Establishing and maintaining a successful retirement plan can seem complicated. There are so many questions, but seemingly not enough answers. Will I have enough money to retire? How do I address investment risk in my retirement funds, or the effects of inflation on my ‘safer’ funds? What role should my Christian faith have in my retirement plan?
It can be confusing to try to answer these difficult questions on your own. You may find it helpful to seek the counsel of an experienced Christian Financial Advisor to help guide your retirement planning. In the meantime, here are some pieces of wisdom from Scripture to help you tackle this challenge. The three key principles are simple: Procrastination steals your time, being diligent now relieves stress later, and your retirement should have an eternal impact.
3 Biblical Keys to Successful Retirement Planning
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Procrastination is a Thief of Time.
It’s easier to put off until tomorrow what we need to address today. Have you ever met someone who pushes something off to the next day so often, that it takes years for them to accomplish what they set out to do? If we’re honest, most of us will admit that it’s easy to put off doing things we know we need to do.
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:3 that “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” God in His wisdom advises us to look ahead and prepare for the future, and not to procrastinate. Time can either help you or hurt you. Whether you are 15 years from retirement, 5 years from retirement, or already in retirement, you cannot change any past procrastination. You can, however, make a choice today to start taking the actions needed to address your retirement planning challenges. So start today, and let time be your friend!
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Diligence Now Relieves Stress Later.
Proverbs 21:5 says “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” While financial success cannot be guaranteed, this Scripture teaches that diligent planning is one of the keys to success. Part of being diligent in planning for your financial future means that you address the many areas that impact your retirement plan. These areas include investment and retirement income planning, estate planning, tax planning, and insurance planning and wealth protection. If you are not diligent to make sure that these areas are addressed now, retirement could be a lot more challenging and stressful than what it needs to be. There are many factors that go into having a ‘successful’ retirement, and addressing all the important areas of consideration can seem overwhelming at times. However, being diligent to plan now can help to relieve future stress and give you peace of mind.
At the Life Financial Group, we help oversee ALL of these areas for our clients. We want to serve you to the fullest extent. If you have any questions, please get in touch!
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Your Retirement Should Have an Eternal Impact.
Proper retirement planning can allow you to have two additional assets in your later years: Time and financial resources. People tend to think of retirement as the time when you stop working, move south, and play golf every day. But what if you used your “golden years” to have an even greater eternal impact by spending some time and money on Kingdom purposes?
As Christians, if our retirement plan considers only that which is temporary and neglects the eternal, we have fallen short. There’s nothing wrong with spending time and resources on travel, shopping, or playing golf. In fact, we can say with confidence that enjoying the “fruit of our labor” (Eccl. 5:18) is encouraged in Scripture. But Jesus calls us in Matthew 6:20 to remember to “…lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Retirement may last 20, 30, or perhaps 40 years. That’s a very small amount of time compared to eternity! As stewards of all that God has blessed us with, preparing to invest time and financial resources in Kingdom Ministry should be an essential part of our retirement plans. Jesus says these eternal investments of your resources and your time will reap you eternal, heavenly rewards.
So there you have it! Don’t procrastinate, be diligent to address the various important areas of your retirement plan, and consider how you can make an eternal impact in retirement. This process can seem confusing and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be! We invite you to reach out to us so that together, we can design a retirement plan that works for you.
Schedule a free personal financial planning review, by contacting us at (610) 385-4500. Explore our website at www.thelifegroup.org for free financial resources!
Securities & Advisory Services offered through Geneos Wealth Management. Member FINA/SIPC
