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back imagePlanning Ahead for Retirement

Long- and Short-Term Goals

It is wise to consider both long- and short-term goals. Personality, family life stages, and economic well-being influence whether you label a goal long-term or short-term.

Short-term goals are those you want to accomplish immediately, or at least within the next year or two. Short-term goals require immediate action. Sometimes the results are immediate as well. Sometimes the results contribute to and provide checkpoints for long-term goals.

Seven Steps For Managing Conflicts:

  1. Write the problem down in a single sentence.
  2. Check the sentence to make sure it's an 'I' statement.
  3. Identify the feelings you have about the problem and build them into your statement.
  4. Get together with your partner and find a place where you agree.
  5. Sift through the points of disagreement.
  6. Come up with at least two possible solutions to the conflict.
  7. Decide together which possible solution you would like to try and for what period of time.

Goals are long-term when resources must be accumulated. They take a greater commitment of time, focus, energy, and money. Long-term goals are those things you want to accomplish in 5, 10, or more years down the road.

Both long- and short-term goals are needed to put retirement plans into effect.

Setting Goals and Priorities with a Partner

To effectively plan ahead for retirement, both people in the relationship must be active in assessing their individual values and formulating individual goals. But in order to effectively carry out those goals, partners need to communicate regularly. They need to build in mutual short-term goals that will support their long-term goals as a couple.

First, use Worksheets 1-5 to think about the aspects of your present and future life. Then share your worksheets with each other as a starting point for setting mutual short- and long-term goals. Notice the similarities between lists. Notice the points your partner brought up that you hadn't thought of but would like to include. Point out the goals that are clearly important to both of you and enjoy the agreement.

It is likely you will have areas of disagreement or conflict as well. Don't worry. Nearly every couple has some things to work out before coming to a shared vision. What is important is not that there is disagreement; it's how you handle the disagreement that counts.

back imagePlanning Ahead for Retirement

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