For most people, retirement usually means easing into a worry-free life where you can spend more time with family and pursue hobbies you neglected while still working full time. But these days, one of the biggest concerns about retirement is not being able to afford a lifestyle without a steady source of income.

For those who have envisioned retiring earlier, the challenge doubles as financial security for early retirees seems like a daunting prospect. Fortunately, there are steps you can follow to ensure that you are financially stable by the time you decide to retire.

Retirement is more a state of mind than anything else. Traditionally, an age for retirement was considered based on the ability of a person to work and handle work-related stress easily without the effect of the same becoming much of a burden on the health of the person. Thus most often the age for retirement would be either of 58 years or 60 years.

Most people who are planning to retire early or those who have retired early are generally people who have found alternate part-time work or have taken up work as consultants and thus they have been able to leave the general 9 AM to 5 PM work culture and enjoy a retired life earlier than their contemporaries.

My Sister lives in London. My parents live in India and I am here in the USA. Different countries, different financial systems, and regulators. But some things are common. There are some tax-advantaged retirement accounts where employers can contribute and there is another form of retirement savings where you can contribute from your savings.

In the USA, they are known as 401k and IRA. In India, they are the Provident Fund and Public Provident Fund and in the UK they are pension funds and ISA (Individual Savings Account). Here we will talk about the UK, as the rules of contribution and withdrawal to these funds are different in different countries.

Retirement, you may be looking forward to or you may be hating the thought of it, or both, at the same time. How can that be?  Well, we are living longer, more active lives. But a shifting economy has put a dent into the finances of millions of Americans approaching retirement age.

As such, many Americans are worried that they will run out of money at some time during their retirement.  But you don’t need to worry and here are some of the strategies you can use to make sure you have the money you need.

When we address the topic of the biggest threat to a woman’s retirement, do you want the good news or the bad news first?

This isn’t a trick question so I’ll start with the good news:  It’s longevity.  That’s actually better than good news.  In fact, it’s great news.  Women are living longer and longer, and longevity is redefining retirement for women.

Now, for the bad news: Women are living longer. And with longer lives comes the need for more money for retirement. That’s really bad news.

Fewer retirees than ever report they are enjoying themselves in retirement—a trend that’s consistent across income groups, new research found. Discover how you can plan for a retirement that maximizes your chances for satisfying golden years.

As you might expect, good health and plenty of money help retired workers enjoy themselves, but something else seems to be lowering retirees’ satisfaction. The proportion of retirees who say they feel “very satisfied,” dropped significantly in both the highest and lowest-income groups between 1998 and 2012, according to a 2016 Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) survey.

Americans are living longer than ever. That means a decades-long retirement isn’t out of the question for many of us. And, of course, we want to maintain our existing standard of living and fill those “golden years” with good food, trips to exotic locations, visits with our loved ones, and much more.

The ideal retirement looks different for each of us. But, no matter what our plans are, we need a nest egg that allows us to live comfortably, have some fun and pay for any medical expenses that crop up—which they will at some point.