There are many things to consider when you want to decide when to retire, but one of the most important considerations is your health. When we are healthy and everything is going fine in our lives, there is nothing further from our mind than continuing to live our lives the way we always have. However, things change very quickly when you realize you have a serious illness that may possibly shorten your life. If you are in this unfortunate position, I’m sure you understand what I’m talking about. Everything changes overnight, and priorities are rapidly changed. If you wanted to travel after retiring, you certainly can’t do it if you cannot walk very far, or get winded walking upstairs, or worse yet if you need an oxygen tank beside you at all times.

So if you are going to travel, make sure you do it while you are healthy enough to enjoy yourself. Once your health starts to deteriorate then it could be too late, and that would be a shame. Yes, life can be uncertain at times, and this means we have to plan smart in order to make the best of our time. So think about your health, not just at this point in your life but the future as well.

Do certain ailments or diseases run in your family? For many people, we know in advance how things are likely to turn out – one or both parents had heart disease? You may develop this disease as well, even if you do take good care of yourself. The big four ailments that tend to curb our time on this earth the quickest are cancer, heart disease, metabolic disease like diabetes, and one of the worst, afflictions of the brain such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.  The sad part about brain diseases is that they can sometimes come about so slowly you may not even notice the change in someone’s behavior until it’s too late. So, my advice is if you are ready to retire, both financially and emotionally, then why wait until it’s too late?

Why do we wait so long to retire, and stress out over it so much? We all want certainty in life, like a guarantee that will create a security blanket for us in life. There is no such thing! No one gets any guarantees in life, rest assured of that. No matter how healthy you are you could lose it in no time – same for money. Even millionaires make mistakes and lose everything, sometimes not even due to their own actions. Remember, nobody gets to live forever, so make the most of what time you have left and think about what you really would like to do. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t involve grinding away for another five years at your job, that’s for sure!

I get it, we are fearful of change. That is a universal theme in life – anytime we’re faced with a major life change, whether it’s moving to a new location, changing jobs, getting a divorce, or even going through a medical condition that may have serious consequences in your life, it’s very scary. In my opinion, retiring is one of the scariest things I’ve had to go through in life so far. Maybe that’s because like most people, I didn’t really think about it much until it was ready to smack me in the face! Sure, the money thing is something we all think about and put savings away in our 401K to prepare ourselves for that aspect of it.

Planning for your retirement can be tricky, and there are questions you have like everyone else. If you want to learn and explore more ideas for yourself, check out my book here for more information:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3S2V9VM

Happy retirement planning!