Each age comes with different life obstacles and expenses that can often derail a good savings plan. So, in this article, we will walk you through how best to save at different points in your life. It may feel like your nest egg is growing too slowly, but time and perseverance can get you where you want to be.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, though – a retiree with substantial equity in your home – you’ve already got the next best thing to that money tree. The only question is, when and how should you cash in on it?

Retirement planning, in general, involves a very personal decision-making process. This is certainly true when you’re considering anything to do with your home. It is likely the biggest purchase you’ve ever made, it may represent an important goal you’ve accomplished, and it allows you to feel a sense of security in an ever-changing world. For all these reasons, it’s a complicated decision to transform all or part of this asset into retirement capital.

Have you ever wondered how to merge savings into your budget? What if there was a way to save efficiently without putting you in a panic about having enough money on hand to pay monthly expenses or for discretionary spending? Think about your spending habits for a second. Most of the time, we don’t even think twice about swiping a card or dishing out cash for smaller purchases and monthly expenses. If you live in an apartment, you pay rent. You might also have a car payment, utilities, or a mortgage. But what if you could also see savings as one of your monthly expenses? You’d probably thank yourself 10 years down the road.

Nobody likes thinking about the end, or picking a guardian to raise your children, or having to pick which of your children would best at managing your money in your absence. But the thing about estate planning is, if you don’t do it, you lose your say in how things are handled when you pass away or if you are incapacitated and unable to speak on your own behalf. Without a will, your estate may end up in court, divvied up based on a judge’s decision—not your own.

It sounds great! Retiring with your spouse at the same time would mean you could travel together, take up some hobbies together, have more time to spend as a couple. And how long has it been? Often, by the time we are nearing retirement we have only recently said goodbyes to our youngest child. Which means that over the last 20 or more years, spouses have seen little of each other as day-to-day obligations eat up alone time. It is for these reasons that simultaneous retirement has its appeal. But it is important, especially for women, to know where the pitfalls lie.