Have you started saving for your retirement?

 

Life pre-kids used to be so different. Particularly when it came to both time and money!

Before I had children I worked for the city council training social care workers.

I hated the regularity of working Monday to Friday 9-5. Despite the fact the job was interesting and i had wonderful colleagues and I was making a difference I found the routine dull. Groundhog day. Self employment is more fun!

However there was one thing I really like about being employed.

I loved the regularity of my paychecks, the fact my tax was all taken care of, national insurance paid union subs already taken out and my superannuation paid. It was all so organised. Being self employed is somewhat of a nightmare in comparison. I sort out my own tax and national insurance now and to be frank it gives me a bit of a headache.

Knowing where I stand financially is really important to my sense of security and ability to plan our family life

I am yet to start paying into a retirement fund and yet it is absolutely up there in my list of jobs to do.

I have a bit of a fantasy about my retirement.

I would like to live in a house on the beach with huge glass windows and spend my days reading and writing, seeing my grandchildren wandering the beach with my memories.

Perhaps I will travel a little I have always wanted to see Montana and ride the trails with some handsome cowboys, have a wild weekend playing slot machines and going to Frank Sinatra tributes in Vegas too.

What I don’t want to be is short of money or worried about money.I want to be able to help out my kids, pay for help I may need myself and live well. I want to eat well, be warm and still go the theatre whenever I wish to.

This little dream will of course require funding so I had better start saving for that retirement fund again. I am 42 now so it is inching closer and closer.