Are you saving for your retirement?
If you haven’t been able to start saving for retirement, or if you have no savings at all, you are not alone. The number of Americans who have no cash in the bank to fall back on is staggering
According to a Federal Reserve report, almost 30% of Americans report having a zero balance, and 62% have less than $1,000 in savings.
In fact, nearly half of Americans couldn’t cover a $400 emergency expense without borrowing the money or selling something.
Another survey by GOBankingRates.com claimed that an additional 21% report having no savings account whatsoever.
In terms of saving for retirement, 36% have yet to begin keeping away money for retirement.
The importance of saving for your retirement cannot be overemphasized. Retirement saving is what will see you through your golden age. Saving for retirement is not optional; it is something that everybody ought to take seriously.
If you’re interested in saving more towards your retirement, below are simple hacks to boost your retirement savings:
Put Your Savings on Autopilot and Pay Yourself First
Simplify your retirement savings by placing it on auto pilot. It isn’t easy to make rational decisions with money, so, the simplest way to save for your retirement is by setting up an automatic transfer of money from your paycheck to your savings account.
A study by Prudential Financial Inc., a New Jersey financial services firm discovered that 66% of workers between the ages of 21 to 30 would like to be automatically registered in a defined-contribution plan at work, such as a 401(k) or 403(b).
An automatic retirement saving plan will ensure that a part of your paycheck will go to your savings account without you having to think about it. More importantly, it will give you the benefits of paying yourself first.
Work Longer
Increasing your working hour as well as prolonging your retirement is a simple hack to earn more and save more.
27% of Americans want to keep working as long as possible. Similarly, Another 12% said they don’t plan to retire at all, according to a 2015 Federal Reserve study.
You will get more money for every overtime hours you spend on the job. This extra money can be channeled to your retirement savings, which can become quite substantial in the long run.
However, never work longer at the expense of your health. Use only a few hours in a week for overtime job.
Pile Up Your Extra Funds
When you get a raise, a tax refund or any other unexpected money the wise thing to do is to contribute a large part of it to your retirement savings. A report from Bank of America Merrill Lynch found out that Millennia’s, aged 21-34, were more involved in increasing their retirement contribution rates during the first half of 2016 than any other age group.
According to Stephen Chen, founder of New Retirement Inc, “Even just putting away $10 or $20 a paycheck will make a difference, and will get you into the habit of saving,”
Don’t Get Distracted by Debt
Substantial debt can be a huge obstacle to savings and investment. If you are already in debt, you will need a good debt repayment system to help you get out and keep you focused.
Even so, you shouldn’t allow debts to distract you from your retirement saving plan. You should always pay yourself first before paying any bills. This is made easier when you automate your retirement savings.
See Also: 5 Ways to Help Get Out of Debt
Cut Down On Living Expenses
Make use of effective budgeting to cut down on your monthly expenses. Cutting down on expenses doesn’t mean going to live in the woods; it only means adopting some cut saving behaviors like buying in bulk, using coupons, switching to a more cost-effective brand, making more use of your DIY skills, sticking to your budget, etc.
See Also: 7 Ways to Live Within Your Means
There are many other ways to increase your retirement savings, especially for late starters which you can consider. The challenge to retirement saving isn’t in knowledge, but in turning that knowledge into significant results.
Saving for retirement requires you to translate the retirement saving hacks into actionable rules that will help you achieve your goal. If you are able to follow these simple hacks, you’ll have a comfortable retirement savings to fall back on when you no longer have the capacity to work.
The post 5 Simple Hacks to Increase Your Retirement Savings appeared first on Dumb Little Man.
Sig Nordal 