03/06/2022
We all know about education loans, but has anyone ever heard of a retirement loan?
As parents, we all love our children.
And sometimes, in the name of giving them the best, we end up over-stretching ourselves, which can come at the expense of planning for our golden years.
When I speak to clients with young children, most of them admit they have not given much thought to how they would get by in old age.
They tell me there are many other things that urgently demand their attention financially (understandably so).
But the tricky thing is, if we do not start prioritising our future selves now, there’s a chance that we will need to significantly reduce our standard of living in old age.
Or worse, rely on our kids as the only retirement plan.
After all, there isn’t a loan we can take out to finance our golden years.
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So what can you do about it?
For a start, take a pause to review if any non-essential expenses can be trimmed down so you have some surplus to put towards your retirement pot, such as:
#1: Toys & clothes
#2: Birthday celebrations
#3: Enrichment classes
#4: Family outings (eg. it doesn't always have to be a paid experience like a museum visit or staycation)
Next, you need to be open to exploring various options for growing your nest egg and developing passive income. These could be in the form of interest (eg. fixed deposits and savings accounts); endowment plans; dividend-yielding funds/ETFs; or rental.
At the end of the day, what you’re doing will benefit your children. By choosing to spend slightly less on them now so you have more to spare for your older self, you are reducing the chances of becoming a burden to them in future.
What’s one non-essential you’ll be cutting down on first? 💵
For me, it’s buying my son the Transformer figurine he decided he so had to have (after saying the same about his Power Ranger a month ago)! 🤖