater its growth potential becomes. Even a fraction of your paycheck can eventually compound into the wealth you may need for retirement.

Think of it like changing gears on a bike. Savings alone is first gear—good enough for going down hills or casual jaunts through the neighborhood.

But for reaching greater goals, you need more power. Compound interest is those extra gears—it’s an advantage that can radically improve your performance.

That leads straight into the next strategy:?Start saving today.

The longer your money compounds, the greater potential it has for growth. To prove this, let’s crunch the numbers…

Let’s say you can save $500 per month. You find an account that compounds 10% annually.

After 20 years, you’ll have saved $120,000 and grown an additional $223,650 for a grand total of $343,650. Not bad!

But what if you wait another 11 years? Your money will more than triple—you’ll have $1,091,660!

The takeaway? A few years could be the difference between reaching your retirement goals and coming up short. The sooner you start, the greater potential you have to get where you want to go.

No more sporadic saving when you feel the panic. No more burying your head in the sand because you don’t know what the future holds. No more fear that your finances won’t cross the finish line.

These simple strategies can help you go the distance and retire with confidence. Contact me if you want to learn more about building wealth!

1 “Retirement costs: Estimating what it costs to retire comfortably in every state,” Samuel Stebbins,?USA Today, Feb 11, 2021,?https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2021/02/11/retirement-costs-comfortable-in-every-state-life-expectancy/115432956/