Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Retirement:Get Started/Take Action

Earlier this month I was communicating with my virtual colleague, Charles Earl Foster. Chucky Earl as I call him, is the co-author of the great retirement planning guide, "Plan Now Retire Early" which we recommend both here and in our fre*e newsletter, www.RetiredandReady.com. Chuck was sharing what he is afraid is a disturbing trend among what I will refer to as the "50 something" Baby Boomer group. Problem is, I am seeing and hearing the same thing.

As we interact with these folks, more and more of them are telling us that they have saved very little money for their retirement. What nearly all of them have in common is that they are or have been self-employed, often small business owners or have been contract agreement workers most of their working lives. The reasons are as diverse as the people themselves. Put two kids through college. Kids moved back home! Living paycheck to paycheck as it is. House payment poor. Had to put the money back in the business. However, the excuses that are killing the two of us are, "we just never got started" and "we just did not know what to do."

The truth is, one cannot get started any sooner than right now unless one's actual goal is to work until the day he or she dies. That may be great for the likely small percentage of people who love their work/job, but none of these people fit in that profile. The "didn't know what to do" group also includes the "we didn't know what to ask" and the "we didn't want to look stupid" subgroups. How stupid is not asking or learning what to do about your retirement? There are great people and resources out there that cover this subject from start to finish.

After our interaction, I told Charles that I knew he had initially written his great downloadable eBook for a younger post Baby Boomer population. However, if both of us are interacting with so many of these individuals and couples, we needed to find a way to get this resource into the hands of these folks. "Plan Now Retire Early" is a step-by-step resource for the person who is the most important player in your retirement savings plan. YOU! The central theme is that you have to own your plan and make it your own.

To this end, we have set up a specific site for Baby Boomers to get this resource so they can learn, get started and take action. If you are one of these people, know someone who is, or just want a clear and powerful tool for your retirement planning strategy, visit www.babyboomersandretirement.com to get more information on ordering the guide. Remember, the first step is the most important one in any journey.

Information on this book and other resources covering identity theft, safety and security, health and travel tips, as well as information on how to use the Internet to make money from home, can be found when you visit our fre*e retirement newsletter at www.retiredandready.com.

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