4 Ways To Take Action Rather Than Rationalize Your Retirement Hurdles

Retirement waits for no one; it’s coming fast for the youngest Baby Boomers and oldest Gen-Xers. The stark reality is that many people are not ready, and studies show that more than half of us wish we’d saved more and had a solid retirement plan. With retirement looming, financial stress is a constant companion for 57% of people, according to PwC, and 63% of us can’t cover a $500 emergency expense, let alone think about retirement.

One natural stress response is what psychologists refer to as a defense mechanism—chief among them is rationalization. Rationalization is when we cope with something that causes us discomfort by justifying our actions (or inactions) with what appears to be a logical strategy or story to move forward.