Whether you’re 10, 5 or even 1-2 years from retirement, you have plenty of options to help make the most of your super. The key is to start as soon as possible.

Retirement is on your horizon, so any action you can take now will get you closer to your ideal financial position. You may have already done a 5-Minute Workout on your super, so why not power-up your workout in these important years leading up to retirement.

Our best tips for what can you do now, before retiring

First things first: know your super!

Understand the information your statements are providing and the investment option(s) you are in. Check your insurance cover and beneficiaries. Track down and consolidate any other super. Consider tipping some extra contributions to give your super a boost.

These are all important steps, along with setting your retirement goals and getting the right advice to help put your plans into action, to put you in a good position to maximise your super in the long term.

Here are some tips to help get you started – depending on how far away retirement might be for you:

• Considering retiring in 10 years? Start planning now – whether you’re ten years out from the official retirement age, or simply considering retiring early, it’s a good idea to start planning your retirement now.

• 5 years to retirement? Time to get the wheels in motion – if you’re planning to retire in five years there are plenty of things you can do right now to help ensure your financial freedom once you stop working.

• 1 or 2 years to retirement? Get your plan together now – your retirement is on the horizon so now is the time to start working out how much income you’ll have, when you’ll stop working and how you’ll manage your income.

Check out more tips and tools to think about

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission MoneySmart website has some suggestions of things to consider around retirement time.