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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...
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.
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.
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.
Market volatility can make anyone nervous, especially in our always-on, 24/7 news cycle.
When some of our more experienced team members were first starting out in finance, average investors typically checked in on their accounts once or twice a quarter when their custodians sent paper statements. As for the Dow Jones and S&P 500, you'd usually see two numbers every day: one on the morning news and another in the evening. Today, watching your nest egg fluctuate in real time while social media and cable news shout a steady stream of panic can make it feel like your financial plan is living and dying moment by moment.
Our Life-Centered Planning process always considers all the available data that could impact you and your money. But we also take in a much wider view of the markets, your plan, and your goals for the future. You can see that same big picture if you unplug, step back, and focus on three important investing principles.
Not all stress is bad stress.
While there's overwhelming medical evidence that negative stress can cause significant physical and emotional damage, "eustress" can energize and inspire us to meet surmountable obstacles. In fact, if you attempt one of these three challenges, you might actively cultivate eustress that leads to personal development and a greater Return on Life.
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication," proclaimed an Apple Computer marketing brochure back in 1977. In the ensuing decades, Steve Jobs' commitment to this ideal resulted in technology products that were as beautiful as they were easy to use, and resulted in Apple becoming one of the most valuable companies in the world.
The clutter that we accumulate in our life often prevents us from getting as much value as we can from our time and money. Think about how pairing down to the essentials in these four areas could improve your Return on Life (ROL).
Parents often judge their child's success by the letters they see on their report card. But helping kids develop strong habits and a can-do mindset can set them up for success inside and outside of the classroom for the rest of their lives.
Talk to your kids about these three techniques for setting and achieving goals this school year, and encourage them to improve their mind, health, outlook, and their Return on Life.
A family might spend decades working and saving towards the goal of owning a vacation home. The memories made are priceless, but the personal, emotional, and financial costs of keeping that house in your family for generations can be very high and very painful without thorough planning.
Prepare a family retreat into your legacy plan and make sure you discuss these three points with your heirs, your attorney, your CPA, and your financial advisor.
When you're a new retiree, staring at that blank page where your work schedule used to be, time might seem so abundant that you forget just how valuable it really is. But if you treat retirement like an endless weekend, you might be surprised to look up in a month, a year, or a couple years, and realize you don't feel as fulfilled as you thought you'd be. All those hours puttering around the house might suddenly feel like a precious resource you've wasted.
Being a good steward of your time is a skill that will only become more important as you progress in retirement. Here are some ideas to help you manage your days with a sense of purpose and contentment that will improve your Return on Life.
