Our mission at Black Enterprise is Wealth for Life, providing our audience with the information and tools to maximize their finances from the beginning of their professional lives through their golden years. To me, one of the most distressing images is of a worker who has given sweat, energy, and ideas to an employer most of his life only to wind up with a second career as a supermarket cashier to pay the bills. I’m alarmed by a series of recent conversations with friends, colleagues, and employees–many of them mid-career professionals–who haven’t even started plotting retirement much less investing in a 401(k) plan or IRA.
These folks will have membership in the nonexclusive group I dub “the permanent workforce.†A recent Associated Press – LifeGoesStrong.com poll revealed that 53% of baby boomers don’t feel confident about financing a livable retirement, and a staggering 73% of them plan to work well past retirement age. If you are a baby boomer and have not started, may God bless you. If Gen X and Gen Y don’t get serious about such planning today, then a lifetime of work will be their destiny as well.
This holiday season, my gift to you is a bit of basic advice: In 2012, make an iron-clad commitment to secure your financial future–by any means necessary. I’ve heard all the excuses about why people can’t save and invest, ranging from claims that they don’t have a single extra dollar to invest, they’re sacrificing to make better lives for family and friends, or worse they’re simply not interested because they prefer to live paycheck-to-paycheck.
The reality is we must budget dollars for foreseeable expenses such as taxes and
bills, but these essential payouts should not eliminate our short- and long-term financial planning. Time doesn’t listen to excuses. It just keeps marching forward. Remember that scene from Saturday Night Fever, involving John Travolta’s character, Tony Manero, and his shopkeeper boss. In response to advice about saving his earnings, Manero says, “Oh, [screw] the future!†His boss’ response: “No, Tony! You can’t [screw] the future. The future[ screws] you! It catches up with you and it [screws] you if you ain’t planned for it!†The lesson may come from an old movie but the advice is still sound.(Continued on next page)
Perform a hard-nosed, detailed audit of your finances. Review all indispensable expenses, short- and long-term debt, tax obligations, and needless spending. Get a crew of financial pros to help you, if necessary. Our feature “The Team You
Need for Your Year-End Financial Checkup,†in this issue, can guide you in the selection of a financial planner, CPA, insurance agent, and estate planning attorney. Once you’ve grasped your financial standing, work with them to map out a specific plan to meet financial challenges and reach life goals. Don’t play ostrich, however, with debt and tax problems. Use their expertise to organize your finances in order to gain maximum flexibility.Now, take action. You will not achieve your objectives without disciplined investing. I continue to be upset by the fact that most African Americans consistently save and invest less than their white counterparts of similar incomes–whether they earn $50,000 a year or $250,000. With the danger of being redundant, the easiest means of building a retirement nest egg is through employee-sponsored plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s. Let me share their value once again: Funds are deducted from your paycheck so you can invest in a range of vehicles with pre-tax dollars. In some cases, your employer will match a portion of the contribution. You’ll face stiff penalties and tax liabilities if you withdraw funds before age 59½, which works in your favor since it ensures that the plan is virtually untouchable until retirement age, and you’ll benefit from the power of compounding as your assets grow exponentially. In short, it protects you from yourself, by not allowing for early withdrawals.
So vow to stop sabotaging your future and reset your priorities now. Keep this financial commitment so you’ll be able to enjoy your sunset years with loved ones. To ultimately achieve the desired goals you have for you and your family, you must put yourself first.