Before you pitch that tent in the Black Friday shopping line and start updating your Amazon.com Wish list, here are some reasons you should be grateful this Thanksgiving for the control that you have over your personal finances.

1. It pays to be 50. Yes, there are some benefits to reaching this milestone. If you are 50 this year you get a bonus from Uncle Sam when it comes to your retirement savings. This year you can contribute a total of $29,500 ($6,500 to your IRA and $23,000 to your 401(k))!

    

2. Technology Can Make it Painless. If using paper and pen and a HP 12C calculator makes your eyes glaze over, there are a number of online resources that can make the task of setting up and maintaining a budget actually bearable if not enjoyable.

    

3. There’s Help Out There. You don’t have to go it alone. One of the best things you can do is work with a financial planner. Don’t confuse an investment advisor with a planner. They are not the same. You need both but start with a planner. Find someone with a CFP® after their name. Having achieved this designation myself I can attest to the depth and breadth of knowledge you have to have to earn this designation. Click here to find a CFP® in your area.

    

4. You Can Get Free Money. If your company offers a match with their 401(k) all you have to do is contribute up to the match percentage to qualify. Don’t leave money on the table. Get the match!

    

5. Social Security Will Be There. Yes, count me among the optimists. You should plan on social security when you do your retirement income planning. Will it look like it does today when you retire? Probably not. You may have to wait longer to receive benefits but I believe it will be there for you and me. Check out what your benefit will be here.

    

6. Medicare Will Be There Too. Yes, just like Social Security it will get a makeover but this all important benefit will help you and me afford healthcare in retirement so plan on it. Learn more with your copy of Guide to Medicare. Click here for more information.

    

7. You Can Work As Long As You Want. People talk about the “New Retirement” that includes working well into the traditional retirement years either by choice or necessity. You can still collect Social Security when you work and you will get the potentially reduced benefit back. Check out all you need to know about working in retirement and Social Security here.

    

8. You’re In Good Company. There were about $76 million births between 1946 and 1964 so there are a lot of us around now, many already retired. What does that mean for you? The law of supply and demand means that technology, the housing industry, financial services and the healthcare industry, to mention a few, will have to evolve to make our lives easier since there are so many of us. Retirement living communities will improve; healthcare will have to improve to respond to the increasing demands on the system. History demonstrates the power in numbers when it comes to the economy. Like it or not, the Affordable Care Act wouldn’t have been passed 20 years ago.

    

9. You Have New Ways to Catch Up. Much has been written about Baby Boomers not doing a very good job at saving for retirement. In response the financial services industry continues to innovate by creating new products such as annuities with income adjustment features or step up features that guarantee a minimum return to help Boomers earn a respectable retirement income. They’re not for everyone but the point is that even the biggest procrastinators can get in the game and celebrate a financial victory of some degree.

    

10. You Will Live Longer Than Your Parents Did. Longevity can be viewed as a blessing or a curse. Of course we want to be healthy in our “Golden Years”. Living longer also means we have to have more money saved to live off of in retirement. It also means we can live to see our legacy in action whether it’s helping our kids, a charity or just enjoying living longer. Today we see many people retiring form one career and starting another. My grandfather couldn’t do that and didn’t want to do that. He retired at 65 and died a few years later.

We have a lot to be thankful for in this information-overload society that we live in that tries very hard to make us think otherwise. During this season of overspending let’s pause to give thanks for the control we have over our finances and the resources we have to improve our financial lives. Happy Thanksgiving to you!