This is so important because when it comes to traditional retirement and estate planning, we often spend hours helping them develop strategies to pass on their wealth but don’t take the same steps in passing on their wisdom. Reality is, wealth doesn’t create wisdom, however, wisdom has the ability to both maintain and create wealth.
That doesn’t mean you have to write a 300-page autobiography outlining every second of your life. Instead there is a huge value added opportunity in sharing tools and resources with clients to help them formalize the things that are important to them including their values and beliefs, how they made difficult decisions, what they learned the hard way, their favorite memories and traditions, as well as hopes for the future. One such free tool is available at LegacyNotebook.org
What you will find about this process of knowledge transfer is that it can reinvigorate a client’s passion for life, re-connect them with both their past and future, as well as be the start of something big for future generations.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to encourage you as an advisor to use the profound opportunity we have to impact others. Let’s face it, we have one of the best jobs in the world and people supremely trust us and seek our counsel on things that go beyond the dollars and cents of life.
The other reality is that the game of retirement is changing. Advisors need training, skills and tools to not only get clients to and financially through retirement but to also help them live out their best life during it. This is where advances in things like Positive Psychology, Behavioral Economics, and other sciences can not only lend credibility to the retirement planning process and decision, but also position advisors as true leaders and pioneers in this area.
So, let me ask you a few questions. First, what will your retirement planning anthem be? What can you do to make people stop in their tracks and create a chain reaction?
Second, what steps are you taking to help clients thrive in retirement? How are you helping them prepare for the mental, social, physical, and spiritual aspects of life after work? Have you helped them pass on their wisdom or just their wealth?
I realize these are questions that many advisors will take as rhetorical and simple glance over them. However, for those who want to stand out and be different, I would encourage you to write your answers down. I’m sure it can be done in the same time as the Star-Spangled Banner… and who knows, maybe it can have a major impact!
One last thing, remember how I said I was running late for my daughter’s game at the start of the story? Fact is, I think it’s safe to say my timing was perfect. I got there at the right time and for the right reason… and I feel the same for you right now. Clients need you more than ever, so whether they feel like they are running late for retirement or feeling behind in some area of life, take a moment to be that source of guidance and direction like the grandpa in this story, because their future is bright with beacons of light like you!
Robert Laura is the president of Wealth & Wellness Group, the founder of RetirementProject.org and a pioneer in Certified Retirement Coach training. He can be reached at [email protected].