Walk into any Barnes and Noble and you’ll see a large section dedicated to self-help books. From improving relationships to losing weight, these books have some common themes regardless of the topic. Any respectable self-help book asks the reader to partake in some form of self-reflection. It kind of makes sense that, if you want to fix a problem, then you must be part of the solution. With that in mind, I’ll ask you for some self-reflection on the following question. What one word best describes how you feel about retirement?
You need to be honest, so don’t give an answer for how you think you should feel, or how you want to feel. Instead, focus on the very first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word retirement. It’s that top-of-mind, unfiltered response that just might help you uncover your true feelings.
For those of you who come up with descriptors like excited, happy, secure, optimistic…good news, you are either an extremely positive person or have complete confidence in your retirement plan. For those of you whose list did not include those types of positive descriptors…good news as well, your concerns are shared with a large majority of people thinking about retirement.
So now what? Well, like any good self-help book, I’m also here to tell you there’s something you can do about it. The first step to fixing something is recognizing the issue. Once you’ve done that, you can start taking corrective action to resolve it. What this really means is that you can feel better about a situation by simply taking control of it. After all, when you’re not in control you feel helpless, and that never makes people feel good.
We’re lucky because on a daily basis, we get to see the transformation in people who are just taking their first steps to regaining control. They share similar fears and concerns about the future, but they did something about it. They took action. So, if you share some of those same feelings of uncertainty, then it’s time to take the first step.
Schedule your complimentary, no obligation financial review now – whether you need reassurance that you’re on the right path, or if it’s been a while since you’ve updated your financial plan, we’ll take the time to help you figure it out. Either way, by taking action you’ll be getting more information, and that’s always a smart thing to do. Remember, you hold the power to improve your outlook on retirement. Take back control of your planning, and soon you’ll be using those warm and fuzzy words to describe how you feel about retirement.
