When I was growing up I didn’t really think about kids, marriage, wedding etc, but I knew I wanted to be in business. I like setting goals but after spending years what felt like forever paying off my school debt, I didn’t really have a nest egg. I mean, I never prepared for unexpected life events, buying a house, retirement. One of the things I’ve learned from working with TD Canada the last year is that it’s never too early to build a financial plan and set goals for your future. If you work for a business and you already have retirement on the mind, then make sure your employer has Employee Benefits so this process can be made easier for when the time comes and that you get what you deserve.

Y’Know What I Mean?

For many Canadians (especially us millennials) things don’t always go planned the way they did for our parents ex. finish school, get married, buy a house, have kids, get a boat, retire early, move to the Bahamas for a year. (OK the last part is actually what my mum did, except ‘retire early’) So if you’re soon to be retired, make sure you look around and make sure you’re planning enough to ensure you’re retirement ready.

A recent TD Canada Trust survey found:

• – Nearly 6/10 Canadians have completed or are on track to complete their life’s milestones in a different order than they originally expected
• – Gen X Canadians are more likely to complete or be on track to complete them in a different order 64% than Millennials 52%
• – Only 4/10 Canadians say they’ve properly budgeted or are properly budgeting for having their first child (39%) and for retirement (41%)
• – Only 24% of Millennials and 33% of Gen X Canadians say they have properly budgeted or are properly budgeting for retirement.

“We know that priorities are constantly evolving and the big moments in our lives don’t always happen the way we expect,” said Lee Bennett, Senior Vice President, TD Wealth Financial Planning. “In fact, the survey findings also show that the best laid plans of previous generations didn’t always happen as anticipated either. This is something Millennials can learn from so they can better prepare themselves for unexpected – and sometimes simultaneous – life events by planning to allow for financial flexibility.”

One of the things that stuck with me from the information TD sent is that ‘unexpected costs’ can pop up anywhere for anyone. Being a homeowner, having pets, getting married (or BFF’s wedding) is expensive.

A financial planner can help you sort out how to manage your money and make a plan to suit your situation and aspiration. Last year I was on Global News talking about how important it is for us to manage our money.

It’s crazy how much you can save if you put your mind to it. The idea of retiring sounds pretty great and I wanna be able to make it happen. You can also get a decent income in retirement if you decide to look into equity release with Key.

CASIE

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