14 tips for retirement planning

This makes every other aspect of your life easier. Start early and you might be able to save less or not at all when your older which creates all sorts of optionality for the future you.

This is about basic market mechanics.

This might be more important than understanding market mechanics. There's a short list of investor behaviors that get repeated over and over by new generations that lead to bad, sometimes catastrophic outcomes.

While you're probably making less money than you will later and benefit less from the deduction of contributing to traditional accounts.

Once your income has gone up and you are more likely to benefit from the tax deduction.

You will spend a lot less money in this time, allowing savings to grow and giving yourself more optionality

A repeat from yesterday's list.

At 35 it isn't too important to know where you are in relation to where you need to be at 55, 60 or whatever. The important thing when you're young is that you are a lot saving money and avoiding catastrophic behavioral mistakes. Then maybe at 50 or 55 start to seriously progress check where you are. If you not where you need to be, you have time to make up the difference.

This is the risk that the stock market goes down a lot right around the time you retire.

There's not enough margin for error with only two streams, Social Security and your savings.

A repeat from yesterday, not everything will go your way. Being able to adapt and overcome is crucial.

A quote from Joe Moglia that I coopted to say no one will care more about your outcomes than you.

These are all within our control to do even if luck does play some role with health. The right behaviors give us the best chance at good health and all three together are crucial elements for successful aging.

That is to say play the long game but find the balance to live in the moment too. Striking this balance is absolutely possible.