When you’re young and just starting out, retirement seems so far away. There are more pressing things to spend your money on rather than focusing on your savings goals. Then you find the love of your life, maybe buy a house and start a family. Before you know it, your kids are looking at colleges, and, “suddenly,” retirement seems to have snuck up on you. Hopefully, you have not encountered too many of life’s obstacles and unforeseen expenses that can often derail a good savings plan. Life happens, though.

Perhaps you feel like your nest egg is growing too slowly. That’s okay; time and perseverance will get you where you want to be. Or perhaps you’re on the opposite end, and you’re not sure if you’ve saved enough.

Regardless of where you are in saving for retirement, one of the best ways to save is to set up small savings goals to help you feel that you are making progress along the way. Hitting the small goals can keep you going, especially when finances are tough or when something comes along to derail your plans.

Do you ever feel like your finances just aren’t running on all cylinders? Setting definitive financial goals will help you stay on track, weather unexpected expenses, and gain peace of mind for your later years.

Today, I’d like to offer six goals that can help you get on track – and stay there – so you can own your financial future.

When I worked as a tax CPA for KPMG in the late 90s, I served many corporate executives and wealthy families as their senior tax specialist and prepared many individual income tax returns, trust returns, and gift tax returns. Now, I use that knowledge and expertise to help my affluent and high-income clients plan ahead to keep more money in their pockets by using smart tax savings strategies. 

Looking at this Historical Tax Rate Chart 1913-2021, you can see that the current top income rate is relatively low. Like the importance of diversification in investing, I believe that tax diversification is just as relevant as you plan for your financial future.

I have five tax savings strategies I’d like to share with you today to help you keep more of your money.

When it comes to estate planning, there can be many moving parts that are difficult to keep track of. Often, even having all of the proper documentation in place can still lead to confusion and errors. This is why you should make certain that you incorporate a wealth transfer plan into your estate planning.

One of the keys to wealth building is protecting as much of your income as possible, making it crucial for high-income earners to develop a smart tax savings strategy. Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are a great tool to help you accomplish this goal, yet they are often overlooked or misunderstood. When you do take advantage of an HSA – and you use it correctly – it provides an easy annual income tax deduction, but it can also create dedicated, tax-free savings for your healthcare needs in retirement.

Think of your retirement savings (IRAs and 401(k) as going to pay for other retirement expenses such as food, shelter, and clothes, and you can see that you need to jump-start saving in your HSA for your health care costs (including Medicare premiums) in retirement.  Moreover, an HSA is a savings account with a unique triple tax benefit. All contributions are tax-free, their growth within the account is tax-free, and qualified withdrawals (that is, ones that are used to cover qualified medical expenses) are tax-free, too.

Though this may sound promising, one-size-fits-all investment strategies don’t exist. Would an HSA make good financial sense for you? Read on to find out.