Jeremy Schrader
July 24, 2024
What does it mean to retire?
Retirement means different things to different people. For some it means you won't be working at a job anymore, or at least less. For those who are within 10 years of retirement, it means a lot more.
Middle age through retirement has been called by some as "the back 9." A golfing reference meaning you're in the last half of the course. It should be the best part of your game as you've gained all that experience and knowledge playing the first half. Sometimes though, life has a way of throwing things at you that you didn't expect, and didn't plan to have happen. I'm in "the back 9" and I've been seeing that first hand. That's why it's important to have a plan, one that can account for things you didn't expect.
You assume a lot when you're younger. Like having a pension from the government and potentially one from your job(s). No one told me when I was 19 that I should start putting money away for retirement. Even if it was just 5% of my income a month, at least it would have been something. Regret, as they say is a useless emotion. How do we save, when saving seems impossible? The cost of everything is skyrocketing and every dollar in my household is going towards something.
After working decades for different companies I have managed to get a small pension saved. After seeing how my Mom had to live as a single woman when my Dad passed away, I can see it won't be enough. Especially now that she's moved into a senior's residence. I've been contributing to an RRSP as well, but that currently isn't even close to a year of my current salary. How can I continue live my current lifestyle with the money I have?
I hope that I won't be living the same lifestyle I am now in retirement, but a better one. One where I don't have to worry about living paycheque to paycheque. Not being saddled with insufferable debt. I hope to have the time to travel and do the things I want to do. The fact is though, I won't be able to do any of that without a financial plan. That's where the PKAG team comes in. The fact is that you can start saving for retirement at any point, but it's important to seek the help of a professional advisor.
PKAG can help even if you're not yet a client. They can go over your current financial plan, even if it's with someone else, and let you know how it stacks up to your lifestyle dreams. Their seminars were incredibly eye-opening. I've attended them. They were surprisingly not a sales pitch, but an explanation of what happens to your money when you retire. They also offered tips on what to do with my money. Things I hadn't considered, at least not in my youth.
Obviously, I work for PKAG, but I'm a client too. I've got perhaps a biased view of the great work that they do, but I've seen the passion the team has first hand in protecting their clients and ensuring their financial stability in their retirement. That passion is what sold me on working here, and on putting my money here too.
I invite you to reach out to the PKAG team with any questions you might have. They can talk you through your concerns, and set up a meeting to discuss them in person.