Retirement today is being redefined and transformed by retirees. Living a fully engaged, rich life, filled with adventure and growth is highly sought after by those who burst into this final stage of life firing on all cylinders.
Going from who’s who to who’s that is not in the cards for great retirees. Having lived a dynamic, positive, industrious, and resourceful life, there exists a powerful set of energizing habits that carry into a happy, engaging and fulfilling retirement. There is no waving of the white flag here.
Life at its best is creative. People who have successfully acquired a portfolio that can now fund this new found freedom and final stage of life want to enjoy the fruits of their labor. George Bernard Shaw said,“This is the true joy of life: the being used up for a purpose, recognized by yourself as a mighty one: being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish, little clot of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”
Blending a “fountain of age” with a “fountain of youth”
There is a “fountain of age”–– a period of renewal, growth, and experimentation based on this new freedom. The “second wind,” that is your eternal fountain of youth, can be the most meaningful one. There are three main pillars that support your freedom. They are:
- money;
- health; and
- connectivity.
Establishing a proper foundation for a successful retirement begins in the planning process, both financial planning and life planning. It’s one thing to just talk about planning, and a completely another thing to have integrated planning that weaves all the pieces together. You want complete alignment.
Often, financial advisors consider retirement planning to be merely a collection of products in different asset classes like mutual funds, stocks, bonds, annuities and life insurance. What is needed is to have a retirement income plan that differentiate your money by its purpose. People tend to treat money all the same, and advisors often tell their clients that if have, for example, $1M, they can withdraw a certain percentage of that money every year, and they will be fine. The one bucket of money plan creates an incomplete picture. For example, it works better to begin by thinking in time frames for your money; some short term, some mid-term and some long term. This helps in crafting a smarter growth and income-distribution strategy that fully supports your dynamic life.
Your plan needs to be taking advantage of the income, growth and tax opportunities that might be available to you, a richer path to sustained wealth and retirement. Planning allows you to:
- take a look into the future;
- be intentional, and
- give yourself permission and the freedom to find and fund the life you really want, a future that you are now living into.
Cut yourself free… create!
