Planning for retirement is a hugely valuable and important thing to do. Otherwise, you’ll arrive at the end of your working life to discover that you have no idea what you want to do with your time, with poorly organised finances that might prevent you from achieving your dreams.

Think of creating a detailed plan not as a burdensome task, but rather an investment in yourself and your future – one that you’ll be grateful for in just a few years’ time.

Read on to find out how to plan a retirement that you’ll thank yourself for in 10 years.

Decide what you want to achieve

When you begin creating your retirement plan, you might think that you should start by totting up the pounds and pence. From there, you’d then be able to decide what kind of lifestyle you can afford.

But actually, this approach is the wrong way round. You should start with your life goals for what you want to achieve, and then circle back to your finances later. That way, you can make your money fit around those targets instead.

So, have a good think about what you want to do in retirement. A useful way to work this out can be to sit down with your spouse or partner and make a list of the types of things that interest you – not anything as macabre as a bucket list, but rather a positive-minded list of ambitions and aspirations.

If you’re not sure where to start, here are a few common retirement goals:

 

  • Retiring early, perhaps at around 55 or 60, to make the most of your later years
  • Travelling round the world, seeing as much of it as possible
  • Learning a new skill or honing a current one, such as a musical instrument or a sport
  • Starting a new business venture, working as and when you please
  • Spending time with and/or financially supporting children and grandchildren.

This list is far from exhaustive, and the options are practically limitless. It’s all about working out what will give you the greatest sense of fulfilment in life.

 

When you work with us at Cordiner Wealth, we’ll always start with your goals first when we design a financial plan for you.

Organising your finances so you can get there

Once you know what you want to achieve, you can start looking for practical uses of your money to drive you there.

There are various ways you might be considering to fund your retirement. You might be planning to use:

 

  • Pension funds that you’ve saved up over the course of your career
  • Other savings and investments held outside of your pension
  • The proceeds from a business sale.

 

No matter the methods at your disposal, having a plan in place can focus your decision-making with your money.

For example, you might realise that the cost of reaching your goals is greater than you initially thought, meaning you might want to increase how much you’re saving and investing into your pension and other accounts.

Or conversely, you may discover that your business asking price is more than you actually need to afford your desired lifestyle. In that case, you could consider reducing it to encourage bids from buyers.

Choosing your goals first can refine your financial choices, giving you a razor-sharp focus that lets you make informed, rational decisions.

There’s never a better time to start than now

The most crucial part of creating your plan for the future is to make a start as soon as possible, no matter how old you are. Whether you’re 35 or 55, there’s never a better time to start planning than the present.

If you have your nose to the grindstone in the middle of your career, retirement planning can seem like an unnecessary process you can kick down the road for later.

But actually, starting now is incredibly valuable. The sooner you start making decisions and putting plans in place for your money, the longer you’ll give it to reach the goals you’re setting out. Think how much further ahead you and your money could be starting at 35, with an extra few years of saving and investing than if you wait until you’re in your 40s.

Meanwhile, if you’re in your late 40s or early 50s, your retirement might be just a decade away. In that case, having a plan is vital, as the decisions you make now will define the lifestyle you’re able to live in the imminent future. That’s still plenty of time to put a plan in place – provided that you start now!

Whichever one most closely describes you, working with a financial planner can be extraordinarily useful. At Cordiner Wealth, we’ll help you create a plan for your future and then make incisive suggestions for your money that will put you on the road towards your targets.

Speak to us

Want to create a retirement plan that you’ll thank yourself for in 10 years? Speak to us today at Cordiner Wealth.

We’ll design a bespoke financial plan that’s based around you, your family, and your goals for the future.

Email hello@cordinerwealth.co.uk or call 0113 262 1242 to get in touch.

Please note

A pension is a long-term investment. The fund value may fluctuate and can go down, which would have an impact on the level of pension benefits available. Your pension income could also be affected by the interest rates at the time you take your benefits.

The value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

This article is for information only. Please do not act solely based on anything you might read in this article. All contents are based on our understanding of HMRC legislation, which is subject to change.