5 Steps To Help You Retire Early

The road towards early retirement isn’t easy but isn’t impossible either. You must work hard, have proper planning, keep patience and the drive to achieve that early retirement. You should definitely want to read the extensive article on retirement planning at Retire In Style. This will help you a lot to achieve your goal.

However, I have 5 tips to help you attain a financially independent life before you turn 50. 

1. Save Excessively
The first step for early retirement is to save early and regularly. The more you save, the more retirement fund you’ll have. That’s why it very important to set a properly calculated saving goal right in the beginning. This gives you an estimate of the time required to reach that goal. 

The best way to save is through a self-directed IRA, recording expenses, and setting up a monthly saving budget.

2. Develop A Comprehensive Plan
After establishing the savings amount, draw a detailed plan to help you reach that goal. A basic yet comprehensive retirement plan must include:

• The target retirement amount and the estimated time to achieve it.
• An estimate of your monthly spending post-retirement.
• Setting a time limit early on to pay your mortgage or any other debts and be liability-free.
• Research on medical insurance and social security options.
• A backup plan to be prepared for worst-case scenarios.

3. Adjust Your Current Budget
The most challenging task isn’t saving, it’s adjusting your current budget to meet the goals of your retirement. This requires careful planning, calculating expenses, cutting costs and a lot of discipline. It’s overwhelming but, take one step at a time. Start by tracking your spending and then categorize them to distinguish between the necessities and the unwanted or extravagant expenses.

Controlling your present spending may seem unfair and difficult. But ask yourself if you really need that store-bought coffee or a takeout dinner every day? Although, it’s okay to splurge every once in a while, as long as you cut back on other expenses. Remember, cutting back and saving today allows you to live luxuriously in the future. 

4. Start Investing Early
Saving early and excessively isn’t sufficient, especially when you are planning for early retirement. You will also need to start investing in the early stages of your career. Remember, early retirement is exhausting, but it also allows you to live successfully shortly in the future. So, don’t wait until you are in your 30s or 40s to invest, start investing in your 20s to achieve total financial independence before your retirement age. 

You can take help from a financial advisor to explore your investment options and ideas. If you’ve maxed out your retirement account, switch to a brokerage account or consider about investing in the stock market.

5. Work Hard And Be Disciplined
Time, patience, a lot of hard work and discipline are crucial to put your early retirement plan into action and successful completion. Keep saving and investing until you reach your goal while living comfortably in the present. But not too comfortable that you cannot save or invest the specific amount required for your early retirement budget.

Also, once you’ve drafted a retirement plan, don’t forget about it. Go back to your plan now and then. This allows you to recall your goals, to track your savings pace, to make sure if it still makes sense or if it needs re-planning.

Many people dream of retiring early and having financial freedom before the 50s. But only a few have the financial resources to draft a plan and execute it with discipline. If you follow the steps above with proper planning and calculations, you can also retire early, travel the world and spend your days as you please.