Investing, Student of the Market
Ryan Weiser
Student of the Market - May 2025
Student of the Market - May 2025

Retirement

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Pursue Hobbies with Friends and Family in Retirement

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Pursue Hobbies with Friends and Family in Retirement

Retirement can be isolating for some seniors. Even if you're married, your spouse might still be working or going about their own daily schedule. Your adult children are busy raising their own families. Some of your older friends and family might be on different retirement timelines than you are. And as you step away from work you're also stepping away from the camaraderie and teamwork that filled your days with purpose. 

Turning hobbies and interests into more social experiences can help seniors maintain their connections to other people. Here are three reasons why those interactions are important to maintaining a high ROL in retirement:

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Try a Mini Retirement for ROL

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Try a Mini Retirement for ROL

A mini-retirement is a planned, intentional break from your normal work schedule that can help you recharge and rethink your career trajectory.

Your mini-retirement might mean downshifting to a four-day work week. It could be an extended stay-at-home vacation. Or it could be a longer break from work, like a sabbatical. Older workers who are nearing the "traditional" retirement window might also use mini-retirement to test drive their vision of what life without work will be like. 

Use this three-step process to plan your mini-retirement and make the most of the experience:

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What is Enough to Live Your Best ROL?

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What is Enough to Live Your Best ROL?

According to one popular rule of thumb, retirees should be able to withdraw 4% from their retirement accounts every year to live comfortably and not run out of money.

Another number you might have seen floating around social media is $75,000, which, according to some experts, is where annual income and peak happiness intersect.

Many other retirees have their own number in their head that they want to "hit" before they stop working. But do any of these figures really equal "enough" in retirement?

More than any dollar amount, having "enough" to retire is about feeling confident that every piece of your financial plan is aligned to sustain your Return on Life (ROL) for decades to come. Start making your own calculations by thinking about these four key categories.

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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:

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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...

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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.

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Manage Your Time Wisely in Retirement

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Manage Your Time Wisely in Retirement

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.

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Retirees, What’s Your Withdrawal Strategy?

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Retirees, What’s Your Withdrawal Strategy?

Retirement planning often focuses on the accumulation phase: saving diligently and investing wisely. We spend 40 or more years of our lives focused on building the proverbial “nest egg,” but after retirement things change and so should our financial focus.

There are a variety of questions that must be answered. How much should you be withdrawing annually? Should you go with your IRA first or your brokerage account? Should you withdraw a fixed percentage or fixed amount? How much will you leave behind? 

Having a well planned withdrawal strategy is important:

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What Should You Consider Before Relocating for Your Career?

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What Should You Consider Before Relocating for Your Career?

According to a report published by Bloomberg, only 1.6% of job seekers relocated to take a new job in Q1 2023, an all-time low. More folks than ever value the freedom to work when, how, and where they want. Compromising on that freedom isn't just about what's best for your career, it's a question of how relocating will affect your Return on Life in three important areas.