When Should You Retire?

Once you have all the wheels in motion for your financial retirement it is often difficult to wait for that great and liberating day but you must take the time to make sure that there is no detail that hasn't been covered or has been overlooked in the planning process. Most of us worry over whether we'll be able to maintain a certain level of income when we retire and little else. The problem is that maintaining the same level of income during retirement is often not enough to keep things going and take care of all your family's needs during your retirement.

Have you checked out your insurance expenses? You should make a point of checking that all of your current insurance plans will either cover you during your retirement or at least that you have something in order until your Medicaid benefits kick in. This isn't only about medical insurance. There are all kinds of insurance coverage that we need in order to avoid potentially huge amounts of debt during our retirement. Some of the common types of insurance you will need include the following: homeowner's insurance, auto insurance, health insurance, dental insurance, long-term care insurance, and, perhaps, life insurance.

Once you've taken care of your insurance for your financial retirement. Have you established a budget that you and your partner can live with during your retirement? You need to be absolutely sure that you are in agreement on the budget or hard feelings could develop over time. Talking about things can accomplish so much and smooth many ruffled feathers you didn't even know existed.

Have you mapped out plans for things to do both together and individually? This is another thing that is important. While you are a couple you are still individuals with independent needs and desires. Make sure that you both have time and funds set aside to pursue interests that appeal to you as individuals as well as those that appeal to you as a couple.  Do you plan extensive travel?

Other important considerations include what bills you have. Are your bills paid off? How about those pesky high interest credit cards? Those can add up over time and you need to eliminate as many of these as possible along the way. You should also take great care to make sure that your home is paid for and all the taxes are caught up. You do not want any surprises that might jeopardize your security once you retire.

The list may seem endless but each question is very important in the grand scheme of things. You will want to take every effort to make sure that there are no nasty surprises along the way. Those surprises could mean the difference in you enjoying your retirement and facing the need to return to work at some point during your retirement in order to replace funds that must be spent for emergencies that were unexpected. Once you have all the answers to these questions and the answers are good, then you are ready to retire.

Once you have reviewed your future budget, you might very well find that you can't quite afford to retire and that is where information on this blog comes into play.  You can continue to work and attempt to supplement your retirement income before you retire or you can supplement your retirement income after you retire.