Personal Budget Tips From the IRS: 10 Reasons to Put Off Saving for Retirement

Here’s a perfect list of 10 reasons on why you should put off saving for retirement, from the always sarcastic and funny folks at the Internal Revenue Service (In PDF format as the web page was taken down by the IRS).

1. There are so many important things I need that money for NOW. An extra dinner out this week with the family. That new driver to revolutionize my golf game. The fancy pair of sneakers that make the whiz bang noise with each step.
   

   Mint’s Note: Ah. The consumer lifestyle, where delay gratification is an unknown concept and future needs should never be a consideration. The IRS may be joking, but unfortunately this may be one of the top reasons why people put off saving for their retirement.

2. There’ll always be time to save later. Who needs a Personal Budget now? Let’s just focus on the here and now. Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow.
   

   Money Saving Tips: The power of compound interest works best when time is on your side. Just by starting eight years earlier, you can put away 23% less money than someone who starts later, and still end up with more money than them when it comes time to retire.

3. Maybe I won’t live long enough to retire. Life is so uncertain. Why should I miss out on the high life now when I might not even need to have money put aside for my old age? (If married, change pronouns in this reason to the plural.)
   

   Life expectancy has been steadily increasing across the globe. Sorry buddy, but it’s not over until the fat lady sings.

4. I love a challenge. Working into my 70’s or 80’s or 90’s can’t be that hard.
   

   Perhaps not, especially since health and life expectancy is on the rise. On the other hand, according to Career Journal, more than one in four U.S. businesses has failed to plan to hire or retain older workers.

5. Social Security payments alone will take care of my needs. I know the average Social Security payment is $838 a month. And I’ll only need money for things like food and housing.. and medical care.. and clothing and..
   

   And maybe everything else. That’s only if you want to have a life beyond the basic minimal needs, of course.

6. I don’t know how to begin. There are so many ways to go about saving for retirement that I need more time to think about it. After all there’s the retirement savings plan at work and IRA’s and even investing in things like real estate. I just don’t know where to start.
   

   Money Saving Tips from the IRS. Start by checking out your employer’s retirement savings plan such as 401k or individual retirement account options at various financial institutions.

7. I don’t know how much I need for retirement. But I bet it’s a huge number and I don’t think I can do it. So I won’t do anything.
   

   Please refer to Mint’s comment in number two and six. Want a ballpark number to the amount necessary? Check out the retirement calculator at CNN Money.

8. Planning for retirement is such a big, complicated undertaking. There’s no one I can talk to about it. They’d know that I haven’t really started a personal budget yet. That would be embarrassing. And how should I invest the money I save? Who can you really trust in this day and age?
   

   Living in poverty due to financial inaction might just be a little bit more embarrassing than the actual inaction itself. Who to talk to and who to trust? Consider a Certified Financial Planner or a Chartered Financial Analyst.

   Would you be embarrassed to contact a health professional if you accidentally contracted a serious disease? If the answer is no, then you should also not be embarrassed in consulting a trustworthy, certified financial professional with your financial troubles.

9. I might get lucky. You never know, I may win the lottery. Or I may be remembered in the will of a long lost relative. Or I might find that my house is right in the middle of a diamond field.
   

   With odds such as ranging between 1 in 146, 107,962 and 1 in 175,711,536; the lottery is a sure bet.

10. Taking care of me financially will provide wonderful character-building opportunities for my children. And so many chances for me to feel warm gratitude toward them.
    

    The IRS has outdone themselves with this one. It’s so far fetch that we couldn’t come up with a witty response or follow-up.

Want to do something about your retirement?

Check out this nifty 32 page PDF, Saving Fitness: A Guide to Your Money and Your Financial Future from the U.S. Department of Labor (with help from Certified Financial Planners).

Sure, the booklet may not be as funny as the article from the IRS, but once you’re living a comfortable and secure retirement life, you can always splurge for the occasional tickets to The Improv.