The scariest thing we should be worrying about is our financial future

I meet with people every day who are afraid. As you're reading this, you're probably already thinking about something you fear. There are plenty of scary stories out there, on a number of issues and topics, and the more you look the more you'll find. What I have noticed is the most obvious, scary things are not always the most important things.

Let's take a look at spiders. My husband hates spiders and he's not alone. According to www.statisticbrain.com, 30 percent of the U.S. population is afraid of spiders. That ranks as our third-greatest fear, only after public speaking and death. And, according to the same website there are a few problems with the primary things that we fear.

Sixty percent of the things we are afraid of don't ever happen. Thirty percent of the things we fear happened in the past and cannot be changed. And 90 percent of the things we fear are insignificant. Fear is a powerful emotion, and it drives decisions.

So, what should we fear? As a financial adviser, I believe that the fear of running out of money in retirement is more important than spiders. You've seen the headline that half of all Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. Now that's scary, but it's something you can change, at least for yourself.

If you want to change your financial future, begin by evaluating where your money goes each month. Take a notepad and draw some columns, then add category headings like "groceries." For the next 30 days, track every penny you spend, then examine the results. What changes can you make to free up cash that you can use to pay off debt or increase savings?

To see the impact of increased debt payments, or increased savings, go to www.Bankrate.com and use their free calculators. Lay out a long-range plan of how/when you will become debt free, and your pre-retirement savings goal.

If you haven't already begun saving for retirement, the time to start is now. If you have a retirement plan available at work, contact the plan adviser and ask for an appointment.

If you don't have access to a plan, contact a local financial planner and get some advice on how to start saving with an IRA, or individual retirement account. To learn more about how to plan for retirement, check out our free reports at retirerelax.com.

Sherri Goss is the senior vice president of Rosenberg Financial Group Inc. You can reach her by calling 922-8100, or via e-mail at sherri@rfmoney.com.

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 9:24 PM with the headline "The scariest thing we should be worrying about is our financial future ."