As the owner of Bergen Financial Group, Darcy Bergen has over two decades of experience serving clients with their financial needs, including planning for retirement. Although people in their 40s and 50s have retirement in mind, many young people fail to start thinking about it early on in life. Only 39% of adults start saving for retirement in their 20s, which means more than half have put off saving for retirement. Many young Americans don’t take advantage of the plans offered by their employers. 25% of working young adults use the retirement savings plans offered by their employers. Darcy Bergen shares some tips for young adults to keep in mind to start planning for retirement early.
Take Advantage of Employer Offered 401(k) Plans
While many employers offer 401(k) retirement plans for eligible employees, not many young employees take advantage of them. Perhaps many of them think they have more time to start saving for retirement Darcy Bergen mentions. Employer-offered 401(k) plans are an excellent way for people in their 20s to start saving for retirement. Another advantage is that many employers match the contributions of their employees. If an employee contributes $200 a month towards their retirement plan, their employers will contribute an additional $50. In a year, employees could save an additional $1,200 a year.
Not Taking a Job Without Considering the Benefits
When young adults are in the process of building their careers, they often take jobs based on how they can enhance their resume. While taking this approach could be beneficial to make them better candidates, they’re not thinking about the benefits the job has to offer. Before taking any job, young professionals should keep retirement benefits in mind. Darcy Bergen advises against taking jobs that don’t have a 401(k) plan to offer their employees. The earlier they start contributing to their retirement, the better off they will be.
Making Retirement a Priority
As briefly mentioned, many young adults don’t prioritize their retirement savings because they believe they have more time. After all, they don’t want to think about something that is 40 years away when they have student loans or credit card debt to worry about. While those expenses are essential, Darcy Bergen believes all young adults should consider saving for retirement as part of their monthly expenses. Even putting away a small amount a month can make a big difference.
For more information and tips on saving for retirement and other financial benefits, check out darcybergen.co.
