So you’re settling down. Have you figured out how you want to live your life? Do you have a challenging job? Are you making plans to buy a home? Your list of plans for the future is growing – alone or with your partner. Sure, you can live in the moment, but don’t forget to plan ahead. Retirement may seem like a long way ahead and your pension has no priority for you. You first need to pay off your student loan and create financial scope to buy or rent a home. Any money left over can be spent on fun things, right? Like traveling to distant countries. Or should you perhaps consider your long-term horizon?

Just think, you might want to travel later in life too, and by then you might not want to go on a shoestring budget and you might want to go on long, far-away journeys. Will you be able to combine that with a job abroad or will you be able to take a sabbatical? You have to keep deciding what you want, now as well as later in life, and opting for the present might be tempting.

Scope for choices
If you can resist that temptation, you’ll have more scope for choices later in life. If you start saving or investing money - even small amounts - on a monthly basis at a young age and keep an eye on your expenses, you’ll benefit later. You could create scope to make choices, develop your skills, start your own company or take a part-time job.

"How will financial planning help me now?"

Get a grip on your future
How will financial planning help you now? By letting you take control over your life and giving you the freedom to make choices now and later in life. A happy feeling. Getting a grip on your finances will let you discover what you could save money on and what opportunities you could have. Pension is a part of your financial planning, alongside your salary, savings, investments, insurance policies and the home you own. Several 'life events' have an impact on your financial future. Moving in with your partner, buying a home, having a baby, falling ill or getting a new job - these are all life events that could be an incentive for taking action. Check how life events affect your pension and make sure you’re well prepared for the future!

"How will a career change affect my pension?"

Working to build up pension
Pension is a part of your life, even when you’re still young. If you work full time, you spend about one day a week working for your pension. Pension is an employment condition and pension plans offered by employers can be quite different from each other. Pension 1-2-3 helps you compare pension plans. More than older employees, young employees tend to wonder whether their job gives them satisfaction. Nowadays, young employees switch jobs more frequently if they’re looking for a new challenge. Make sure you consider your pension plan every time you make a job switch.

What is your goal?
Check whether you’re on track in financial terms by logging into the Pension Planner (using your DigiD). Use this tool to compare the income you think you’ll need with an indication of the income you are currently heading for and discover how you could cover a possible pension gap or create scope for choices later in life.

This article provides an outline of trends in society as well as some general information. Would you like to read articles relevant to other age groups? Select the age group at the upper right side of the screen.