It’s hard for some of us to get our arms around the facts enough to plan for the inevitable. Retirement always seems so far away until it is suddenly here, and if we haven’t planned accordingly, we may find ourselves at the mercy of Social Security.

Retirement planning isn’t just about the money, though. Are you thinking of selling your house? Buying one? Do you have a retirement community in mind that you’d like to check out? What about a reverse mortgage? Has anyone explained to you how these work?

Most retirement planning needs to be put in motion years before the retirement occurs. Saving money is one reason. In fact, if we could convince young people to start saving for retirement when they are 20, they would be millionaires by the time they retired. Unfortunately, most of us don’t listen.

If you own your own home and are planning to keep it throughout your retirement there are several things you want to start looking at a few years before you actually retire. Take note of how old your appliances are: stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer, dishwasher, water heater, etc. If they are already several years old and it is a few years before retirement, start planning to replace them. You car is another concern, or it could be if you wait until you retire and then realize it is 10 years old and you can’t afford to replace it.

Retirement planning really needs to take into account every aspect of your life, and it needs to start several years before you retire to ensure you will be comfortable and have all the things you need.