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•  Is my beneficiary info up to date? If not, see Changes to Beneficiaries.
•  Is the amount I'm contributing from my paychecks into the 403(b) Plan what I want it to be? If not see Changes to Contributions.
•  Am I happy with my investment performance? If not, see Changes to Investments to make changes or sign up to talk to an advisor to review your investment strategy.
•  Are you a minister? Educate yourself on the ability to withdraw a housing allowance in retirement. GuideStone also has some helpful resources available here - https://www.guidestone.org/ministerialresources

When you look at your retirement plan through the lens of driving, it’s not just about having enough fuel in the tank to reach your destination.

You also need to check for warning indicators on your dashboard:

• Are there major expenses ahead you haven’t planned for?
• What about roadblocks or detours—unexpected life events or market shifts?
• Have you built in contingency plans for the bumps along the way?

•  Complete the Retirement Readiness Assessment. This tool can be found on the MyGuidestone website under Retirement and Investments>"Retirement Resources". You'll be asked to update your age, planned retirement age, income, retirement income goal, investment style, Social Security benefits (if applicable) etc. Once you get your score, if you are in the yellow or red sections, this means you may need to make some adjustments. Consider what adjustments can be made to your "inputs" to get on track for a healthy retirement balance. 
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  Check for Roadblocks: 10-Minute Brainstorm + Prayer Challenge

  Take 10 minutes to brainstorm a list of potential obstacles that could hinder your retirement goals.
  Consider:

  • Financial “potholes” like unexpected medical expenses or debt
  • Life “detours” such as career changes or family responsibilities
  • External “roadblocks” like inflation or market volatility

  Prayer challenge

  After your brainstorm, spend 5–10 minutes in prayer, asking the Lord for wisdom and clarity on how to faithfully adjust your retirement planning

When viewing your retirement plan from this perspective, you will want to think about best practices for saving, to ensure your nest egg is substantial enough for your expected future financial needs.

•  The Principal website has a tool to help you assess your Retirement Wellness Score.  This tool can be found under the "Planning Resources" tab. If you've never done this assessment we encourage you to fill it out and get your initial Retirement Wellness Score. If you've already done the assessment, review your score and look at the "My Progress" tab for tips.  Consider making some adjustments to improve your score. 
•  The Planning Resources section on Principal's website has a section "Principal Milestones" - spend 5-15 minutes exploring these options, including some of the *Enrich educational resources. Enrich has some good tools to help lower the stress you may feel when it comes to the topic of money. *Disclaimer: Principal uses Enrich as an educational third party resource. We encourage you to use your own discretion when viewing the resources available through Enirch.  If there is something on the Enrich site that feels out of alignment with a Christian perspective on giving and saving, please follow your own Biblical convictions

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Every journey needs a destination—and your retirement is no different.
Invest 1 hour to plan out your Retirement Destination. 

•   on your future. Take 30 minutes to prayerfully think through the questions listed below. Then take 30 minutes to seek God's guidance in helping you meet your goals: How much time do you reflect on what a meaningful retirement looks like for you. 

  Ask yourself:

  • What do I want my retirement to feel like?
  • Where do I want to be—physically, financially, spiritually?
  • What activities, relationships, or goals matter most in that season of life?
  • How much time do I spend each month thinking about
  your
  • my finances now and in the future? Do
  you
  • I feel like the time spent is sufficient to focus on
  your
  • my financial future needs/goals? (If not, we challenge you to add a financial check-in every month or two to your schedule.
   
  •  Think back to where you were 10 years ago...if you could change some of your financial habits over the last decade what would they be? 
   
  • ) 
  • Consider what your
  older and wiser
  • "future" retirement-age self may say to you
  if they could give you some advice
  • looking back on where you're at right now. What advice would your future self suggest to help you achieve
  Platinum status in saving for retirement? Consider making some changes now to ensure the next decade will be an important investment toward
  • your future goals
  . Pray and ask God to help you be faithful in this area of responsibility preparing for and protecting your future financial situation.
  • ?
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•  
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•  Take 30 minutes to prayerfully seek God's guidance in helping you meet your goals: 
•  Bonus challenge - Tell someone about your dreams/goals and ask them to pray for you and hold you accountable in meeting these goals!