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Chuks Udo Okonta
Though employers have obligations to support employees’ retirement programme, but having a comfortable retirement is the sole responsibility of employees.
It is important to note that employers are not under any responsibility to provide employees the best type of retirement they do desire, hence employees don’t have the right to blame employers when they retire poor.
Employers are mandated by law to provide basic resources for retirement, but comfortable retirement life is a choice and decision made by employees.
Comfortable retirement requires discipline; wisdom, smart decisions and taking advantage of available opportunities, which no employer can make for employees.
To prevent blaming your employer in retirement ensure you do the following.
*Go beyond your employer’s retirement threshold.
People who rely solely on retirement structure made by their employers may never enjoy comfortable retirement.
To enjoy comfortable retirement, employees should go beyond what their employers provide and structure additional plans.
*Self development
Self development is very necessary in achieving comfortable retirement. Personal adventures made many great people attain the positions they occupy today. To achieve comfortable retirement, you should seek knowledge on retirement related investments and put to use the acquired knowledge.
No employer would help you pursue successfully an ambition you never desire.
*Take action
It is said that knowledge well applied is power. Often times people have knowledge, but never act on them.
My venture into deferred annuity started with a seminar organised for my association by an insurance company. Immediately after the training, I reached out to the organisers for more insights which led to buying the policy.
Years down the line, many of my colleagues are yet to embrace the plan, and have continued to lament over non pension contributions and remittance by their employers.
*Discipline
Comfortable retirement is a product of discipline. It requires financial discipline; cultivating healthy lifestyle; healthy relationship, fear of God; amongst other.
*Learning from others mistakes
Life experience is considered to be the best way to learn. People with vision for comfortable retirement learn from those in retirement. This helps them to prevent mistakes made by retirees during their working days and implement the good things done by successful retirees.
As retirement relationship with your employer ends the day you pull out of the job, blaming your employer while in retirement amounts to waste of energy.
Retirement is a lonely journey, hence plan for it with all available resources, never wait for anybody to push you, take actions and the needed help would come your way.
