The coronavirus pandemic has been hard on everyone this year, and we’ll continue to see big adjustments in our everyday lives for months to come. Whether you’ve personally battled the illness, faced financial difficulties or postponed important plans, it has not been easy on anyone. But this doesn’t mean you should simply stop planning for the future. Here is why you should start a targeted plan now plus six tips for funding your retirement bucket list.

Planning Your Retirement Bucket List

When planning your retirement bucket list, expect to spend a lot of your money in the earlier years of retirement while you are still fairly young, healthy and mobile. Developing a targeted plan now can help prepare you in several ways.

Reduced Vulnerability

If you are planning to travel and spend more at the start of your retirement, then you can reduce market risk and spread your savings across multiple channels by considering the purchase of an annuity or permanent life insurance. Talk to your advisor for details on what options are right for you.

Establish Priorities

While you would love to do it all, establishing priorities ahead of time is key. Do you want a larger home so that family can visit or would you prefer a smaller house with the ability to travel more? Figure out what means the most to you when creating your retirement plan and bucket list.

Spending Without Guilt

The fear of overspending can keep many retirees from taking a bucket list trip. They worry they will spend too much, which could jeopardize their ability to live well in retirement or leave assets for their children. Planning well in advance and developing a spending strategy can help worried retirees do it all – take that trip, live well in retirement and leave a legacy for their loved ones.

Tips for Funding Your Retirement Bucket List

Tip #1: Build a Strong Retirement Plan

It’s never too early to start saving for retirement. Make sure you have an RRSP set up that you can start contributing to (if you don’t already) – these will serve as the building blocks of your retirement plan.

Tip #2: Create a Passive Income

Passive income is earnings that you aren’t actively managing – or at least have very little effort in managing. An example of this is something like having a rental property, having a downloadable eBook, managing a website, etc. When you have a passive income, you are able to earn extra income while being able to focus on your actual job, therefore boosting your financial situation.

Tip #3: Eliminate Credit Card Debt

It’s all too easy to let credit card debt climb. But eliminating interest payments (especially if it’s not necessary to carry a balance on your credit card) can boost your ability to add more to your retirement savings. Start by paying more on your highest interest credit cards and then once you have those paid off, work your way down to the other lower-interest earning debts.

Tip #4: Open a Savings Account

Is a savings account the right choice for you? These are easily accessible, and can offer a higher return than a standard account. Check with your local bank or Financial Advisor and start to research one that may work best for you.

Tip #5: Lower Your Monthly Bills

Make it a habit to check for unknown charges on your bills. If there are, call the company for an explanation. Try to find the best deals and rates for things such as insurance, internet and cable.

Additionally, you can work to cut costs inside the home by doing things such as:

• Checking your thermostat to ensure you’re not wasting heat or air conditioning
• Changing the filter regularly to help your units run more efficiently
• Lowering your water heater temperature
• Unplugging your unused electronics
• Using cold water when doing your laundry

These things may seem small, but they can produce significant cost savings over time.

Tip #6: Create a Three-Month Emergency Fund

Setting aside enough money to live on for three months can feel like a monumental task. Start slowly by paying down credit card debt, lowering bills and putting anything extra towards your emergency fund. These are useful as they will allow you to pay for unexpected emergencies, such as health issues, car repairs or home repairs. Having an emergency fund will allow you to pay for these things without dipping into your paycheck or savings.

You have worked hard to save for retirement, so even with the hardships of the pandemic, it’s still important that you are continuing to think about your future – and all the bucket list things you want to accomplish in retirement. If you diligently save and plan, it may be possible to reach your retirement goals and check every item off your bucket list.