Retirement rules broken…experiences lost…where is Elfie?
Retirement rules broken…experiences lost…where is Elfie?
Eagerly searching room by room.
After no success.
Dad, dad, where is Elfie, have you seen him?
No, no but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s upset about your recent behaviour…
Not believing me they went searching a second time.
The eldest (9) came back with tears in his eyes devastated that they could not find him.
The look on their faces said it all.
They couldn’t find Elfie (aka Christmas elf). It was like life as they knew it was over.
Want to know you’ll be ok in retirement? Click here to book a call and we’ll help you work that out.
Rewind 24 hrs…
There was yelling, screaming…
No, I’m not going to clean that up…
I’m not doing that homework, the 9-year-old said, I’m going to do what I want…
Constant fighting between each other leading whinging and complaining about the other brother…with tears flowing…
The 6-year-old didn’t get his way and had a massive tantrum. He proceeded to strip his whole bed in frustration.
Mum and Dad had had enough, we lost it…
There were threats of no Christmas…threats of removing all their toys from there rooms…
It was so bad they were sent to bed early…no treats…no goodnights…
It was that bad…
They loved waking up every morning looking to see where Elfie was hiding.
It was something they looked forward too.
It added to the excitement and experience of Christmas.
But they had taken things too far.
Broke just about every house rule under the sun…
Breaking the rules and behaving badly led to a change in their experience.
One that would only come back with improved behaviour.
I’m sure we’re not the only parents to experience this.
They tip you over the edge…
While our two boys are generally pretty good, they just went too far this time.
But here’s the thing…
Meeting and speaking to many professionals, business owners and pre-retirees we see a common theme.
They break one, two or more rules when planning their retirement.
Had they just stuck to the basic rules, in most cases, they’d be in a far better position for being Retirement Ready…
Want to know the simple yet effective steps on how to set yourself up for retirement? One with less stress and anxiety about your money and more security and confidence that you’ll be ok? Click here to book a Confident Retirement Call now and we’ll help you work it out.
They include:
#1 No crystal clear plan, as they say “if you fail to plan you plan to fail”.
#2 Don’t know their numbers. I don’t mean your phone number either.
Think she’ll be right. It rarely is.
Good or bad, knowing your numbers will actually help you…help you be more intentional with your money decisions.
#3 Wake up one day thinking they are the best investment guru going around, aka the next Warren Buffett.
The attitude, if I’m paying someone else to lose my money I may as well manage it myself…or I can do better than the experts. When did they all of sudden become an expert on investments?
If the experts rarely outperform the investment markets ( and they have more information and resources at hand than you do) what chance does an individual have?
#4 Keep too much in cash. I’m seeing a lot of this at present…Afraid the investment markets are going to tank…Naysayers have been saying that for 2 yrs…
There is an optimal level of cash to hold which is dependent on each individual’s circumstances.
#5 Think diversification is holding a handful of blue-chip Australian shares or solely investing in the Australian share market…guys we are only 2% of the world market…
There’s a tone of opportunities overseas if you know where to look.
#6 Ego gets in the way. You don’t need help. You can work it out on your own.
While I admit some can work it out, many struggle, and if they do, there is so much more they could be doing.
Don’t leave yourself short because ego got in the way. When it comes to money, ego needs to be left at the door.
#6 Thinking Dr Google will answer all your questions when it comes to achieving your ideal retirement. Here’s the thing, Dr Google does not know you.
I could go on and on here, but I think you get the point.
It almost always leads to a change in experiences…downsizing what you are expecting in retirement or ultimately when you can retire.
All because they broke the basic rules…
Look, I get it, there’s so much noise being pumped from the financial pornography channels that sometimes it’s hard to work out who to believe.
Then there’s the whole Royal Commission thing.
It’s hard to know where to turn, right?
And then you get spooked easily…
Sometimes maintaining the status quo seems like an easy option.
But there is a way forward…if you know how and understand the rules of the game when it comes to being Retirement Ready…
We share some of those rules in our Confident Retirement Calls.
Where we literally map it all out for you.
Seriously we do all the hard work for you.
Help you figure out where to want to be in retirement…
Work out where you are now…
If there’s a gap we’ll help you work out how to fill it or at the very least what your options are…
If not we’ll encourage you to experience more. We’ll even tell you how to safeguard your retirement.
Looking to take your Retirement plan to the next level? Book your 30 min call here>>
And yes Elfie will be returning after a change in behaviour…
P.S. If you have scrolled to the bottom, we’ve talked about how behaving badly, and not following the simple rules can impact your retirement experience. We use an example of my kid’s recent bad behaviour…elfie missing…and how this has now impacted their Christmas experience.
It’s no different when planning for your retirement. Many are breaking the rules which in turn can have a negative impact on your retirement experience. It dosn’t have to be that way.
Simple yet effective changes, knowing the rules will make a significant impact on your retirement experience.
Glenn
Make it a Great Retirement!
We help busy professionals, business owners, and pre-retirees thrive and survive, leading into, transitioning into and living in retirement because living their best life is what matters most. After all, that’s what really matters.
Glenn Doherty – CFP – Founder & Financial Organiser at Jigsaw Private Wealth
Request a Retirement Clarity Call
An opportunity to talk through some of your challenges and questions you have around your retirement.
Achieve some clarity and maybe a roadmap on how you can achieve a comfortable retirement.
Schedule hereAdvice Disclaimer: Any reference in this publication to the provision of advice refers to advice of a generic nature, and should not be taken as product or investment recommendations. Before any action is taken based on the information provided, independent financial advice from a licensed financial adviser should be sought. Financial Freedom Project Pty Ltd ATF GA & DC Doherty Family Trust Trading as Jigsaw Private Wealth is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Exelsuper Advice Pty Ltd. The information contained in this publication is of a factual nature only and is not intended to constitute financial product advice. Information is current as at date of publication. This is an online information blog. It does not imply an offering of securities.