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No One is Asking You to Give Up Your Dream

• Posted by e2 on 07.29.09
• Tags Family Changes, The Evolving Family

Many people think that they will not live to retirement, or that if they should reach retirement, they will live for only a few years.

This is not very realistic thinking. An improved standar of living and advances in technology have greatly added to the life span of the average people - statistics show that today once the average man has reached age 65, he can expect to live more than 13 years, while his wife can anticipate even greater longevity.

There are many reasons why it is difficult to provide adequately for retirement. With more and more emphasis on formal education, workers are starting their careers at an older age than did their fathers; mandatory employee retirement is becoming increasingly common; high personal income taxes greatly reduce individual savings or investments, thereby making it more difficult to accumulate satisfactory sums.  Increasing costs of living also mean less savings dollars.  Still, voluntary early retirements have been increasing over the the last two decades because of a desire by many for more leisure and the time to enjoy many activities while they are still young enough and in good health. All this points to the fact that it is wise to start planning now!.

No one is asking you to give up your dream.  It can be a good dream if it keeps you moving toward the future, instead of lingering in the past.  In youth, dreams of future greatness spur us to achievement by overcoming fear of failure to gain our goals.  As we mature, we see the reality behind our dreams.  Wisdom gained from our experiences enables us to separate fact from fancy.  And in our middle years, as in our youth, dreams will supply us with the will to attain our goals.

Think about your retirement today, no matter how young you are.  If your dream is a realistic goal, keep it and develop it.  If it is not, reevaluate it.  If you have not started to plan, start now.