Bucket List 2nd Opinion
Bucket List 2nd Opinion
Dear Customers:
How is your summer going? I hope you’ve been able to find ways to beat the heat while still having fun in the sun!
Summertime is when many people, retired or not, focus on checking items off their personal bucket list. Visiting that country you always wanted to visit. Hiking that trail that’s been calling your name for years. Mastering the art of gardening, competing in a local BBQ contest, getting to a 15 handicap in golf. The goals that bring you the most satisfaction. The milestones by which you measure personal progress. The activities that add true richness to your life.
Recently, though, several new clients have come to me with a similar frustration: They don’t feel like they have the resources — or the time — to actually do what’s on their bucket list. They don’t feel like they’re on track to reaching their goals.
This is a very common feeling for people of all ages and walks of life. Often, those who feel this way fall into one of three groups.
The first group is those who feel like they have to wait for retirement to do almost anything on their bucket list. They are so busy hustling, so busy trying to work, save, and invest for the future, they often wonder if the future will ever come. They wonder if their most cherished dreams will have to be put off until an age when they are less physically able to enjoy them.
The second group is those who have very specific retirement goals – but retirement always seems to be moving further away even as they get older. They wonder when and whether they’ll actually be able to retire. They wonder if retirement is just an illusion.
The final group is those who are retired…but have found that, so far, retirement isn’t everything they thought it would be. Maybe their expenses in retirement are higher than they anticipated. Maybe they feel wary and unsure of spending any more money than they absolutely have to, because they’re afraid of outliving their savings. Either way, they are not spending their golden years traveling the world, cycling on that new electric bike they’ve always wanted, or even learning new skills.
As a financial advisor, let me say it unequivocally: No matter what your goals are or what group you fall in, nobody should have to feel this way.
Fortunately, you don’t have to. There are always methods for ensuring you remain on track to your dreams. Savings and investment strategies for both short-term and long-term goals. Having a good financial plan, when you come right down to it, is about finding ways to achieve the items on your bucket list….and leaving no stone unturned in your efforts to do so. Before and after retirement.
You see, when it comes to your bucket list, there is something I fervently believe:
“If you can dream it, we can help you do it.”
For instance:
Create a beautiful garden. Start a new career. Ski for 100 days a season. Volunteer in the inner-city neighborhood where you grew up. Finally, finally use all of your frequent flyer miles. Create a world that consists of nothing but a hammock, a pitcher of lemonade, and a stack of John Grisham novels. Raise horses, goats, or chickens. Participate in guided tours of all the ancient wonders of the world. Open your own bed and breakfast. Trek to the Himalayas. Visit every national park. Learn to scuba dive. Visit every major-league ballpark. Relax. Go on a Safari in Africa. Move to a college town and take all the classes you skipped 40 years ago. Write movie reviews for the local weekly. Climb a mountain. Rent a barge for a canal tour in Europe. Invest in startup companies. Coach youth soccer, baseball, and basketball. Drive from Alaska to Patagonia. Run the Boston marathon. Play as many of Golf Digest®’s top-100 courses as possible. Play in a garage band. Play bridge for money. Just play! Go on at least three cruises a year. Act in community theater. Learn to play the piano. Read Russian novels. Run for local political office. Absolutely nothing. Give back to all of those who helped you. Do all of the things you’ve been afraid of—skydiving, bungee jumping, and hang gliding. RV along Route 66 with your spouse and your dogs.
You get the idea. The point is that your bucket list shouldn’t just be an idle dream. It should be active pastime.
So, as we move into the second half of the year, ask yourself:
Am I doing any of the items on my personal bucket list this summer?
Do I feel like I’m on track to reaching my goals?
If the answer to either of these is “No,” or if you feel like you fall into any of the three groups I mentioned, here’s what I propose: Let’s chat. We can take a look at your goals, and what you’re currently doing to achieve them. I’d be happy to give a second opinion on how to make your bucket list part of your present instead of letting it languish in the distant future.
Financial planning is about more than just throwing money at the stock market. It’s about living the life you want to live. It’s about dreaming a dream…and then finding ways to actually do it.
Please let me know if I can ever provide more assistance in helping you achieve the items on your personal bucket list. In the meantime, I hope you have a great rest of your summer!
Sincerely,
