Is your retirement plan missing the most important piece?

Your retirement plan may be missing the most critical piece: how to make your retirement genuinely fulfilling.

Everyone wants a fulfilling retirement, of course. But after you set the numbers aside, few know how to actually plan for one. One that addresses your real aspirations, not just the economics of how you’ll live once you get there.

After working with thousands of people nearing and entering into retirement, we discovered that too many people limit themselves by over-focusing on the numbers. And they make the mistake of thinking their financial plan is a retirement plan. Too much time was spent figuring out how to live in retirement and not enough on the way they want to experience life in their next chapter.

As a result, some retirees feel like they wasted their first years because the transition was harder than they expected.

A retired teacher said she had the most depressing year after retiring since she didn’t know how to spend her days or where to contribute to society outside of the classroom yet.

A retired engineer said he felt he’d lost his purpose when he left his job. Others get bored and search for something to fill their undefined days.

Each of these had a “financial plan,” but they missed the most crucial part. You do need a solid financial plan, but you shouldn’t serve the numbers—they exist to serve you.