Savings secure our tomorrow, but even if you start saving late, you can still save a substantial amount in retirement. Just keep these tips in mind.

By the time we are 40, we will have ticked off a lot of financial goals from our checklist. You might have added a car, house or other things for yourself. By this time you are expected to have made good savings and your other priorities would also be set.

However this does not happen. People have so many expenses that they are unable to save any money for savings. We always think that we will start saving from tomorrow or from next month but that too is not possible.

If you too have made late savings in this regard, then do not worry. You can still save enough money that your retirement plan will be set. If you follow some tips then you will not have to think about future savings.

Start investing

You must have heard the saying ‘better late than never’, so never think that what is the benefit of investing now because you are starting late. If you are working continuously then it means that by this age you will be earning a very good income. So you have around 15-20 years to save and invest. This way, if you start saving now, you will have good savings till retirement. This will give you time to benefit from compounding in the long term. You would have closed a lot of your loans then it would also give you extra money for further investment.

Prepare a financial plan

Just keep in mind your cash flow and net worth while you prepare. During planning, you must take care of your short-term, medium-term and long-term commitments. Once you know what you need and when, you can then figure out how you can meet your time commitments.

Repay loan first

You will be able to invest only when you have money left. If you have taken a loan, pay it off first so that planning becomes easier for you. Use the snowball method to repay your loan, in which it is recommended to pay off smaller loans first. As you clear smaller debts, you will also gain the confidence to tackle larger ones

Create and set a budget

Write down your fixed expenses and variables. Fixed expenses would include your rent, car payment, cable, and other essential household expenses. Variables would include things you usually do like eating and drinking, traveling or shopping etc. Divide the average amount by 12 to get the exact amount of variables.

Your aim should be to increase your savings capacity. For this, control those places where you spend more money. This will enable you to make cuts at the right places to stabilize your financial position.

Increase cash flow

The best way to increase your retirement savings is to increase your cash flow in some way. You can take up some part time hobby that will bring in money. One can choose many other options like part time writing, video editing etc. Focus on finding new ways to generate a passive income.

If you have no idea about financial planning or you are not able to understand how and where to save, then take the help of a financial advisor.