If you've finally celebrated that 60^th birthday, you've probably already started dreaming about retirement. That day when you'll finally be able to walk away from work and spend the rest of your life enjoying the sweet life. If that's where you are right now, it's time to start planning. It takes a lot of work to make sure you get the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed and secure retirement. To ensure that you get to make the most of your retirement planning, here are three steps you should take while you're in the planning stages.

Speak to a Financial Planner

If you haven't sat down to speak to a financial planner, you may not be as well-prepared for retirement as you thought you were. Once you retire, you'll be living off the money you saved, and the plans that you made. How well you live during retirement will depend on the plans you've been making up to this point. One of the benefits of speaking to a financial planner is that they'll be able to help you identify any holes you might have in your plans. Speaking to the planner before you retire will ensure that you have enough time to take care of those problem areas.

Don't Go for the Early Retirement

If your goal is to retire as early as possible, you might want to rethink your goals. You might not realize this, but there are actually quite a few benefits to postponing your retirement for a few years. First, you won't need to dip into your retirement accounts quite so soon. Second, you'll have a few more years to add to your savings account. Third, you'll add a few years to your work-related retirement funds. Finally, you'll increase the amount of your monthly social security payments. All those benefits add up to more money in your bank account each month after you retire.

Take Advantage of Your Home Equity

If you own your home, you have an untapped resource that you can use for your retirement. The equity you have in your home can be used to bankroll a large portion of your retirement. One way to tap the equity is to take out a home equity line of credit, which will allow you to use the money when you need it. Another way is to take out a reverse mortgage on your home. You'll use the equity, while still living in your home. Once you pass away, the home will be sold to pay off the reverse mortgage. Finally, you can sell your home outright, and live off the income you received from the sell.