Do the Little Things and Retirement Becomes Predictable

A baseball team is usually comprised of a variety of hitters. The typical player is expected to hit singles and doubles, but may rarely get a home run.  One or two on a team can hit the long-ball, or a home run.  And although the big hitters are more likely to hit the ball out of the park, they may also have a higher probability of striking out.  Coaches usually create a line-up where the single-base hitters take the first three turns at bat, then the fourth hitter is the home-run slugger, or what is called “the clean-up” hitter.
The player that can hit more home runs than any other will get a lot of publicity, and most often get paid more money.  But if the single-base hitter doesn’t do his job, then the “clean-up” hitter will not be as effective.  
Let’s apply this analogy to your money.  We will consider the single-base hitter in your game of finance a Spending Plan. This plan shows what money is coming in and how it is going out based on the expenses you have categorized within it — these expenses going out a little each day. If you do not track these little purchases and “get on base” so to speak every day, then you cannot create a cash surplus that will allow you to get out of debt and get a better rate of return on your savings and retirement money — you can’t be a big hitter and score the home run. 
Are you acting like a base-hitter right now and taking care of the little things? Or, are you trying to be more of a “clean-up” batter?  Remember, if you wait to “clean-up” things later on, you may strike out. Home run hitters strike out more often than any other players.  Much has been said about the home-run king, Babe Ruth, but he also had the most strikeouts.
Let’s continue with the baseball analogy with regards to your finances. Let’s say you are in the 8th inning, meaning you are age 55, and you are behind in the score, meaning you have little retirement money.  As you see the game slipping away, you are forced to go for the fence and try to hit a home run.  This may cause you to force an investment and hope for good results.  The odds are against you.  I’m not saying it’s not good to try to hit the home runs in life, but be smart about your financial game. If you are younger then just focus on getting on base. With finances, single base hits are better than home runs, because they come more often. This slow and steady doing of the little things will bring big payouts later!