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For a long time, I thought I had a pretty clear vision of retirement.

 

You work hard, you save well, and then—when the time comes—you stop. You don’t just stop working; you stop setting alarms, stop checking emails, stop pretending you’re ever going to clean out that inbox. You drink your coffee slowly. You go on walks. Maybe you take up a hobby, like grilling competitively or getting really into WWII history. The whole point of retirement, I thought, was to finally do nothing—and enjoy it.

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My wife, on the other hand, sees retirement as an entirely different beast.

 

She sees retirement as her chance to finally do everything. Start a new career. Teach remotely. Travel. Maybe write a book from a balcony in Lisbon. Her retirement doesn’t involve stopping—it involves shifting. Less pressure, more purpose. Work that energizes instead of depletes. Something she chooses, not something she needs.

 

At first, this drove me nuts. Because if two married people can’t even agree on what retirement means… what hope do the rest of us have?

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But over time, I realized we actually want the same thing: freedom.

 

Freedom to do something different. Or to do nothing at all.​ Freedom to keep working. Or to walk away without financial regret.​ Freedom to make decisions that aren’t ruled by income, timing, or fear.

 

That’s what retirement really is. Not a date on a calendar. Not a prize you get after 40 years. It’s a moment—earned through years of intentional saving and planning—where your life stops being driven by what you have to do and starts being shaped by what you want to do.

 

That’s what I help people build. Whether your version of retirement involves plane tickets or porch swings, encore careers or endless staycations, I want to help you get there with clarity and confidence.

 

If you’re ready to start planning for the life you want later—whatever that looks like—click below to schedule a conversation.

You define the dream. I’ll help you make sure it’s funded.

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