Retirement Basics

Deciding on when to take the plunge into retirement is a very difficult decision in a person’s life. Reviewing all your options when determining your decision is the most effective way to ensure your happiness and success for the rest of your life.

The National Cooperative Extension Service has a new National Extension Initiative that is available to assist individuals with a variety of retirement options. Check out the Financial Security in Later Life National Extension Website for a variety of retirement planning resources.

There are a few online curriculums that are available to assist families when they are contemplating the issue of retirement. Questions that often face families’ are:

• Will I have enough to retire comfortably?
• Did I start saving/investing early enough?
• Will I be able to continue along the same lifestyle that I have been living for the last 30 years?

Planning for a Secure Retirement – Purdue University Extension has a curriculum to assist families and individuals in preparing for a secure retirement. This online curriculum has worksheets and handouts to assist the participant as they plan for their future.

Retirement: Secure Your Dreams – This curriculum developed by Iowa State University Extension was designed to assist in planning for retirement regardless of the length of time the individual has to prepare.

Farm Family Retirement Resources
When farm families contemplate the decision to retire, many additional factors such as: Estate Planning and family succession for who will run the farm usually enters into a farmer’s decision of when it is the right time to retire. The Retirement Estimator for Farm Families online curriculum, developed by Purdue University Extension, was designed to assist farm families in planning for a secure retirement.

What if you are contemplating an early retirement offer?
Many individuals in tight budget times are being offered early retirement offers at a very early age. For many, this decision is a difficult one to make. Iowa State University Extension developed a site to assist individuals with those difficult Early Retirement decisions.