Retirement has taken on a different meaning from 30 years ago. In the past people would go to work until they turned 65 and then live out their golden years. In some cases they were forced to retire. Now people are changing when and how they retire. Some will retire sooner, others are working beyond 65.

Thanks to medical advancements many Canadians are living longer which means our money needs to go further. Even if retirement is far off in the distance or right around the corner, there are things you can do now to achieve financial independence.

How much you need depends on what kind of lifestyle you would like at retirement. A plan will help you figure out how much you need to save and how to manage your money after you stop working.

The first step is to decide at what age you would like to say ‘Enough is enough I don’t want to work anymore’

In order to maintain your lifestyle you should plan on 80% of your current salary.

Take inventory of all your assets and the different sources of income at retirement. Sources could be comprised of a company pension and various government pensions

Identify what you are currently spending your money on and consider what your lifestyle will be in your retirement years.

Determine a realistic annualized rate of return on your investments. This should be net of inflation. An average inflation rate would be 3%.