Retirement seems like a long ways away and it’s something that I didn’t really think about until lately. However, it is an important subject and one worth talking about because as many of us know, we certainly can’t depend on our social security system and the government to help us out. I keep hearing all these stories about how social security may even be wiped out by the time I reach that age!

What I’m learning is that it’s never too early (or too late!) to for retirement planning. Jenny McKinney and Patrick McKinney over at About.com share their five tips on retirement planning to help you out:

1. Change how you identify retirement. Consider retirement as a beginning, not end.
2. Create an identity outside the workplace. Start a hobby or other interest not related to work.
3. Slow down. Instead of volunteering for additional work, delegate more.
4. Renew your relationships with family and friends. If you’ve always been too busy with work to enjoy a life, reverse your thinking and get busy living.
5. Don’t be too hard on yourself. The transition could be difficult but you can do it.

I’d like to add one important tip: write down your goals. How much would you like to have in your nest egg when you do retire? What do you want to be doing when you do retire? Evaluate and look at these goals once in awhile to see if you’re on track financially.