How to Add a Little Spice to Your Life;How to Build the Perfect Retirement Plan 2022

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Here’s how 2020 colour trends create

 perfect   work  /life balance when home is 

also your office;

Have you ever noticed how a colour of a room affects your mood? The 2020 colour trends bode well for people who want to create work/life balance in their own homes, say the sisters behind M+ Architecture | Interior Design .

Have you ever noticed how a colour of a room affects your mood?

The 2020 colour trends bode well for people who want to create work/life balance in their own homes, say the sisters behind M+ Architecture | Interior Design.

“People are getting a better handle on how to manage bringing work home or working from home,” says Nadi Meri, a Vancouver-based architect. “It’s becoming very important to have a dedicated, professional environment in your home that is also comfortable.

“Our designs are the bridge between living and working to help us find that balance. We want to create a mood that helps people be inspired. Our workspaces are designed to be a place where people want to spend time, be focused and get their jobs done. Having the right choice of colours is a good way to create that ambience.”

Nadi works with her sister Ellie Miri, who earned her interior design Masters degree from Boston Architectural College.

“We are always inspired by nature, especially in Vancouver where it would be unfortunate if we didn’t incorporate the beauty of our surrounding,” Nadi says. “We need to bring nature into our spaces, whether that’s by having wide windows and lots of natural light or by the colours we choose.”

“We’re really excited that the new colour trends work with our style,” says Ellie. “They complement our design philosophy to create a restorative balance and bring nature inside.”

The designers are especially inspired by the trend towards a naturalist palette inspired by earth tones. “There are some deep, saturated colours such as haze navy and a new one called global inspired green. They can be used as accents to make the space more vibrant and add a punch of colour,” says Ellie.

Nadi adds, “Because we are using lots of natural light, it’s okay to use some of those deep, saturated colours. They will be softened by the light being introduced to the space.”

Another on-trend colour that they both love working with is graphite charcoal. “Grey is a very nice, standard colour that gives us the sense of being grounded,” Ellie says. “It’s an approachable and very comfortable colour. We can easily add to it any accent colour that we like to make the space come together.”

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How to Build the Perfect Retirement Plan

© Provided by The Motley Fool Retirement plan

No matter what your age, retirement has to be one of the most important goals for Canadians. We put cash away, let it grow, and one day we can live our ideal lifestyle. The problem is, most Canadians aren’t starting a retirement plan soon enough. Instead, they’re waiting decades or even just before retirement before even thinking about a plan.

That’s a huge problem. Not only will you potentially be unprepared when it comes to your ideal age of retirement, but you could also be missing out. In fact, you could be missing a huge opportunity to retire even earlier, or at least have incredible cash set aside for when you’re ready to retire.

That’s why a retirement plan should be set up as soon as possible. So here, I’m going to go over the steps to take to build that perfect retirement plan.

Set a date

This doesn’t have to be specific, but having a timeline in mind is a key component of starting your retirement plan. This starts the clock ticking, allowing you to come up with some short and long-term goals towards your retirement goals.

Now, this can change depending on your age. You may want to retire at 65, but right now are 55 and that no longer seems feasible. Or, you may need to be more aggressive in your investing. You may also be 30, and have plenty of time to save up. That means you can afford to put cash elsewhere. And that leads me to the next step.

Budget

The next step is figuring out how much you’re bringing in, and how much you’re spending. This is important not just to figure out what you can afford, but what you’ll be spending in retirement. If you’re going to build a retirement plan, you need to know both.

So first, see what you need to spend each month, and then in turn what you can afford to put towards retirement. A financial advisor would be really helpful with this. Then, once you have that budget you’ll also be able to see how much you’ll be likely to spend in retirement. This can help you come up with a financial goal to reach to know you’re retirement ready.

Part of that budget should also include “what if” scenarios. What if you get sick? Your house is damaged? Never mind inflation. All of this should be taken into consideration when creating a comfortable retirement plan.

Other income

Now that you’ve figured out what income you have on hand, make sure to realize all the income you could have in the future. This would include Canada Pension Plan payments, Old Age Security, an employee pension plan, and more. It also would include any investments. That of course would include your Registered Retirement Savings Plan and Tax-Free Savings Account. But also consider your assets such as a home. If you’re going to be downsizing in the future or moving somewhere cheaper, that also increases your income.

Again, meeting with a financial advisor will help you take all of this into consideration. They can look at your costs, your home, your goals and calculate what you can afford to save for at this moment. But don’t let that be the bottom line. Make sure to continue going back to see your financial advisor to adjust as your life changes.