your “financial quarterback,” the fees you pay will probably be well worth it, especially if you are a procrastinator, and the advisor can get you going with a workable financial plan.
Website Resources
There are literally tens of thousands of sites out there you can utilize. In early 2003, I did a search on Yahoo! using the key words “retirement calculator.” I came up with a whopping 206,000 hits! Here are a handful of Websites with retirement calculators and useful worksheets that are more comprehensive, yet easy to use:
blackenterprise.com
www.quicken.com
www.kiplinger.com
Setting Your Goals
Take a few minutes to review the general goals listed below. Do any of them match your own?
If so, think about whether each applicable goal is a short-, medium-, or long-range mission for you.
Short-term goals: can be achieved in one to two years maximum
Medium-term goals: require two to ten years to accomplish
Long-term goals: require saving/investing for ten years or more
Pay off credit card debt
Establish a cash cushion or emergency fund
Buy a new automobile or a second car
Retire comfortably
Make large contributions to church, synagogue, etc.
Obtain a down payment on a first home
Fund a family member’s college education
Start a business
Pay for a wedding
Pay off student loans
Return to undergraduate or graduate school
Acquire residential or commercial rental property
Create a nonprofit organization
Purchase a vacation home
Take a cruise
Buy a boat or yacht
Travel around the world
Fund a charitable trust
Save for a new baby
Lynnette Khalfani is a frequent contributor to BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine. A former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, she frequently appears on NBC’s Today show.
From the book, Investing Success: How to Conquer 30 Costly Errors & Multiply Your Wealth! by Lynnette Khalfani © 2004. Reprinted by arrangements with the author.