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It’s easy to put off retirement planning, even if you’re within a decade of that date. However, strengthening your retirement planning doesn’t require a complicated strategy. A few strong moves in a single month can reset priorities.
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here are eight Wealth Some steps you can take this month Get your retirement on track.
1. Increase your 401(k) contribution now
increasing my retirement plan Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Principal Julian B. According to Morris, contributing less than 1% now “gives us more time to compound throughout the year”. concierge wealth management. “Time in the market is always more important than timing the market.”
It’s also time to re-think contribution limits and catch-up strategies, said Jay Zygmont, CFP, founder of . Childfree Trust. For 2026, the standard contribution limit is $24,500. People aged 50 and over can add a catch-up contribution of $8,000, and people aged 60 to 63 can make a super catch-up contribution of $11,250 on top of the standard limit.
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2. Prioritize loan repayment before investing more
Before investing more, experts agree it’s important to eliminate the high-interest consumer loanSuch as credit cards and loans, Zygmont said, except perhaps mortgages or student loans.
That said, Morris urged people to continue making small retirement contributions while also paying down debt, so as not to “sacrifice long-term compounding to feel better in the short term.”
3. Make sure your investments match your time horizon
Just contributing to a retirement fund isn’t enough, Morris said. “I would encourage people to ensure that the fund they are investing in suits their risk tolerance and time horizon,” he said.
However, as retirement approaches, your strategy should change from high-risk to Property “Growth to protect your property so you have income, not just growth,” Morris said.
4. Rebalancing and Diversifying
Market fluctuations can throw a portfolio into disarray. Rebalancing helps restore your desired mix and reduce unnecessary risk, Zygmont said. This is especially helpful “if your investments have deviated from your target mix of stocks and bonds.”
rebalancing Anyway, it’s not about getting back to a model portfolio, Morris said, but rather “about aligning the portfolio with what the money needs to do going forward.”
5. Shift the Focus from Net Worth to Retirement Income
Many people keep track of their overall net worth But don’t focus on their expected income versus their actual spending, Morris said.
“Ask yourself: ‘If I stopped working today where would my income come from and how would I spend it?’ Most people don’t have it mapped out,” he said.
Zygmont suggested taking your current annual expenses and multiplying them by 25.
“It tells you how much you need to save to retire comfortably,” Zygmont explained.
6. Consolidate old accounts
Lost or scattered retirement accounts can also create confusion and inefficiencies, Zygmont said. He recommended taking the time now to collect and rollover any old 401(k) accounts and any other retirement accounts.
7. Automate your retirement savings
Consistency matters more than intention.
Remove decision-making from the process and automate as much as possible to “turn good intentions into real results,” Morris said.
8. Use time-segmented investments to reduce risk
Instead of becoming more conservative financially, divide assets according to when you will need them. Morris said this can help you avoid selling investments at a loss during a recession.
“We want to make sure you’re not forced to sell the fund in a downturn and avoid suffering a loss. The biggest risk isn’t the volatility, it’s being forced to sell at the wrong time,” Morris said.
The sooner you act, the longer those small changes will take to add up.
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