One of the biggest challenges of retirement planning is making financial sacrifices today so you can live comfortably many decades in the future. It\u2019s not always easy to look that far ahead, but doing so will help you avoid regrets later on.<\/p>\n
That applies to the near future as well as the distant future. Not making the right decisions now<\/a> means you could be second-guessing yourself in only a decade or so.<\/p>\n Here are four retirement moves you should make today<\/a> so you don\u2019t regret not making them 10 years down the road.<\/p>\n One of the best ways to boost your retirement savings<\/a> is to contribute the maximum amount to your tax-advantaged accounts. Not doing so is something you\u2019ll regret in a decade because you will have missed out on the opportunity to grow your savings faster, according to Melissa Murphy Pavone, certified financial planner (CFP), certified divorce financial analyst (CDFA) and founder of Mindful Financial Partners<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTen years from now, people often wish they had taken fuller advantage of 401(k) [plans], IRAs, HSAs and catch-up contributions,\u201d she told GOBankingRates. \u201cTime, not timing, is the most powerful asset.\u201d<\/p>\n The maximum annual contribution you can make to a 401(k) account will rise to $24,500 in 2026 from $23,500 in 2025, according to the IRS<\/a>. The limit on annual contributions to an IRA will rise to $7,500 from $7,000, while the IRA catch-up contribution limit for individuals 50 and over will increase to $1,100 from $1,000.<\/p>\n Learn More: The Most Common Retirement Mistake, According to an Expert<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Try This: 5 Clever Ways Retirees Are Earning Up To $1K per Month From Home<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Another important step is ensuring that your 401(k) contribution qualifies for a matching contribution from your employer<\/a>. That match essentially means you are getting free money \u2014 and if you don\u2019t take advantage of it now, you\u2019ll regret it in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople should do whatever it takes to participate in their company\u2019s 401K plan to the level to get the full employer match,\u201d said Dr. Robert Johnson, chartered financial analyst (CFA), chairman and CEO at Economic Index Associates and professor of finance at Creighton University<\/a>.<\/p>\n The opportunity loss of not electing to participate in an employer matching program is \u201csubstantial,\u201d Johnson told GBR.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a 100% employer matching program, you are essentially electing to turn down the equivalent of 100% of what your own contributions would grow to,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Regardless of which types of retirement savings accounts you have, it\u2019s always a good idea to automate your contributions and increase them over time. Think of it as a regular budget item that will pay off well into the future.<\/p>\n \u201cSmall, steady increases compound significantly over a decade,\u201d Pavone said. \u201cMany people regret not being more consistent early on.\u201d<\/p>\n Younger adults might not put a lot of thought into creating an estate plan<\/a> or building a trust fund, but it\u2019s something you\u2019ll be glad you did once you hit retirement age. If you don\u2019t have an estate plan 10 years down the road, you might find yourself regretting it.<\/p>\n In addition, be sure to keep your plan current and updated to align with changing tax and regulatory requirements, recommends Kevin Quinn, J.D., founder and president of Legacy Counsellors, P.C.<\/a>, an estate and business planning law firm that serves clients in Massachusetts and Connecticut.<\/p>\n \u201cMy advice is to be diligent in your planning and don\u2019t abandon your trust,\u201d he told GBR. \u201cNow is the time to preserve and protect your wealth.\u201d<\/p>\n More From GOBankingRates<\/strong><\/p>\n This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com<\/a>: I\u2019m a Financial Planner: 4 Retirement Moves You\u2019ll Regret Not Making in 10 Years<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the biggest challenges of retirement planning is making financial sacrifices today so you can live comfortably…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":316516,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[64,14071,61057,230299,230300,230301,255,700,708,696,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-515794","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-contribution","10":"tag-contributions","11":"tag-distant-future","12":"tag-financial-analyst","13":"tag-melissa-murphy-pavone","14":"tag-personal-finance","15":"tag-retirement","16":"tag-retirement-planning","17":"tag-retirement-savings","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115894211261594791","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=515794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=515794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=515794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=515794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}