Life Planning

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Planning Your Legacy to Give Your Family a Lasting ROL

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Planning Your Legacy to Give Your Family a Lasting ROL

What is the best way to establish a family legacy?

While some benefactors choose to leave everything to their heirs outright, others prefer placing some guardrails around their assets to make sure that an inheritance is handled responsibly and in accordance with the family's values.

Establishing an entrepreneur's trust in your estate plan is one way to create lasting Return on Life for your family and your community. Let's explore how an entrepreneur's trust works and review some of the key features you should discuss with your loved ones, your attorney, and your financial advisor.

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Plan an Exciting Vacation to Start Retirement

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Plan an Exciting Vacation to Start Retirement

If you're about to retire but apprehensive about your future, maybe it's time to schedule something that you will look forward to. Kicking off your retirement with a well-deserved vacation can ease you into this complicated transition and give you a small taste of everything you have to look forward to.

Here are two reasons why you should consider plotting a dream vacation right after your retirement.

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What Do You Think it Really Means “To Be Rich?”

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What Do You Think it Really Means “To Be Rich?”

If We Set Unrealistic Expectations for Ourselves, We Never Reach True Wealth.

What does it mean to be rich? Some people live by the balance sheet, some die by it. Others don’t even know what a balance sheet is. How do you define wealth for yourself? A recent article on CNN reported that “a whopping 70% of those with at least $1 million in assets that are invested or available to invest, excluding home values, don’t consider themselves to be wealthy – only when they hit the $5 million mark (did) millionaires begin to feel wealthy.”

Our feelings about wealth stem more from our life decisions and social circles than from the numbers we see on our statements.

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Feeling wealthy means feeling you have enough, of wanting what you have rather than being consumed with what you want.

Is Money a Supporting or Driving Element?

Achieve More in Life and Feel Good About the Results

Achieve More in Life and Feel Good About the Results

We tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in the short-term and underestimate what we can accomplish in the long-term. The frustration that results is one big reason why so many New Year’s resolutions die before Spring. 

But if you use these key strategies that are supported by deeply-held values – and science!  –  you’ll set better goals, achieve them, and feel better about yourself while doing so.

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Four Actions to Take if You’re Retiring Next Year

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Four Actions to Take if You’re Retiring Next Year

It's common for people who are retiring to set their retirement date in either the springtime or the early summer. If you happen to be one of those lucky folks who are going to retire next year, then "Congratulations!"

But before you start planning your retirement party, make sure you do these four things if you're retiring next year.

Don't Let Holiday Stress Decrease Your ROL

Don't Let Holiday Stress Decrease Your ROL

Are you feeling the crunch?

With the holidays in full swing, the stress from all that planning, shopping, entertaining, and travelling might be starting to mount. And in between wrapping presents and baking cookies, you still have work to do, your kids still need help with school, and your heart still needs that 30-minute morning run.

Here are four tips to help you turn down the stress so that you can get more Return on Life from your holidays.

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Give Experiences - Not Stuff This Holiday Season

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Give Experiences - Not Stuff This Holiday Season

Do your Christmas gifts spark joy? The answer is usually “YES!” on Christmas morning or at a holiday party when we unwrap our presents and watch others enjoy their gifts as well. But once the New Year rolls around many of those gifts are fighting for closet space with holiday decorations and all the stuff we keep meaning to donate. And one thing that definitely doesn't "spark joy" is household clutter.

While the shine tends to wear off presents much faster than we expect, many researchers have concluded that spending money on experiences rather than stuff can create more meaningful and lasting happiness. This holiday season, consider putting money towards one of these gifts to create memories that will boost the Return on Life for years to come.

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Write a Charitable Bucket List

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Write a Charitable Bucket List

Creating a bucket list can be a great way to visualize your long-term money goals and -- more importantly -- start checking them off. But as the science linking giving to happiness grows stronger, many people have started creating charitable bucket lists that can help improve their Return on Life for themselves, their communities, and people in need.

Here are three ideas for filling your own giving bucket that could connect your money to your life in more meaningful ways.

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How Will You Create Your “ART” in Retirement?

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How Will You Create Your “ART” in Retirement?

A hammock on the beach. Your favorite chair in the living room. Waking up when you feel like it. A blank calendar. Doing what you want when you want. Doing nothing if that’s how you feel that day.

After a lifetime of working 40 hours per week, this scenario sure sounds appealing to many soon-to-be retirees. But the surprising reality is that a life of unstructured leisure can create stress, strain spousal relationships, and lead to feelings of uselessness and depression.

When today’s successful retirees stop working, they learn the “ART” of retirement. It’s about Activity, Relationships, and Time. They experiment. They try new things. They make new connections. And eventually, they create a new daily routine focused on the people and passions that make their lives fulfilling.