“I want to paint the way a bird sings.”

-Claude Monet

There is something we are all meant to do. For Monet, it was the creation of art, and a whole movement that would end up being his legacy. He talks about art in a way that breathes, moves, and swirls: painting a melody.

In retirement, it is difficult to know what we are meant to do. This new phase of life comes with many changes that challenge us to look inward to determine what the next steps will look like. Your retirement lifestyle is a creation, from the way you choose to live to how you fill your time – so why not make it blossom?

When you create your retirement lifestyle, think of yourself as a painter. You start with an idea. You use tools to start creating (or painting) the life you love based on your original idea. Finally, you’re left with a finished masterpiece – an incredible retirement lifestyle that leaves you excited to wake up each morning.

The First Color

Your retirement is exactly that: yours. You can create it in any way that you like that best honors your goals, values, and dreams. It can be really intimidating to start with a blank canvas attempting to sketch out your new retirement lifestyle, so why not start with the big picture?

At Goepper Burkhardt, we love working with big ideas, ambitions, and passions because learning these can help us better direct and guide our clients to live the life they want and deserve in retirement. Take a look at the questions below to help get you started:

• What are some goals you would like to accomplish in retirement?
• Have you pictured where you want to spend your retirement?
• What is most important to you about your retirement lifestyle?
• How do these things align with your intentions and values?

These are big-picture questions to help you sketch the outline of your ideal retirement. With such a complex process you need to take small steps getting there. Michelangelo didn’t paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel without a few hurdles, and you won’t find your ideal retirement lifestyle without a few of your own.

Perhaps you wish to retire to a quiet village in New England, stacking books at a local bookshop or library. You may have always dreamed of traveling to Spain and immersing yourself in the local culture for months on end. Or maybe you want to remain in your hometown, nestled in South Carolina close to your friends and family.

Whatever you have dreamed for yourself, think about it and start to consider your options on a practical level.

Be patient with yourself and give yourself time to answer these and other questions that will arise as you create your masterpiece.

Mastering The Technique

Michelangelo wasn’t a painter. He was a famous sculptor, and when approached by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistine Chapel, was stunned and doubted his ability to complete the project. But he assessed the task, learned the skills needed to complete it, and with lots of help and support created one of the most beautiful works of art in the world. What can we learn from this example?

Planning is key.

You can’t just jump into retirement and hope for the best. In order for you to get the most out of your experience, you need to establish a plan for your life, both personal and financial. The next set of questions will help your vision come to life in a more practical and tangible way.

• Where do you want to live?
  • Think of this both in terms of location, i.e South Carolina, and the type of place i.e house, condo, apartment, etc.
• Do you still want to work?
• What will your day-to-day routine look like?
• How will you fill your time?
• How will you stay active, healthy, and sharp?
• How will you create your budget to support your goals and ambitions?

There is a lot of information here, more than can be digested in a single read through so we encourage you to take your time answering these questions. They will help you add the color, texture, shading, and detail to your retirement lifestyle.

The Big Reveal

There comes a time when an artist feels (more or less) that their piece of art is done, or complete. But any true artist will tell you that a painting is never done, never over, never really complete because there is always something you can do to make it better.

This same idea can be applied to your retirement lifestyle. You may think that you have figured out all of the details to your ideal retirement, but after a few years discover that something needs to be changed. So change it.

Don’t be afraid to be flexible with yourself and your retirement lifestyle. Things will change and you may have to alter the plan but that will only make your lifestyle even richer.

We love helping people create the retirement of their dreams. If you are ready to talk about what your ideal retirement lifestyle could be, give us a call.