Have you ever met someone who seems to be thriving in retirement—not just financially, but in how they’re living their life? They’re traveling, exploring, giving back, and doing things that light them up. Their days are filled with purpose, connection, and fun. You can just tell they’re getting the most out of this stage of life.
If you’ve ever wondered how to build that kind of retirement for yourself, here’s the secret: it’s not just about having a strong financial plan. It’s about having a plan that’s connected to your dreams—the ones that have been with you for years, or the ones you’ve forgotten while life got busy.
When Your Financial Plan Is Just Numbers, It Falls Short
Most financial plans start and end with the numbers: your 401(k), your IRAs, your projected Social Security, your investment allocation. And while those things absolutely matter, they’re just tools. They aren’t the goal.
A great financial plan should be about you—what you care about, what you’ve always wanted to do, what kind of life you want to wake up to every day.
So here’s a shift in thinking we like to share with clients: your financial plan should function like a vision board in action.
You may have heard of vision boards before. They’re usually filled with magazine clippings and quotes about goals and dreams. That might sound a little “woo-woo,” but there’s a deeper truth there. The best financial plans start with that kind of dreaming—and then they get specific about how to fund it.
Connecting Dreams to Dollars: Brad and Vicki’s Story
Let me give you a real example.
Brad is 63. Vicki is 61. They’ve done a great job saving—401(k)s, IRAs, some joint accounts, even a rental property. But like a lot of people, they weren’t exactly sure what retirement would look like. They had the puzzle pieces. They just hadn’t laid out the picture on the box.
In our conversations, we started uncovering what they really wanted.
Brad wanted to do surf trips with his closest friends every other year. Vicki wanted to take hiking trips across the U.S. with her girlfriends. Together, they dreamed of throwing an unforgettable 40th anniversary trip to Hawaii with friends and family. They also wanted to be generous—supporting orphanages in Mexico and helping their daughter with her upcoming wedding.
Those dreams aren’t just “nice to have” wishes. They’re core to what a fulfilling retirement looks like for them. So we took those dreams and translated them into specific, budgeted goals—just like you’d do with any other important part of your financial life.
We assigned numbers to each one. We mapped out the timing. We factored in inflation. And we tested the plan to make sure it was sustainable.
Making Trade-Offs with Purpose
As we built the plan, some trade-offs naturally came up. For example, they wanted to spend more on travel. So we explored a few options: What if they reduced their monthly retirement spending by a little? What if they downsized their home in the next few years and freed up some equity?
These aren’t just financial decisions—they’re life decisions. And what made these choices easier for Brad and Vicki was the clarity they had around what really mattered to them.
When you’re clear on your vision, trade-offs become less about what you’re giving up and more about what you’re making possible.
Dreams That Roar
Too often, people enter retirement with only vague goals: “I want to relax,” or “I don’t want to run out of money.” But we encourage you to dig deeper.
What do you really want?
Maybe it’s finally hiking the Inca Trail. Or writing a book. Or spending a few months each year in Europe. Maybe it’s starting a scholarship fund or being the grandparents who never miss a game.
Whatever your version looks like, give yourself permission to dream a little louder. Brendan Leonard, in a blog post that inspired this conversation, quoted a children’s book that said:
“Dream a dream as big as big could ever dream to be. Then dream a dream ten times as big as that one dream you see.”
The dreams that fueled you when you were younger? The ones you put aside for your career, for raising a family, for all the responsibilities of adulthood? It’s time to dust those off. And it’s not too late.
Retirement isn’t the end of your journey—it’s the start of a new one. And your financial plan is the roadmap that helps get you there.
Let’s Build a Life You Can’t Wait to Wake Up To
At Root Financial, we believe your money is only as valuable as the life it lets you live. That’s why we don’t just focus on the numbers. We focus on you—your vision, your goals, your dreams.
If you’re approaching retirement and wondering what’s next, let’s talk. We’d love to help you connect your resources to what matters most—and build a plan that’s as exciting as the life you’ve imagined.