8 Must-Do Things Before 60 For a Stress-Free Retirement

SAVING & SPENDING
Last updated March 14, 2024 | By FinanceBuzz Editors
enjoying free time in retirement

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Do you dream of a stress-free retirement? Maybe even an early retirement? (Now we’re talking!) Of course, you do — you’re human, after all.

Unfortunately, there’s a common mistake that holds people back from making that dream a reality: People often make a mental checklist of things to do by the time they retire when they should really have those things done five to ten years before retiring.

If you’re looking to retire by 65 (or sooner), you’ll want to have everything below checked off before 60.

But have no fear! If you don’t have one checked off yet, this page will show you how to get started.

Earn a $400 bonus with this checking account

We hate to tell you this, really. But if you aren’t banking with Truist Bank, you’re missing out on extra cash. Don’t worry though … it’s easy to fix.

Earn a $400 bonus when you open a new Truist One Checking account online between February 28, 2024 and October 30, 2024 using promo code TRUIST400AFL24. Terms apply.1

Complete the following within 90 days of account opening:

  • Receive at least one qualifying direct deposit of $500 or more.
  • Complete at least 15 qualifying debit card purchases.

This is practically passive income and a great way to supercharge your earnings.

Plus, you can enjoy other benefits like no overdraft fees, a $100 negative balance buffer,2 and automatic upgrades for access to growing perks.

Open your new Truist One Checking account here

Get a personalized financial plan from the award-winning J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors

73% of Americans rank finances as their chief stress in life, according to a recent study.3 If you’re part of that 73%, J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors could help ease that stress.

Schedule your free one-on-one financial planning session with J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors,4 and you’ll get access to a team of fiduciary advisors who will create a personalized financial plan catered to your lifestyle and financial goals.

While working with an advisor may sound scary, but J.P. Morgan’s advisors are fiduciaries, so you can be confident that any advisor you work with has your best interest at heart.5 Even better — J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors was named "Best Wealth Management Platform"6 in the 2024 FinTech Breakthrough Awards!

Book your free financial planning session here

Get out of $20,000 or more of credit card debt

Credit card debt is suffocating. It constantly weighs on your mind and controls every choice you make. You can end up emotionally and even physically drained from it. And even though you make regular payments, it feels like you can never make any progress because of the interest.

Accredited Debt Relief is designed specifically to help you get out of credit card debt faster (and for less), without having to make drastic life changes. With Accredited Debt Relief, you could reduce your monthly credit card payments by up to 40% or more and be debt free in 24-48 months.

How to get Accredited Debt Relief to lower your debt: Sign up for a free quote here. (Do not skip this step!) By getting a free, no-obligation quote and speaking with a consolidation specialist, they can immediately assist you in paying off your debt and calculating reduced monthly payments. They’ll let you know right away how much you might be able to save … but only if you request a quote.

Try it

Invest your spare change on autopilot

The best time to invest was yesterday. The second best time is today. By harnessing the power of compound interest, not only is every penny saved a penny earned, but cumulatively those pennies can grow into thousands of dollars.

With Acorns, you could turn your pennies into real wealth with their unique automated investing system for as little as $3/mo. Setting up automatic recurring investments, even just $5/day, will set you up to take full advantage of time, compound interest, and the stock market — without even having to think about it!

You’ll get access to expert-built portfolios7 with highly rated Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), which include stocks and bonds, that can help reduce risks compared to trading individual stocks.

Plus, you can access Acorns’ Round-Ups® feature, where your daily purchases get rounded up to the next dollar and automatically invested, adding even more wealth-growing opportunities on autopilot!

BONUS: Set up Recurring Investments and Acorns will give you a $20 bonus after you make your first successful Recurring Investment (minimum $5).

Get started today for as little as $3/mo

If you’re over 50, take advantage of massive discounts and financial resources

Over 50? Join AARP today — because if you’re not a member you could be missing out on huge perks. When you start your membership today, you can get discounts on things like travel, meal deliveries, eyeglasses, prescriptions that aren’t covered by insurance and more.

How to become a member today:

  • Go here, select your free gift, and click “Join Today” 
  • Create your account (important!) by answering a few simple questions 
  • Start enjoying your discounts and perks!

You’ll also get insider info on social security, job listings, caregiving, and retirement planning. And you’ll get access to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network to help you protect your money, as well as tools to help you plan for retirement.

Important: Start your membership by creating an account here and filling in all of the information (Do not skip this step!) Doing so will allow you to take up 25% off your AARP membership, making it just $12 per year with auto-renewal.

Become an AARP member now

Ohio Driver? Cancel your car insurance

We've got bad news. You could be wasting $600 every year on overpriced, second-rate car insurance. And you should probably cancel your existing insurance right now, because there's something much better.

This new tool from FinanceBuzz can tell you if you're overpaying for your car insurance in just a few clicks. We match drivers with companies that report saving drivers up to $600 or more per year when they switch! Each driver’s savings will vary by driving history and how many discounts you’re eligible for. And once you try it out, you'll never have to look for affordable insurance again because we find you the lowest rates that other companies can't match.

Oh, and it's also free. And come on — you can't tell us you don't want to save up to $600. To find out if you're losing up to $600 or more a year, just answer a few questions, and then make sure to enter your zip and DOB, to see if you qualify for a lower rate. It takes less than 2 minutes.

See if you're overpaying

Discover®️ Cashback Debit Benefits

  • Earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month8
  • No minimum deposit, no minimum balance, and no account fees
  • Access your paycheck up to 2 days early with Early Pay
  • 60K+ fee-free ATMs and make cash deposits at Walmart stores nationwide