Saving for your retirement may not be so important when we’re young, but as we age we begin thinking more and more about it. How old will you be when you decide you don’t want to work full-time anymore? Or, more importantly, will you get to a point in your life when you feel you no longer can work full-time—or at all? These are the reasons why it’s important to not only begin thinking about your retirement when you’re younger, but it’s important to start doing something about it. Thankfully, if you’re older, you still have time to save for your retirement, but naturally, you have less time which means you’ll need to go a little more gung-ho at it. Whether you already have an advisor or you’re shopping for one, you need to know the questions to ask about your retirement in order to start saving properly. Top financial advisors have the 5 most important questions you must ask that will help ensure that you’re ready for retirement whenever you get there.
The first question you need to ask about your retirement is a question that only you (and your partner) can answer: What do I want out of my retirement? You need to sit down and map out a realistic vision of your future that includes such items as where you will live and what you will do. For instance, have you and your spouse always dreamed of the proverbial cross-country Winnebago retirement? Or perhaps you’re the kind of guy who wants to spend his retirement fishing? Whatever your retirement looks like, do a little research in advance about what you’ll need. Then take the following questions to your financial advisor.