by Todd Hicks

Created on: October 21, 2010

Are you a member of the labor force? If so, it is important to do several things right in order to make it so that your life is less painful once you stop working. You will learn retirement pitfalls that you must avoid in order to have a fulfilling retirement.

You do not save any money. This is especially essential if you do not have a retirement benefits package through your employer because it might not be adequate to only get social security benefits.

You do not take into consideration certain factors regarding your future. The first thing that you should do is calculate how much you will need in order to continue living the lifestyle that you have and perhaps add to it by taking more vacations. The second is to prepare for the cost of living to rise. The third is to plan to live for at least twenty-five to thirty years after leaving the workforce; after all, people are living longer and longer.

You experience poor health. This is likely to happen if you eat poorly, smoke, drink too much, avoid exercising, have bad hygiene, avoid having health checkups and cannot react to stress in a manner that is positive and productive.

You do not do enough on the job. The first thing that you have to do there is put forth your best effort. The second is to help and be a mentor to the employees who are newer to the firm and less experienced than you are. The third is to always be on time and conduct yourself professionally. By doing these things, you will have little or nothing to regret about how you are spending your working years once your career is over.

You either withdraw money from certain investment accounts before they reach their expiration date or you make a withdrawal from them before you reach a certain age. It is crucial to refrain from doing this in order to avoid paying penalties.

You exit the labor force in too much debt. It is vital to have your mortgage, student loans and credit card debt paid off while not spending more than you earn.

You do not treasure your parents while they are still living. You should make sure that you see them at least once a year.

You do not vote. Politicians can make decisions that will affect you for the rest of your life.

Learn more about this author, Todd Hicks.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.