TO WHAT END?

As a coach to other financial advisors, I have the opportunity to talk about their financial goals and retirement plans.  What I find is that most of us lack the basic clarity of purpose that we would push our clients toward.  

-There are advisors accumulating significant wealth with no clear objective…just MORE! 

-Advisors with so many goals that they aren't working toward any one of them.  

-And the proverbial advisor who is the cobbler with no shoes with no goals at all. 

We find ourselves in a unique position of having a career that gets easier as it gets more and more profitable.  I think that lulls many advisors into complacency later in their careers.   

They say, "Why would I quit?  I can make lots of money not working that hard."  #LifestylePractice 

We also talk with our clients everyday about their goals.  It's like a Cheesecake Factory sized menu of desires and advisors feel like they would like a little of everything.  Their efforts aren't focused on a couple of really important goals like our clients, they want it all. 

"I would like to retire early, have a multiple six-figure income, a grand home and a second home with some toys too.  But I plan on working forever and don't want to commit to a succession plan."  

So my friend, I ask you…to what end?  What's the point?  What's the goal?  What are you really working toward with your business and your own retirement plan? 

As I talk to my husband about our plan, I like to think in terms of F-You Money.  Yes, I know it's crass, but the concept rings true for us. 

-When do you want to know that you don't HAVE to work for your paycheck any longer? 

-How much do we need available to feel like we have ENOUGH to live the way we want to live? 

Because of the flexibility of our careers, many of us will choose to keep working in some capacity.  We love what we do. We help people for a living.  But we still need a goal to work toward.   

Just like our clients, disability or burn-out could change our lives overnight.  A death in the family might change our priorities.  We need to have a plan that gives us the freedom to choose.  

What are you working toward?  Where are you on that journey?  Have you lost sight of what you are working for? 

With Purpose, 

-Lucila