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retirement

3 tools can make retirement planning easy

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Highlights
  • Retirement calculators can help you formulate a financial plan.
  • Retirement checklists aid in setting goals and writing budgets.
  • When in doubt, do your research on options that are best for you.

3 tools for retirement planning

Retirement may seem like a mirage far off in the sands of the financial desert, but the truth is it's real, and you are moving toward it faster than you realize. If you haven't started retirement planning, it's time. Retirement planning can be difficult in an unstable economy, but with the use of a few tools you can safeguard your savings and reach your goals for retirement.

Retirement planning calculators

It's important to know all the statistics on contributions you're making to your 401(k), Roth IRA and other savings. Bankrate offers a wide range of retirement planning calculators to help you through the process. The 401(k) retirement planning calculator lets you manage your 401(k) balance after leaving an employer. Bankrate also offers a calculator to determine savings in a Roth 401(k) versus a traditional 401(k).

Work sheets

While retirement planning can be chaotic, using a simple work sheet can create some order out of the mess. Use Bankrate's retirement planning checklist to plan for your short- and long-term retirement goals. If you're close to retirement, creating a retirement budget can help you stay on track with your spending. Bankrate offers a retirement budget work sheet to assist in the process.

Retirement planning research

If you're in the dark about where to start with retirement planning, then use research to shed light on your options. There's an abundance of information on retirement planning on the Internet. For accurate information on retirement planning, check out Bankrate's retirement basics.

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