What’s It Going To Cost

Jack Phelps

We’ve begun walking through the first step in The Relaxing Retirement Equation, which is to determine your level of dependence on your Retirement Bucket (after receiving social security and any pensions). And, Wholesale NFL Jerseys then, how that level of dependence ultimately drives where you position your hard earned savings at this unique stage in your life.

Let’s continue that today and get back to our case study of two couples, both age 65. As a refresher, here’s what we know about them:

Each couple has $2 million dollars in investments in their Retirement Bucket, the same social security retirement income, and the same pensions. a new roof, vinyl siding, a new furnace, and new bathrooms. They have always lived a very modest lifestyle with little or no debt.

Gary and Grace still have $260,000 outstanding on a second mortgage they took cheap jerseys china out to pay for their kids’ college tuitions and weddings, and a condo down in Florida they bought a few years back. They both drive high end cars. And, while their home is very nice, after 29 years, it’s starting to look “tired” and could use some upgrades.

Even though both couples have the same level of investments, the same amount of social security income, and the cheap jerseys from china same pensions, they’re clearly in two very different situations when you dig below the surface a little. And, that’s what everyone misses by trying to use “rules of thumb” planning. The huge difference is Gary and Grace’s cost of living. It’s much more expensive than Doug and Diane’s. The key is knowing just how much! And, that’s the first step toward your Relaxing Retirement that we’re going to tackle today.

What’s it Going to Cost?

The first step toward your Relaxing Retirement is for you to have a clear handle on what it costs you to live the way you want. From 21 years of experience working hands on with so many of you, if you don’t know this answer, I can guarantee, that you will have unnecessary anxiety for the rest of your life and “pull your punches” by restricting your spending because you don’t know if you have enough. Or, you will continue to work because you think you “have” to, when in fact you may not “have” to.

So, the first Wholesale Custom Jerseys step toward a relaxing retirement is to have a clear handle on what it costs you to support your desired lifestyle. Now, I recognize that this may not be the most pleasant exercise you’ve ever been through. However, it’s the key to reducing your anxiety level.

Do I Now Have To Live On a Budget?

Before we delve into the best way to tally this, I want you to know that this is NOT about living on a “budget” and restricting cheap jerseys your spending. This is about having an”accounting” of what it costs you to live the way you want so that you can have a measuring stick to make decisions.

There’s a big difference.

How to Carve Up Your Spending into wholesale cheap jerseys Bite Sized Chunks

There are two major categories of ways that you spend your money. The first is the typically bigger, one time expenses, like renovating your kitchen or bathroom, landscaping projects, paying for your children’s wedding (hopefully one time!), or purchasing a car, etc.

Think about the next five years. Is there anything you’d really like to do that would fall into this category? Write down your wish list right now, and then rank them in order of priority.

You want to know right now what you’re going to need to spend money on, not five years from now when you “suddenly” need the money.

Fixed and Discretionary Expenses That Repeat

Once you’ve done this, you can jump to the other category of spending; those which repeat themselves year after year. And, under this category, there are some which are “fixed” or mandatory. And, some which are “discretionary” (your choice based on your priorities).

Typical “fixed” expenses include utilities, insurances, groceries, clothing (at least most clothing falls under this category), mortgages, real estate taxes, etc. These are expenses that must be paid, and typically they’re paid every month. “Discretionary” spending, on the other hand, is where we’d like to spend all of our money! However, when planning, most people don’t account for them as much as they should. Things like vacations, presents for your grandkids, meals out, and entertaining, etc.

Remember, this is all about living cheap mlb jerseys exactly the way you want, so you want to be generous with your estimates. wholesale jerseys And, when we talk about the future, we have to talk about INFLATION because what costs a dollar today certainly won’t cost a dollar ten years from now. When you project your spending into the future, you have wholesale nfl jerseys to build in a conservative inflation figure (the amount by which your expenses will go up each and every year on the same goods and services you currently purchase right now).

For example, if inflation averages a mere 3%, that $100 worth of groceries you just picked up will cost you $135 in ten years. And, this only assumes a 3% inflation rate. To be more realistic and conservative in your planning, I recommend that you build in a higher inflation figure. That’s not being negative. It’s being realistic, especially in light of the massive amount of debt financing being used by our federal government right now.

Once you have this information in your hands and you have your own unique set of numbers, you’re well on your way cheap jerseys china to enjoying a relaxing retirement where you’re not dependent on the income from work to support your lifestyle.Articles Connexes：

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