Retirement Should Not be Frightening

Tim Gierke at postcrescent.com has written a column that gives every retiree and future retiree hope that the looming process of retirement does not actually have to be frightening. While we are living in some tough financial times and the huge variety of retirement rules and options continues to frighten us, we do not have to succumb to a feeling of dread for retirement.

One good way to lose your fear about retirement is to determine exactly how large your Social Security benefit will be. You can find this by looking at your Social Security statement, a document that arrives in the mail every year about two to three months before your birthday as long as you are not receiving benefits or Medicare. You can also go to www.socialsecurity.gov estimator to get a personalized estimate of your benefits.

However, you will not want to rely only on Social Security. Adding other sources of retirement cash, such as savings accounts, investments, pensions, and retirement accounts can go a long way toward easing your fears and ensuring that you have enough income to live comfortably. If you can secure at least 70 percent of your current annual income for when you retire, experts agree that such an amount will allow to live comfortably and without fear.

Social Security Check (Image: Flickr)