FINANCIAL PLANNING

Lifestyle Planning

What's important about money to YOU?

As tagged by today's younger generations, life after work will be a whole different ball game in the years to come. Unlike our parent's, retirement is viewed as more of a mid-life event, when the nest becomes blissfully empty. Years of routine work behind us and paid-off consumer debt, will enable many to become investors. Time to focus on the prospects of traveling, beginning new and less demanding careers, starting up interesting new businesses, or simply having the time to do all those things we never had the time nor the money to do as we watched the kids grow and eventually fly the coop. For many, the 55th birthday is a defining moment, and some of the more consistent concerns we hear are:

• to be debt-free and dependent-free in retirement
• to enjoy life even if it means downsizing the family home
• to spend more time on leisure or community activities
• and most of all to enjoy a level of disposable income which will enable us to establish new goals and enjoy new experiences

Much more concerned with aging well than with aging in general, the emphasis is on staying active, becoming more educated, and keeping ourselves at the cutting edge of what we now consider a mid-life event has become the priority. Many have already begun to prove that "unlearning the myths of aging" is vital to their vision of the future.

As a result, good financial health is now more important than ever, especially if we are to maintain a way of life or style of living throughout our retirement years that truly reflects our attitudes and our values.

This is what we at AAM Advisory call lifestyle financial planning, where the focus is on YOU and not the product.