Life Planning

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 Whether it’s holding onto underperforming investments, sticking with outdated financial strategies, or avoiding necessary adjustments to retirement plans, this bias can negatively impact your financial well-being.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…

Take a Retirement Test Drive

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.

Raising Resilient Heirs

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.

Retire Like You Invest

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.

Focus on the Big Picture

Focus on the Big Picture

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.

Can Eustress Improve Your ROL?

Can Eustress Improve Your ROL?

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.

Simplify Your Stuff For a Better ROL

Simplify Your Stuff For a Better ROL

"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).

Help Your Kids Set Goals this New School Year

Help Your Kids Set Goals this New School Year

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.