What does it take to financially secure your retirement?

What actions can be taken at different stages of life to ensure a financially secure retirement? How would you plan to fund your retirement years.

Public Comments

1. If you have no clue where to begin, I would begin starting with ameriprise.
2. If you have no idea where to start, I would suggest taking a personal finance class at your local community college. This will provide you with the basics.
3. The key is to spend less than you earn and invest in good mutual funds. If you have debt and nothing going into savings every month, you'll never make it.
4. It takes a well thought out plan and discipline. It takes a strategy that you and a sound financial planner can map out. There are two keys for a secure retirement and wealth: time and compounding. Depending on your age, you can choose to be aggressive with your investments for long term growth. Or if you're near retirement, you may need to be a bit more conservative.
5. The best option for most people these days is a 401k or company sponsored plan. If you are not working where such a plan is offered you may need to change jobs! Generally speaking you need to put about 10% of your income in such an account each year, and get whatever company match is available. Get professional help investing your money! If you work in a government job (and maybe a few others) there may be a pension plan that guarantees a retirement income, but such plans are becoming very rare!
6. okay, first pick your retirement agency, anyone will do , just check their background for the last 50 years, just to make sure they're not fraudulent ppl.also , save money, you can create a bank account with your bank, and say like every 6 dollars (or whatever) you make 2 of it goes into saving, you dont touch that savings for a coupkle years, a find out how much it is, eventually, spend like 2 dollars of it in a month, or else it decreases in value, keep doing that until you retire - under no circumstances do you touch that money untill you want to retire, you should have a nice big sum by the end of like 10 years.
7. It all depends on when you start. If you are young, you can afford to take more risks than an older person who is closer to retirement. One person mentioned a 401K plan at work and that is great, especially if your company matches your contributions. Another is to put the maximum amount allowed into an individual IRA every year. You would be surprised at how fast it gorws. Compound interest is an awesome thing! You can also buy governemnt bonds. If you are serious about your retirement, stick to a plan of saving on a regular basis and just let it grow. Do not take it out unless you need it for an emergency. And then, use money that is not in a time deposit as you will be penalized for early withdrawal. If you are not afraid of some risk, the stock market is another way. But, and this is a big but, get professional advice for this.