If your idea of the perfect retirement is to enjoy leisurely mornings, you’ll need to start preparing ahead of time. Retirement planning starts while you’re still working. No matter how old you are, now is the perfect time to create a savings plan to help you retire comfortably.
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To ease the process of planning for retirement, it’s a good idea to break it down into some basic steps. You’ll start by creating a vision of your retirement lifestyle, helping turn it over the years as you build your savings. Let’s dig into the need-to-know, essential details for proper retirement planning.
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1. Start Saving Now
Even if you are fresh out of high school, it’s never too early to start saving for retirement. A good first step is looking at the different savings plans available.
One option is to open a high-yield savings account dedicated to your retirement savings. Many Americans rely on company-sponsored 401(k) plans to build retirement savings. Other options include:
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One-participant 401(k)s if you are a business owner with no employees
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403(b)s
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Traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs)
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Roth IRAs
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SIMPLE IRAs
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2. Contribute to Your Employer’s Retirement Savings Plan
If your employer offers a 401(k) plan or other retirement plan, sign up and contribute. This is the best and easiest way to start building a retirement fund. When you use an employer-sponsored plan, your employer handles the heavy lifting. All you have to do is agree to have money deducted from your paycheck every pay cycle. You also get tax advantages. And if your employer matches your contribution, you get free money that goes into your retirement savings.
In 2025, employees can contribute up to $23,500 in their:
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401(k)
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403(b)
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457 plans
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The federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan
3. Find Out About Your Employer’s Pension Plan
Many government employers offer a traditional pension plan rather than a 401(k) plan. If your employer offers a pension plan, find out if you’re covered. You can ask for an individual benefit statement to understand your pension’s value and ensure you know what’s happening with your benefits before changing jobs.
4. Invest In an IRA
If you don’t have access to a 401(k) or pension plan, you should start investing in an IRA to build your nest egg. IRAs offer tax benefits that bolster your retirement savings over time. Even if you have a company-sponsored plan, invest in an IRA to save faster. Keep in mind that the maximum you can contribute to an IRA in 2025 is $7,000 a year.
However, you get an additional “catch-up” contribution of $1,000 to bring the total to $8,000 if you’re 50 or older.
5. Balance Your Portfolio
Saving money for retirement is only part of your overall strategy. You also need to make sure your investments have the right mix of:
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Stocks
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Bonds
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Mutual funds
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ETFs
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Real estate
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Other assets
Spreading your investments across diverse assets can mitigate risk and produce steady returns over time.
6. Don’t Touch Your Retirement Savings
It’s important to never dip into these accounts unless you’re facing a financial emergency. Taking loans and early withdrawals from your retirement savings can set your retirement plans back years. For example, if your 401(k) plan allows you to take a loan, you’ll be required to repay it — including interest — according to strict terms. If you don’t adhere to these requirements, any unpaid amounts will become a plan distribution.
In most cases, you’ll have to include any previously untaxed amount of the distribution in your gross income the year the distribution occurred. You might also face an additional 10% tax on the amount of the taxable distribution.
7. Set Retirement Goals
Once you have done the early planning, you should set a target age for retirement. Some people choose to continue working well into their 60s and 70s, especially if they enjoy your work. Others prefer to step out of the workforce to travel or spend time with loved ones while they are still in good health.
You’ll also need to envision your ideal retirement lifestyle. Things to consider include:
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Where you’ll live
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How much your lifestyle will cost
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Whether you need to earn extra money through a part-time job or side gig
8. Determine How Much Money You’ll Need
A big part of enjoying retirement is having enough money to live your ideal lifestyle. The U.S. Department of Labor recommends having 70% to 90% of your income to maintain your current standard of living. If you’re currently earning $60,000 per year, you’ll likely need $42,000 to $54,000 per year in retirement, or $3,500 to $4,500 per month.
If you think Social Security will cover most of this cost, you’re probably mistaken. As of May 2025, the average Social Security retirement benefit was about $2,002 a month, according to the Social Security Administration. That’s not nearly enough to cover the average living costs in the United States.
To help you formulate a good savings goal, look at the retirement calculator from GOBankingRates. You can use it to determine how much you might need to save for retirement. To figure out the right amount, it will use factors such as:
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Retirement age
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Savings
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Income
9. Familiarize Yourself With Social Security Benefits
You can start claiming Social Security benefits as early as age 62. However, delaying your claim can increase your monthly payments. The full retirement age is when you qualify for full benefits. That’s considered 66 or 67 depending on when you were born.
After age 70, there’s no financial benefit to delaying further. To be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, you need a minimum of 10 years of work, equivalent to 40 credits. Your benefit amount is calculated based on your 35 highest-earning years.
10. Hire a Professional
Planning for retirement is not just about setting aside money for the future. You should develop an investment strategy that maximizes your returns and helps build an adequate nest egg for your golden years. This involves:
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Understanding different investments
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Managing risk
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Planning for a long retirement to ensure you don’t run out of money
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Learning the tax laws and how best to navigate them
If you have the resources, you should hire a financial advisor. They can help you put together the best plan for your personal financial situation and retirement goals.
What Should I Do 5 Years Before Retirement?
If you’re retirement planning for the next five years, you’re probably getting excited for this new chapter. Many of the decisions you make now can have a lasting impact on your retirement lifestyle. This period and the first five years after retirement are known as the fragile decade.
You want to ensure you’re taking the right steps now to ensure a smooth financial transition into your golden years. Some actions to take include:
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Maximize all of your retirement accounts if you can do so.
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Take a close look at your current budget. Pay down as much debt as possible.
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Consider purchasing supplemental coverage to assist with medical costs.
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If you haven’t already, reach out to a fee-only financial planner to make sure your investment plan is on track.
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Decide exactly where you’ll live and use this to determine your estimated cost of living.
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Take a closer look at your estimated Social Security monthly benefit.
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If you don’t already, make sure you have an emergency fund in place, so you don’t have to take extra money out of a taxable retirement fund or get a job if you’re faced with an unexpected major expense.
Final Take To GO
It’s never too early or too late to start planning for retirement. The more time you spend thinking about the kind of life you want and taking steps to prepare for it now, the more likely you are to enjoy your golden years.
Even if retirement is a long way away, today’s actions will hugely impact your future. Opening a retirement savings account and contributing a portion of each paycheck might mean you have to sacrifice a bit now, but that’s nothing compared to the amount you’ll have to stretch your budget in retirement without proper savings.
Allison Hache and Jennifer Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Steps To Help You Prepare for Retirement
