Article written by Jennifer Black and Dedicated Financial Solutions.
Our Vision – How will we spend our time in retirement?
For most people, their vision of their retirement years begins with how they will be spending their time. Here is an example of a discussion with a sample client couple.
When we retire, it is important to us to be active, mentally and physically. We don’t want to be the retired couple that sits in front of the television all day and eats. In the beginning we will probably continue to do some consulting part time. We would like to play more golf together.
We want to be involved in the lives of our grandchildren. This could include some babysitting, some chauffeuring and watching them participate in their activities.
Of course, like most couples, we hope to be able to travel to many places around the world. In some of these places we could combine sightseeing with golf. We would like to go on an African safari. We would also like to visit Australia and New Zealand. Another desire we have is to go south every winter for at least a couple of weeks.
How will we keep in good physical shape? Golfing and walking the dog only go so far. We know that every year our muscles atrophy. It is important to have a regular program for maintaining our strength. We want to eat healthy but do not enjoy cooking. Maybe we will enjoy preparing healthy meals when we have more time. If we are eating out, where can we find healthy meals?
How do we keep our minds active and our memories good? So far we do games such as Sudoku and solitaire games on my iPad. Will researching travel destinations and reading the newspaper challenge our minds? We both also love to read novels.
Are there any other activities that we might start, that we have been hoping to have the time to do for years? What about volunteer work? We’ve talked about doing something with underprivileged children, maybe related to sports and giving them more opportunities.
We wonder if we can afford to do everything we want, without needing to work part time?
Our role as the advisor is asking the questions, ensuring that we completely understand the rationale for any decisions and what the clients’ goals are. What other options are there? What if you have health issues? What will these activities cost? Let’s prepare and be proactive instead of having to react to changes as they happen.
Connect with us today to discuss your vision of retirement.
