#1,476 Connecting financial education to everyone eventual goal........Retirement

Now, let's connect that financial education to the goal that affects almost everybody at one point, retirement.

When you picture retirement, what do you see? Do you see more time with your family? Traveling? Working because you enjoy it? Having the flexibility to decide how you spend your day? Whatever that picture looks like to you, it does actually come with financial decisions.

How much will you spend? Where will the income come from? How will you handle rising prices and those unexpected expenses? We all know things are not getting any cheaper.

We all know healthcare changes as you age and get a little bit older.

Those questions deserve attention before your last paycheck arrives.

So learning retirement strategies now gives you time to understand your choices.

You can make adjustments if you need to, and then build a plan around the life you actually want.

So why is starting now, why can that make a difference for you? You know, one of the advantages of starting now is compounding growth, if you think about it.

Compounding means earning returns on your original investment and on returns that remain invested.

So those investment returns obviously can fluctuate and that growth isn't guaranteed.

So that's why you need strategies now to start to build that.

But that time also gives you something practical.

more opportunities to contribute, review your progress and adjust your approach if you need to, because things change as your life goes by.

They say most people's lives change every, I believe it's six years, five or six years.

So that gives you time to adjust things if you need to.

Waiting can actually leave you needed to save more later or reconsider when you retire.

When is it 50? Is it 60? Or maybe it might be 70.

So think about the phrase, I'll get serious about retirement when things settle down.

Do things actually settle down for people? Not really.

There always is going to be another expense.

You're probably going to have to buy a car at one point, home repairs, college costs, or a business need.

So starting can mean reviewing your accounts or setting an affordable contribution account So you don't need every answer to take that next step, which could be your first step.

And if you're already in your 50s or 60s, learning still matters.

You're, quite frankly, at halftime.

Your decisions about spending, investment risk, and income sources can affect many years ahead.