Are you a millennial saving for retirement in your employer-sponsored retirement plan? Did you know that the average age millennials started saving for retirement was actually between ages 22 and 23? Why? Simple, automatic enrollment. 95% of those enrolled don’t opt out. If you’re wondering if there are better ways to save for your financial goals and retirement, stick around to the end of this blog.
When it comes to saving for retirement, use your employer-sponsored plan to contribute up to the level that the employer matches. But over and above that, you may want to consider alternatives that put you in control of your money so that you could access that money somewhere along the line. In case there’s a financial emergency, a medical emergency, or an opportunity that you want to take advantage of.
Now keep in mind that these strategies may be different from the ones that your parents, your grandparents, your mentors, or even your friends are using.
But they seek to keep you in control of your money because whoever controls your cash flow controls your life. And we have seen too many times people trying to put as much money as possible into their government-sponsored or employer-sponsored retirement plan. And you see, it’s not about having the biggest statement or the largest value on your statement. It’s about being in control of your money. And yes, you might have a large statement or a large balance in your retirement account. But who really controls it? Is that all your money or is part of it controlled by the government?
And you see, that’s the key. Putting you in control of your money. Have you considered what the taxes are going to be in the future when you go to access that money, or if you have to access it before the government says you’re allowed to? What the penalties are going to be on that money? And you see then this brings us back to the basic question: Do you think taxes are going up in the future?
Do you think taxes have the potential to go up a lot in the future? Is it better to defer a small amount of tax into the future when it could potentially be a large tax? Or is it better to pay a small amount of tax on your income now and let it grow on a tax-deferred basis so you never have to pay taxes on it again?
So you’re going to always want to contribute up to that employer match. But anything over that, you have a choice. Where is the best place for you to save that money? And that’s where we can help you. We can help you assess where the best place to put the money would be to fit your circumstance. You’re going to want to keep full liquidity use and control of any excess money that you’re saving. You’re going to want to save it in the place that it’s allowed to grow on a tax-deferred basis, and that allows you access to anything you need, no questions asked. So you could use it to renovate your home, go on vacation, send your kids to college, take advantage of opportunities, or anything else you could think of.
And here’s the point again. You have choices, and keeping those options open allows you to access that money prior to retirement so that now your money is working in two places at once.
So if you’re enrolled in your employer-sponsored plan and contributing over the match and you’re looking for some alternatives of where you could save, that would leave you in control of your money so that you could access it when you need it for what you need. Be sure to visit our website and schedule your free strategy session today. And remember, it’s not how much money you make, it’s how much money you keep that really matters.
