Retirement Life Planning

We hire accountants, financial planners, and health advisors. Why not a retirement life planner, too?

“Retirement” is a common point of reference word that is deeply embedded in our culture and is used to mark or symbolize a significant life transition. The question of course must be, a transition to what?

Why Engage in Building a Retirement Life Plan?

Greater planning and life purpose have been linked with better retirement outcomes, including health and overall life satisfaction.
You may uncover life themes and ideas you had not previously considered including in your new lifestyle.
Planning can ensure you adequately consider all aspects of life, so that an optimum balance can be sought.
Change takes time. What you wish to achieve in the future may require new actions today. Planning allows you to take small, incremental steps toward
your eventual retirement life goals.
Planning provides the structure to address life questions you may
otherwise ignore.
Composing stories around our future selves, even competing ones, helps
provide a feeling of active choosing and personal agency.
Working on your plan creates an opportunity for dialogue with a spouse or significant others. How do future desires align?
For people with a more spontaneous approach to life, the concept of a plan may sound confining and obtrusive. But – there is no one best way to create a plan. Every personality style can benefit from a plan that is suitable for their approach to life.
And finally, a caveat: Of course plans to do not last forever. Life circumstances will continue to change. Flexibility is important. But having a plan provides the foundation for growth and heightened awareness of what is possible, meaningful, and exciting.

Explore the Details

Purposes & Benefits

Anticipating, approaching, and moving through retirement is a process unlike any other. People often begin to address anew questions regarding how best to create a meaningful future, contribute to society, and explore new or unfulfilled desires. Issues surrounding personal identity, changing roles, and narrowing time horizons become paramount.

No two people are exactly the same when it comes to their unique challenges in preparing for and living in retirement. Issues can be fairly small or significant. The ultimate question may be, “How do I create and take ownership for designing the life I want for myself and those closest to me?”

Given the enormity of the tasks embedded in this personal challenge, I pose the question above: “We hire accountants, financial planners, and health advisors, why not a retirement life planner, too?”

“If there had been a program you could do to really think through what retirement would mean – what I’d lose and what I’d gain – so I could be better prepared, I would have done that.”

Interviewee, The Psychology of Retirement

If you have a desire to design a retirement experience that truly aligns with your values and purpose, but are not quite sure how, then partnering with someone can be helpful.

And that’s what my company, NextChapters Consulting, is all about. I focus on supporting people in their personal journey to design and create the retirement life style that makes sense for them and their family. And while it’s important to consider one’s financial position in creating this plan, my focus is on preparing for all the non-financial aspects of your future life.

The Process

If you are not sure what you need or where to focus, but establishing a foundational plan sounds like a good idea, then my Basic Level Package is a great place to start. In that we will cover the essential topics that go into a retirement life plan, including action steps. Or, we can completely customize your personal project.

Regardless of which option you choose, at the conclusion of our time together I will provide a written summary of your personalized plan. This will integrate both my observations and thoughts along with those you provide.

We proceed on a pace that is comfortable for you. There are no required deadlines. However, I have found it generally works best to establish a timeline to help keep us on track. It is reasonable to complete the basic level process in 6-7 weeks.

Why not contact me for a free 30-minute consultation to answer your questions? Together we can customize an approach that works for you.

Further Options

You may feel once we have completed your retirement life project there are specific topics you would like to pursue in greater detail. We can always add additional sessions or more in-depth work on an action plan to target any changes you would like to work toward. Other options are outlined in the Story Expansion section. These include storytelling with guided imagery, investigating concerns and feelings via color selection, and an assessment of your personality preferences. I provide the Story Expansion exercises on a standalone basis as well, but I am happy to offer a discount to anyone who has completed at minimum the basic level retirement life planning package.