Being ready for retirement is much harder than it used to be. Companies no more offer pensions and many are cutting down or eliminating matching contributions to 401K plans. Besides, Social Security retirement benefits are getting smaller and you may have to hang on longer to collect benefits. Which means it's simply up to you to fund your own retirement; you can no longer depend on Social Security to pay your bills during retirement. To ensure that you will have a financially sound retirement, you'll need to begin planning and saving at an early age.

But for many people in the workforce, it's difficult to save. You need every cent you have to pay the bills, get the kids for their dentist bills and clothes for school and have a little left over at the end of the month for dinner and a film. So how can we ever find ways to to put money back for retirement under these circumstances?

The key to savings is to take advantage of changes in your earnings to start a savings program. For example when you begin a new job with a new wage, before you get used to that paycheck, make a direct deposit of a small amount of money into a tax deferred account for example an IRA. The money moves straight in there and you never see it in your paycheck. The funny thing about how we all think is that you survive up to the level of money you are getting. So if you never see that $50 or $100 in your paycheck, you definitely will modify your lifestyle accordingly and suddenly you have a program in place to save for retirement.

You can apply the same strategy to payments you may have automatically subtracted from your account. If you are paying a car payment or you have a health club due taken directly out of your account, when those issues come to an end, think about whether you want to see those direct withdrawals stop totally. If you are not used to having that fund in your budget, you may be able to have your bank direct deposit some or all of that amount directly into your retirement account.

Just guess how nice it would be if you could put your car payment into retirement savings each month. You would see a very significant amount of money grow in that account in no time. And when you start seeing the financial records start coming in from your bank or whoever is handling your retirement funds and you see it really start to build up, the vision of a secure retirement future for you and your wife will begin to be a reality for you.

Another fun way to build up that retirement account is to make a project of it. You and your spouse could accept the challenge to do some form of contract or short-term work every month or so and put all of that earning into your retirement fund. Maybe he can go out with friends and cut wood and sell it around town for firewood. Maybe she could use her artistic experience to make original art works and sell them at the nearby crafts fair or flea market.

Saving for retirement may seem difficult now, but it's vital if you want to enjoy a comfortable retirement. Gone are the days where you could depend on your company and Social Security benefits to fund your retirement. It's your choice to make sure you have enough money to enjoy a fun and financially secure retirement.

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