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Being prepared for retirement is much harder than it used to be. Companies no longer offer pensions and many are reducing or eliminating matching contributions to 401K retirement plans. Moreover, Social Security retirement benefits are expected to be limited and you may have to hang on longer to get benefits. Which means it's simply up to you to fund your own retirement; you can no longer rely on Social Security to pay your bills during retirement. To make sure that you will have a financially sound retirement, you'll need to start planning and saving now.

But for many people in the workforce, it's difficult to save. You need every cent you have to pay the bills, get the kids through their dentist bills and clothes for school and have a bit left over at the end of the month for dinner and a film. So how can we ever find a way to put money back for retirement under these conditions?

The key to savings is to take advantage of changes in your earnings to start a savings plan. For example when you begin a new job with a new salary, before you get used to that paycheck, set up a direct deposit of a little amount of money into a tax deferred account for example an IRA. The money goes straight in there and you never notice it in your paycheck. The funny thing about how we all think is that you survive up to the level of money you are receiving. So if you never see that $50 or $100 in your paycheck, you definitely will adjust your lifestyle accordingly and suddenly you have a program in place to save for retirement.

You can use the same concept to payments you may have automatically deducted from your account. If you are giving a car payment or you have a health club due taken directly out of your account, when those issues come to an end, think about if you want to see those direct withdrawals stop totally. If you are not used to having that money in your budget, you may be able to have your bank direct deposit some or all of that amount straight into your retirement account.

Just imagine how great it would be if you could put your car payment into retirement savings every month. You would see a very significant amount of money grow in that account in no time. And when you begin seeing the financial records start coming in from your bank or whoever is managing your retirement funds and you see it really start to build up, the goal of a secure retirement future for you and your wife will begin to become a reality for you.

Another exciting way to build up that retirement account is to make a project of it. You and your spouse could accept the challenge to do some sort of contract or short-term work every month or so and put all of that money into your retirement fund. Maybe he can go out with friends and cut wood and sell it around city for firewood. Maybe she could use her artistic knowledge to make original art works and sell them at the local crafts fair or flea market.

Saving for retirement may appear difficult now, but it's vital if you want to enjoy a comfortable retirement. Passed are the days where you could depend on your company and Social Security benefits to fund your retirement. It's up to you to make sure you have enough money to enjoy a fun and financially secure retirement.

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