So, tell me, what’s on your bucket list?

by Melanie Hasty-Grant

Ensuring your finances are aligned with your life goals can be complex and time consuming. I’ve heard every reason in the book as to why folks put it off. Mostly, people find it kind of scary and overwhelming so they avoid it like they avoid a root canal. Our goal is to take the uncertainty out of the equation. We meet with clients, gather information from them about their expenses, savings, and income, and develop solutions and strategies about how to pursue the goal. Our mission is to help you identify your goals, and then design your money around your life. Our proprietary financial planning process called “My Bucket List: Dream.Plan.Do” was designed specifically with our clients in mind. It makes financial planning fun and painless because it is focused on helping you make conscious decisions about what you want your life to look like. We have you focus on your bucket list for your life. What are the things you really want to accomplish? Then, we focus on developing the plan of how to get there. We design your money around your life!

We find that the most successful retirees have the frame of mind that they are “retiring to” something. The following are 5 tips to consider before you clock in to work in for the last time!

Bucket List #1 Think about how you want to spend your time.

It is likely that for the first time in years, you will have a lot of free time on your hands. At first, this is incredibly appealing. Retirees think about all the things they finally have time to do. However, eventually having a routine helps to normalize the transition. We encourage clients to start “practicing” retirement. Begin trying out hobbies and tasks that are planned for the golden years.

Bucket List #2 Begin to redefine your identity.

Retirement is an adjustment. “Who am I without a job title and salary?” You are so much more than what you do for an occupation. Take what experiences were gained, and translate that into hobbies. Volunteerism and giving back to your community is thoughtful and rewarding. Start mulling this over before retirement. You will start developing your identity outside of working.

Bucket List #3 Complete a financial assessment.

We recommend our “My Bucket List. Dream.Plan.Do.” process because it is a fun, action-oriented process to help engage you in consciously defining what you are excited about and your vision for your life. One of the biggest questions pre-retirees have is, “Will I have enough money throughout my retirement?” Doing a personal financial assessment will aid in gauging the needs of your household and take some of the uncertainty out of retirement.

Bucket List #4 Do some soul searching.

Make a list of a hundred or more things that you would like to do as soon as you enter retirement. New hopes and dreams are crucial during this transition stage in life. The purpose of this is to provide a sense of stability and drive.

Bucket List #5 Be proactive about possible changes in relationships.

Because you will be spending so much more time at home, there may be changes in the dynamic of your relationship you’re your spouse, children, grandchildren. For some couples, spending 24/7 with their significant other is taxing. There could be some nit picking going on regarding who is in charge of what. Don’t wait for conflict. Define what you would like for this time to look like together; not apart.

Retirement is a very exciting phase of life; even more so if you have planned for it, give us a call. We can help. For more information go to www.waterstonewealth.com or call 918-272-1120. Melanie Hasty-Grant Managing Principal at Waterstone Private Wealth Management and Experienced Licensed Professional Counselor. Securities offered through Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through CWM, LLC a Registered Investment Advisor. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC is under separate ownership from any other named entity.