“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

–Robert Frost, excerpt from the Road Not Taken

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Have you given a great deal of thought about your “bucket list” recently? For most people, a bucket list consists of things we have always wanted to do and many of those things involve taking risks or traveling far away from home or exploring some other type of great unknown. I read an article recently in Financial Advisor Magazine that discussed regrets that people had as they aged. The article said, “Among the top regrets were: not following their dreams, not taking risks with their careers, not taking risks with their lives in general, and not being gutsy enough in the choices they made.”[i]

The article was in no way bleak though. It reported that those who felt their regrets were doing something about it. They had vowed to address the issue by deciding to take more risks with the time they have left. It is in this I find great hope. People are living a lot longer than they were less than a generation ago and that provides the opportunity for more time to do the things that you’ve always wanted to do. It offers the chance to revise and pivot much later in life if one comes to realize that there is something that is unsatisfying or doesn’t make sense in the current stage of life.

The article showed:[ii]

• Ninety-three percent of Americans have a favorable view of an extended life with the feeling it could open new and interesting possibilities
• Nearly half feel a longer life can enable a totally different view of how and when major life choices are made
• A longer life is going to require some different approaches to financial planning.

These statistics got me to thinking about how we work with our clients to help them plan for their future regardless of what stage they are in. I take great pride in the ability, as a financial advisor, to be able to empower people to discover what is truly important to them and to have the confidence to reach for what makes them feel happy and secure.

When clients come to us with uncertainty about their finances or what their future financial situation will be, we see that it is this fear that stifles their ability to take a chance on doing what they really want to do or spending time the way they truly want to. For many people, there are experiences that they want to have or projects they want to complete or things they want or need to do, but they can’t because their financial uncertainty convinces them that such objectives are out of their scope.

Having a structured financial plan, investment strategy, and spend-down plan allow you to set goals and have a roadmap for getting there. A comprehensive financial plan gives you a deep comprehension of what your resources are and what you can do now, and in the future, to secure those resources and allocate them to the things that will make you feel fulfilled.

Everyone’s set of goals is unique—their finances are unique—their personal experiences are unique. This means that there is no one way to solve a problem or reach a goal. We encourage those we work with to discover their individuality and their personal relationship with money and values. This empowers them to start the journey toward a chosen destination. It is extremely rewarding to see new confidence in the faces of our clients when they realize, perhaps for the first time, that the goals they once thought were out of reach are now incorporated into a solid plan with a path to get there.

Taking the road less traveled may be less elusive than you thought. To embark on your journey, contact Carolina Retirement Planners. Take the next step toward your ideal retirement.

[i] http://www.fa-mag.com/news/regrets-for-the-road-not-traveled-27069.html?section=43&utm_source=FA+Subscribers&utm_campaign=398e4fcd64-FAN_Retirement_Income_Nuveen_CEF_052416&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6bebc79291-398e4fcd64-222555985

 

[ii] http://www.fa-mag.com/news/regrets-for-the-road-not-traveled-27069.html?section=43&utm_source=FA+Subscribers&utm_campaign=398e4fcd64-FAN_Retirement_Income_Nuveen_CEF_052416&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6bebc79291-398e4fcd64-222555985