I have not planned well for retirement. I didn't even think of retirement as something I'd have to seriously deal with at some point in a life until a few years ago. I mean what 24 year old considers what they'll need at the age of 65! Ewwww!
At this age, our reality is we'll be young, beautiful and a perky bundle of endless energy and weekend partying forever, right?
Fresh out of nursing school sixteen years ago I was that perky bundle of endless energy. The world was my oyster and it was time to cash in on my education and skills level! I was all about finding the job that would assure me the largest pay check. Several companies and health care organizations I interviewed with boasted about their awesome benefits packages: great health insurance, excellent 401k's with unheard of employer matching contributions, credit unions... yada yada yada.
I can remember as clear as what I just shoveled in my mouth a few minutes ago exactly what I would tell these miserly personnel directors after their "benefits package" rhetoric was finished rolling in one ear and out the other (or perhaps it just bounced off my brick hard head).
Benefits can't pay my bills. So, can you give me the salary I'm requesting? If not, I'm out!
Oh, youth is indeed wasted on the young. What I wouldn't give now to have had enough maturity and forethought to have started planning for the future much much earlier.
I'm sure all 20-something-ers aren't as oblivious about future financial goals as I was. But I know I wasn't alone in my line of thinking. Ha!
Now I'm in the group that (according to this chart) is the same place 7% of the rest of us are.
Ooops! Gotta run there's a Sam Waterston retirement commercial on!
