Reading Time: 5 minutesTwo Kinds of Retirement Planning When you consult an advisor for retirement planning, it’s all about preparing financially for retirement. You want to ensure that, when you retire, you have adequate funds to maintain the lifestyle you desire for 10 to 40 years. The financial advisor will evaluate your assets, assess your income, and develop …
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Inevitable Question We All Face All of us who have a life partner face the prospect of losing them to death at some point, or them losing us. Retired couples, being older, likely think about this much more than younger couples. The likelihood of losing a partner to death becomes greater the longer you …
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe Familiar Resolution Cycle It’s New Year’s Day, and you’re excited because it brings a feeling of a fresh start. This past year you haven’t exercised much, and you’re feeling out of shape and unfit. It’s time for a change. You make a New Year’s resolution to “get fit.” For the first week, you hit …
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhen Retirement Goes Smoothly—for One Spouse Bruce and Mary had looked forward to retirement for years. They both worked in stressful professional jobs and were anxious to leave work and finally have time to travel and enjoy life. Initially, everything went great during the retirement “honeymoon” phase. But then Mary became concerned about Bruce. He …
Reading Time: 5 minutesRetirement Is a Beginning, Not Just an Ending Retirement is a new start, not just an ending. For many people, that new start feels abstract—until they make it tangible by changing their physical surroundings. When you retire, you begin the search for a new identity, a new purpose, a new you. That search is easier …
Reading Time: 4 minutesJoe’s Retirement Fantasy Joe got his dream. Then he wondered if he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. For years, Joe had dreamed about the day he’d quit work and retire. He met with his financial advisor well in advance, and together they worked out a financial plan to ensure he could retire when …
Reading Time: 4 minutesRetirement Has Changed—and So Must You It’s not your parents’ or grandparents’ retirement anymore. Back then, people expected to die within the first few years after retiring. Retirement used to mean slowing down until the end. Now it can last decades — and what you do with those decades matters. What will you do with …
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhy a Plan Matters (But Isn’t the Point) Most people think retirement planning is about money. While financial planning is important, the real challenge is navigating your mental and emotional transition. A comprehensive retirement plan considers the factors you’ll face during the retirement transition. It helps you to recognize, think through, and prepare in advance. …
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe Surprise Many Couples Face After Retirement Mary and John worked hard for decades to make their retirement dream possible. They built a custom home in the White Mountains of Arizona, where they vacationed every summer. After they retired, they moved there to live their dream. But when the work schedules disappeared and the days …
Reading Time: 3 minutesModern Retirement: More Choice Than Ever It’s not your parents’ or grandparents’ retirement anymore. Back then, many companies had mandatory retirement ages. You worked until sixty-five, got the gold watch, and settled into a rocking chair until the end. Today, retirement looks different. You get to design it yourself. Maybe you’re not ready to stop …