Financial independence, in the retirement years, is a great asset. Many people endeavour to achieve freedom through saving and investments. In some cases, individuals, due to lack financial expertise make bad investments putting their future in Jeopardy. Individuals in the pre-retirement stage must acquire financial services to help them in making sound decisions to ensure a sound footing during their sunset days.

Today, the lifestyle expectancy has increased underlining the need to ensure a smooth and consistent source of income to fund your lifestyle after retiring. Today, a person who hits the retirement age of 65.5years have a significant chance of living up to 82.5 all factors kept constant. Therefore, as a young person, you should invest in your retirement. Here are eight tips on how you will guarantee yourself financial freedom and sustenance of your lifestyle upon retiring.

At the age of twenty-five when most people join the workforce, they assume they have a lifetime to invest into their retirement. The assumption is wrong. For instance, if one starts a career with an annual salary of $45,000 and saves 5% for retirement when he/she retires at the are of 65, he/she would have at least a million dollars assuming standard increments in salary. An individual who starts saving at thirty-five will only have a retirement kitty of a little over eight hundred thousand dollars. 

To assure yourself a comfortable retirement, you must invest into your retirement the soonest possible. It will ensure that you do not have to invest in your  future during your later years in the pre-retirement stage to catch up. You may assume that catching up with investing the same amount that your peers saved in the earlier days will put you at par with them. However, this assumption is erroneous. If you start early, your money starts earning interest and will have grown and, therefore, catching up will almost be impossible. 

If you fall into the group which started investing into your retirement later, you must catch up where possible. To catch up, you should use all the possible avenue, to begin with, you should make the maximum retirement contribution from your salary. Making the maximum contribution will also force your employer to match up the contribution giving you the full value allowed by the law. When you hit the age of fifty, and you can add the amount allowed to those who started investing late you should take advantage and invest more. 

You should identify that the main aim is to ensure that you can maintain your current lifestyle after retirement. Many people only save into the retirement benefits that they must save into under the law. People also tend to only save the minimum threshold they can according to their salary rate. It is essential to identify whatever you save from your salary; your employer is forced to match it up. Saving the maximum puts you at an advantage as you get the maximumbenefits from your workplace. 

You should seek other savings such as superannuations, long-term government bonds and stock market you can put your money into without attracting interest.  Make sure to save the maximum amount that you can at present. Please note that having money in a standard bank account will not only return low returns but also make money easy to access and use it at the near future to the detriment of the later years upon retirement.  

Some people think it is convenient to write a lump sum check when filing the tax returns towards their savings. The strategy may be deemed convenient, but in fact, it is not the best. You should subscribe to automatic transfers from your bank to the savings every month. Therefore, unlike in signing a lumpsum check, the money would have brought in interest at the end of the year. Also, writing lump sum check is risky as your shares are bought in bulk and may not be evenly distributed and also be affected by market volatility. In the case of monthly, contributions, your risk is evenly distributed in the year thus market volatility is not likely to affect your stock. 

Your age should strongly determine the amount of risk you take. During your twenties up to forty years, you can make risky investments. It is important to note that although the investments are associated with high returns, the risks are humongous. It is recommended that you split your retirement investment at a ratio of 80:20 in favour of risky investment with the twenty percent going into long-term investments. You should start reducing this ratio, and by the time you hit fifty-five, the table should have turned in favour of long-term investments. At sixty, all your savings must be put into long-term investment as by this age; you should avoid taking any risks. 

Superannuations will help you to gain more returns and therefore making it possible to increase your spending and maintain it upon retirement. It is advisable that you make use of the superannuations to increase the interest garnered from your investments significantly. You, however, should consult your financial advisor on how to go about the in the investments. 

Life insurance is a sure way to save without attracting any interest. If you hit the retirement, you will correct the total amount contributed and interest incurred. In case you die before your retirement age, you assure your family financial leverage. 

On the other hand, health insurance will guarantee you medical access at any cost and time. Medical expenses tend to throw many people back with regard to life insurance as if your spouse or children get sick you must pay. A comprehensive health insurance policy will pay for any medical expenses that may be incurred if any of your family members get sick. It is a sure way to protect your life savings. 

Many people assume that provided they follow the general guidelines they will be okay. However, lack of financial advice and expertise may lead to unforeseen outcomes. Some investments may even make losses thus defeating the purpose of the investment. Without financial advise, you may put a little more than necessary investments into a risky investment and fail to balance your investment portfolio. A financial consultant will help you invest wisely. He will develop an investment portfolio will help you to maintain your current lifestyle after the retirement stage. 

A financial advisor has expertise in stock and spends a lot of time studying them. Therefore, he/she will help you to choose the stock that consistently brings returns. Consequently, you significantly reduce the risks in the investment you make. The consultants will also help you put your money into superannuations and manage your investment portfolio in your charge allowing you time to concentrate on your career without worrying about your life savings.