What do you think of when you think about retirement?
No more deadlines to meet. No office politics to deal with. No more long commutes on the train.

Chances are you picture yourself “happily retired” in your 60s, playing with your grandkids and living the kind of life you want to live. Everybody has a wish list for their retirement. You may envision yourself travelling the world, relocating to a beach destination or building a second home in the mountains, taking up a side gig, learning a musical instrument, or contributing to a social cause. Retirement is a time to lay back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Except, what if your retirement is not as you hope for it to be?

What if everything that you looked forward to all these years disappears in an instant because of your deteriorating health?

Bad health can dramatically impact your dream retirement, and alter even the best laid plans.

Planning your retirement
According to the 2016 Global Retirement Index—developed by Natixis Global Asset Management and CoreData Research—India ranked last out of 43 countries. It also ranked last in terms of healthcare and quality of life, and second to last in terms of finances in retirement. Old age in India can be rather tough if you’re not prepared for it.

Planning for your golden years is a daunting task by itself as you figure out how to balance all of your short-term financial priorities. However, planning for retirement without taking into account your health needs is certainly a bad idea. Good health is often overlooked in the pursuit of money, dreams, and luxuries as this cookie jar experiment from Axis Mutual Fund revealed.