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Funding Your Retirement Dream.
The
year 2008 is the year when the Baby Boomers will be turning 60 years old
and on the way to retirement; the time many people have been dreaming of
is now fast approaching; which is possible the most exciting time in our
life, apart from when our children or grandchildren were born, this is the
time when the world is our oyster and for our dreams to become reality.
But!! This is the time when we now have all the time in the world and lots
of energy, but do we have enough money to do the things we have dreamed of
doing all our life.
Retirement is the long awaited dream which unfortunately, many people find
to be far different from what they had imagined. Despite the number of
wealthy countries around the world, many of us simply do not make enough
provisions for our retirement.
When
we are young and just beginning our careers, we tend to imagine how
wealthy we will be when we retire. We dream of all the exciting and
adventurous things we will do, places we will travel and luxuries we will
enjoy once we have put the working phase of our lives behind us. By the
time we reach retirement age; however, most people find that they simply
do not have the money to do the things they had always dreamed of.
As a
result, retirement may suddenly appear to be a difficult time in which we
are faced with the knowledge that perhaps things might be different if we
had followed a different course of action earlier in life regarding
financial goals. While we can never turn back the clock and change what we
might have done differently, this does not mean that we must simply give
up our dreams. There are actually many ways in which you can remain
productive during retirement, offer services of value and make the money
you need to fund the dreams you had hoped to achieve during retirement.
Simply because you have retired does not mean that you do not have
something of value to offer others. In fact, you might be surprised to
learn that the skills and experience you have gained during the working
phase of your life could be very much in demand and valuable enough to
supplement your retirement so that you can enjoy some of those plans you
made back when you were in your 20s!
A
great number of retirees are finding it quite easy to offer a product or
service and make a decent income doing it. In addition, you will find that
producing something from your own skills and experience helps you to feel
more energetic, useful and appreciated.
Many
retirees, unfortunately, believe that they do not have anything of value
to offer others. Nothing could be further from the truth! Regardless of
what industry or field you have worked in during your life, you have
skills or knowledge which are valuable. Perhaps you even have a hobby
which could easily translate into a way in which to make additional money
during retirement.
Perhaps you love to knit or crochet or create some other type of
handcraft. There are many ways in which you could use those skills and
knowledge to make additional money. For example, you might consider making
items and selling them in and arts and crafts show. You could also teach
classes in which you instruct others regarding your particular skill or
hobby.
There
is really no limit to the amount of things you could undertake during
retirement in order to fund those things which you would like to enjoy
during retirement.
The
only thing limiting you is your desire and willingness. You will also find
that this can provide a tremendous sense of accomplishment, fulfillment
and satisfaction.
You
will find there are many scams that must be avoided just waiting to part
you from the money you do have. So, before you start thinking of what
shall you do? And begin discussing various idea of how you can earn extra
money; however, it is important to take a look at what should not be done
in order to avoid a scam which could ultimately deplete your
self-confidence and do very little toward improving your financial goals.
If
you turn to the back of any magazine, open up the classifieds section of
the newspaper or type in the words ‘work at home’ or ‘earn extra money’ in
your favorite search engine, you will find an entire host of offers. Read
through them and they will generally make a number of promises.
Discover how you can make a million dollars by having others send you $5.
Send a self-addressed stamp envelope and $5 to……….
Bracelet and Necklace Making From Home-make a great income assembling
jewelry from home! Make Money Stuffing envelopes and many more.
All
of these “offers” seem to be great at first. They offer you the
opportunity to do something constructive and useful from home while
earning the income you desire to supplement your income. In the first
example, it certainly seems as though it would be worth checking into. Who
wouldn’t want to make a million dollars by having other people send them
money? The problem with this type of offer; however, is that it is a
pyramid scheme. All you will typically receive with this type of ‘offer’
is instructions to list the same ad to which you responded.
Necklace and bracelet making offers, as well as offers for other types of
crafts, are extremely prolific in the classifieds. The worst problem with
these types of offers is that they can seem to quite legitimate. This type
of offer; however, is a scam. It begins with a company advertising in a
newspaper or magazine that they can provide you with discount supplies to
make a specific type of craft.
They
always seem to stress how easy it is to make the craft in question. The
“offer” will require you to purchase the “discount” supplies and provide
you with instructions for making that particular craft. The offer then
assures you that you will be paid when the crafts you make are submitted
and approved.
What
they fail to tell you is that they never accept any craft submissions and
therefore you never get paid. The purpose behind this type of offer is to
get you to purchase the supplies at a rate that is highly inflated. This
is how they make their money.
Get
rich overnight programs are also on the increase and they are often
cleverly worded so it can be quite easy to fall for them. Certainly, there
have been a few rare individuals who have had an idea and turned it into a
million dollar idea; however, these get rich quick ideas rarely, if ever,
help anyone to actually become wealthy within a short period of time.
There
are certainly many scam artists out there who prey on individuals who are
looking for ways to make extra money. This does not mean that you must
become one of their victims; however. There are plenty of ways in which
you can make money legitimately in order to fund your retirement dreams;
however, it is also important to learn how to avoid those scams that would
seek to take your money instead of provide a way for you to increase your
income. Before responding to any advertisement promising that you can make
extra money it is a good idea to do a little research in order to
determine whether the company is legitimate or a scam.
Consider checking with the Better Business Bureau in the USA or Business
Link in the UK; in every country there must be somewhere that will give
you information on different agencies or companies to see if they are
scams. This can be an excellent way to find out any complaints or
allegations have been filed against a company. You can also go online and
research the company in question. Simply type the name of the company into
your favorite search engine along with the word ‘scam’ and you should
receive plenty of results which will give you an idea of what others think
about the company and their experiences with that company.
If
you find that there are a lot of complaints about the company and a
particular pattern regarding those complaints, it is probably a good idea
to avoid that particular company. It is important to keep in mind that
some businesses have been around for quite some time and naturally there
may be a few negative comments. That said; however, if there seem to be an
inordinate amount of complaints, you will need to use your discretion
regarding whether this is a company with which you want to become involved
is genuine or not. Happy reading,
Anne
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