This Holiday Season, Think About Your Own Future and Not Just Your Children!

As parents, we invest so much energy, time, and money into our kids - sometimes giving up things for ourselves. Anyone who’s scrimped and saved for holiday shopping or stayed up late wrapping presents or baking cookies knows what I’m talking about.

But in all this focus on ensuring our children’s future we need to make sure that we are planning for our own future as well. After all, I’m grateful my parents have a solid plan for their retirement years. Planning for our own retirements can really be a gift we pass on to our children.

My wife and I still have plenty of time to plan for our retirement, but we really need to start soon. Neither her parents or mine ever saved for retirement and watching them still struggle to work has really made me realize how important it is. When it comes to money, my family has always focused on the here and now- with little thought of the future. I don't want that to happen to us.

This time of year I’m often focusing on what to get for the kids. Winter clothes, Christmas presents, and so on. But this year I’m taking a couple minutes for myself to visit AceYourRetirement.org for personalized, simple tips to make sure I’m on track with my retirement savings.

It was so helpful to me to see a couple areas that I could adjust to help improve the financial situation of our family. And, it only took about 3 minutes out of my busy schedule! We need to pay off all our current debt and then start stashing away money for retirement and new need to do it soon!

It’s not surprising that our family is one of many doing this financial juggling act.  Many Americans have almost no retirements savings, nearly half in fact! But it’s not too late to get started!    

Taking steps to take control of your retirement planning could have a positive impact in many areas of your life. According to a recent survey from AARP and the Ad Council, more than half of people in their 40s and 50s say that feeling more confident about saving for retirement would help them feel less stressed (54%). And 46% would be happier knowing they are taking care of their family’s future. I know I feel better after chatting with Avo at AceYourRetirement.org.

We work hard for our kids and our family - and now we are working hard for our own future as well. What will you be doing to help ensure your own future?