Design Your Retirement Before It Designs You
Let me ask you something, and I ask you to sit with it for a second. Is there something you’ve been meaning to start – really start – for months? Maybe longer? Something that matters to you, that you know MATTERS to you, and yet somehow keeps getting pushed to the next week, the next season, the next version of...
Let me be clear: I’m not here to shame you. I’m here to wake you up. ๐ Because here’s the truth about Gen X and retirement readiness: most of us are sleepwalking into the next 20-30 years of our lives. We’re on autopilot, doing the same things we’ve always done, vaguely aware that retirement is approaching but not really dealing...
Click here to download your copy of the accompanying workbook! In Part 1, we explored what happens to men and women during midlife – how she becomes more assertive and adventurous while he becomes more emotionally available and connection-focused. It’s fascinating research, but it leaves one big question hanging: what do you actually do about it? Because understanding that you’re...
I was having coffee with a friend last month when she said something that made me laugh: “I spent 30 years being the nice girl who never rocked the boat. Now I can’t seem to stop capsizing it.” Her husband, meanwhile, had recently started asking her how she was feeling about things. Actual feelings. After 25 years of marriage. She...
Last Tuesday morning, I was out walking my dog when I spotted Margaret coming the other direction with Charlie, her scruffy terrier mix. Same time as always – 6 AM sharp. Charlie and my dog did their usual sniff-and-circle routine while Margaret and I chatted. “You’re consistent,” I said. “Same time every day.” “Oh, Charlie doesn’t give me a choice,”...
Remember when we thought the future would bring us flying cars, robot maids, and a three-day work week? Well, Gen X, we may not have the flying cars, but early retirement is actually on the table. The question is: should you take it? If you’re a Gen Xer staring down the possibility of early retirement, you’re probably experiencing a unique...
I need to tell you something personal. Something that drives everything I do. It’s about my parents. The Slow Decline My parents are in their late 70s. They spend their days in front of the TV – usually angry at the news. Their main social interactions are with the grocery delivery person and the caregiver who checks on them twice...
Last month, I found myself in a small expat community in Thailand – one of those places where Westerners go to retire, stretch their pension dollars, and live out their golden years under the sun. I wasn’t there to retire. I was there to observe. To learn. To catch a glimpse of what life might look like for me in...
They say you canโt teach an old dog new tricks. Wellโฆ Iโm here to tell you โ you absolutely can. A Change of Scenery Recently, we decided to shake things up. A new place. A fresh start. It was our choice โ intentional, thought through, and exciting for us. But not everyone in our little family shared the enthusiasm. We...
Itโs a good start for a joke, no? I have worked with many midlife clients from these three generations in the last few years. We are at a transient time where ๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐. ๐ช ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ฌ are still there, but they are on their way to exit the stage and enter their next calling. ๐ค๐ผ ๐๐๐ง...
Sometimes, the most profound revelations come from the most unexpected conversations. Recently, during a trip back home, I reconnected with an old acquaintance whose high status necessitates anonymity. I havenโt seen them in decades but followed their life journey through common friends. A highly accomplished professional ranked among the top five most influential people in their industry is respected, has...