Life Planning

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Spring Cleaning for Retirement

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Spring Cleaning for Retirement

Much like the arrival of spring, retirement can be a time of fresh starts and new beginnings. Navigating this major $Lifeline transition can also give retirees an opportunity to "spring clean" more than just our overstuffed closets and garages. Retirees can clean out the things in life that no longer bring them joy and make room for more growth, more fulfillment, more memories, and more Return on Life.

Start by looking back on your career and identifying what you liked most about your job. Then, think about how you can clear away the things that made work feel like work, such as:

Focus on Consistency for a Better ROL

Focus on Consistency for a Better ROL

The most impactful investments tend to be those that we make consistently over time. When we stick to a plan and keep checking off the items on our to-do lists, our efforts compound and build towards the results that we want.

Think about how being consistent in these three areas could help you achieve your long-term goals and improve your Return on Life (ROL).

Balancing Ambition and Wellbeing

Balancing Ambition and Wellbeing

Without ambition, our goals would likely stay small and unrealized. We need that extra drive to push ourselves to new heights and boost our Return on Life in multiple areas. 

But too much ambition can harm our physical and emotional health, which, ironically, can make it that much harder to accomplish the things we're sacrificing so much to pursue. If you focus all your energy, every moment of every day, on one single activity, you're much more likely to burn out.

Ask yourself these three questions to find a healthier balance between ambition and wellbeing that will help you experience a more well-rounded version of success.

Don't Let Comfort Cost You: Status Quo Bias

Don't Let Comfort Cost You: Status Quo Bias

Many of us are naturally inclined to resist change, especially when it comes to our finances. This tendency is known as status quo bias, where we prefer things to stay the same, even if changing our approach might lead to better outcomes. Whether it’s holding onto underperforming investments, sticking with outdated financial strategies, or avoiding necessary adjustments to retirement plans, this bias can negatively impact your financial well-being. Here are 3 reason we resist change…

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Take a Retirement Test Drive

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Take a Retirement Test Drive

When we think about retirement, we often focus on financial readiness. But an equally important aspect is how you’ll spend your time. Without the structure of a job, it’s essential to have a plan for how you’ll spend your time. One way to prepare is to test-drive your retirement lifestyle before making the big leap. Here’s how to maximize your Return on Life (ROL) and start discovering your ideal retirement routine...

What’s Your Financial “Why” for the New Year?

What’s Your Financial “Why” for the New Year?

With wealth comes an expansive list of financial opportunities: paying down debt, upgrading homes, maximizing retirement savings, or supporting future generations. The real question isn’t what’s possible, but what’s most important.

This is where clarity and intentionality come into play. Financial planning, done properly, helps you make choices in alignment with your values.

Establishing the “why” behind your wealth can provide a helpful foundation. What does financial success mean to you? Is it about flexibility and independence? Generational legacy? Giving back to your community? Your “why” serves as your guidepost, helping you prioritize and sequence your financial goals.

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Raising Resilient Heirs

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Raising Resilient Heirs

Giving kids and grandkids a leg up in the world is often an important goal of legacy planning. But just how easier should an "easier" life really be? If your legacy plan provides your heirs with too comfortable of a cushion, they may not gain the resilience they'll need to overcome challenges that money alone can't fix.

Encourage your loved ones to push themselves in these three ways and they'll learn how to carry on your family's legacy while also improving their Return on Life.

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Retire Like You Invest

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Retire Like You Invest

The best habits often have applications in many different aspects of life.

We certainly feel that's true about our Life-Centered Financial Planning Process!

The transition to retirement is going to bring many changes, including how you feel about the relationship between your life and your money. But you can lean on the same principles that helped you secure your retirement to help you make that transition and enjoy your retirement more.

Let's review three cornerstones of Life-Centered Financial Planning and think about how we can reapply these concepts to living your best life in retirement.

Buy Experiences & Not Things for A Better ROL

Buy Experiences & Not Things for A Better ROL

Pick up your cell phone. If it's a few months or years old, try to remember when you first bought it. How shiny and light and scratch-free it was. How excited you were to sync up your accounts, take pictures and videos with the new camera, or play some games.

 And now? Be honest -- it's just your phone. You might not be able to get through a day -- or an hour -- without it, but even if you've kept it in good shape the shine and the newness are gone.

That's due to a phenomenon that psychologists call "hedonistic adaptation." Over a very short period of time, the things we buy just become more things that we have, and that initial bust of happiness we feel when we crack open the box returns to the baseline.

On the other hand, buying experiences tends to create happiness that sticks with us, reverberates with our loved ones, and improves Return on Life. Here are three reasons why:

The Many Benefits of Enjoying Your Work

The Many Benefits of Enjoying Your Work

Very few people love everything about their jobs. But even if you're someone who just clocks in and out for a paycheck, wouldn't it be nice to get a little more Return on Life from something you spend 40+ hours doing every single week? Whether you're looking into a career change or trying to reframe how you think about and perform at your job, here are four reasons to whistle while you work: