Several years ago, I created a Google alert for my name, “Robert Laura,” so I could keep track of my online articles, media quotes and speaking appearances. Once you create an alert, Google will email you every time your name pops up on the Internet.
It’s a great tool, however, I got more than I bargained for. Much to my surprise, I started to receive death notices on a weekly basis. That’s right, at least three to four times a week I started getting a Google alert for “Robert Laura” in the form of a memorial announcement, funeral or online obit.
As many of you know, a traditional obituary contains the name of the passing person as well as their surviving loved ones, including spouses and children. Therefore, my name pops up a lot because one of the surviving family members name is Robert and they are either married to someone named Laura or they have children with the names Robert and Laura.
The story line usually looks something like this: Jim Smith passed peacefully surrounded by his wife Ellen, children Marie, Robert, Laura... Or Sally Smith is survived by her three sons, Michael (Jennifer), Jeffrey (Suzanne), and Robert (Laura)...
On the surface, that may seem a little grim, and I have to admit, when I started to receive them, I found it a bit strange. But overtime, I have found a silver lining in them—a hidden message for me, you the advisor and your clients.
The first lesson is that we are all survivors. Fortunately, I get to hear this several times a week thanks to google. But I don’t know that other people do. Think about it for a moment. The term survivor is a very powerful reference to someone who is strong, determined, committed, proud and able to face adversity.
All essential characteristics that people will need as they enter retirement and deal with the ups and downs of aging, dealing with a difficult medical diagnosis, losing a loved one and more. There is nothing easy or automatic about retirement, and when people get down, they often need hope and inspiration to carry on. Even if your clients aren’t facing a difficult time now, at some point they will, and will be left wondering how they pick up the pieces and move on.
The concept of being a survivor is important to a healthy retirement because it plays into a person’s mindset and attitude about it—something that often isn’t covered but is essential to those making a successful transition. And surprisingly, helping clients establish the right ideas and beliefs about retirement both before they get there, and while they reside there, is the role of the advisor.
Like it or not, the retirement advice game is changing. Just getting people to the finish line with the right amount of resources isn’t enough anymore. Advisors have to become catalysts for helping people make the most of this next phase of life. They have to have tools and resources that educate and empower clients.
Imagine asking a client or encouraging them to write down some of the hardships and challenges they have overcome in their life. What they were, how they did it, and what they learned from them.