Menopause and Retirement

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: February 7, 2014

It’s like the monster job from hell none of us remember signing up for, yet by merit of simply being female, most of us will be called to serve. That’s not to say it will be challenging for all, but most of us can agree, it’s some of the hardest work we’ve ever dealt with. And the pay is crap. To make matters more intense, there are no defined end dates. We have no idea how long we’ll be stuck in this coal mine. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could give Menopause two weeks’ notice, like, after a week? Uh, I’ve given this a lot of thought and thanks but no thanks. This is not for me.

But seriously, most of us have real jobs/careers that do pay and do have benefits—some of which have been sorely jeopardized by the change. If you’ve been able to hang on and navigate through the rough waters, you are indeed fortunate. Others still have had to stop working or determine a different career path. Whether you are still working or not, you have a future to think about. Hopefully a future where the trials of menopause are just a vague memory and you’ve dusted off your libido and the only body parts that hurt are your feet from your too-tight pumps.

“Future?” You question. “How can I think about the future when I feel like I can barely survive one day to the next?” The fact is, you will. You will survive and when the future reveals itself, you do not want to be caught with empty pockets. In other words, whether you think you can or not, you must pay attention to your retirement planning! We have a saying in my industry – “If you have no plan, plan to fail.” You probably don’t travel to an unfamiliar destination without a roadmap or navigation in your car, so why would you wing it when it comes to your retirement?

If you have a retirement plan through your current employer (i.e. 401k, 403b, pension, etc.) keep track of it and make sure your investments are keeping pace. If you have old plans scattered about with past employers, collect your most recent statements and take steps to consolidate. By that I mean, open an IRA rollover account with a bank or brokerage firm and get those monies together so you know where they are and you have some control over them. Leaving them out and about is like burying little treasures in various locations before you were stricken with menopausal short-term memory loss! Not only do you forget about them and where they are, but they are not making money for you. I’ll tell you who is making money – the company that still holds the account! It’s still your money. Go get it.

Don’t let these hormonal challenges get the best of you financially. Regard your retirement planning like a crystal ball whereby you can see the future, plan for it, add money (contributions) to it and enjoy it to the fullest once you reach the end of this fire walk.

For any questions, please feel free to email me at liz.a.allen@ampf.com.

Elizabeth currently I lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband of 23 years, her 18-year-old daughter, and Shayna – the Catahoula Leopard dog. Check out her work at www.elizabeth-allen.com and www.ameripriseadvisors.com