๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ‘๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ’ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ด๐ ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐?
Iโll never forget my client, letโs call him Robert.
We met 20 years ago.
He was diligent, had a good career, and was saving “a comfortable amount” every month.
He thought he was on track.
Two decades later, he walked back into my office, anxious.
Retirement was now 5 years away, but the dream felt further than ever.
As we reviewed his portfolio, the reasons were clear, not misfortunes, but common, subtle mistakes that had silently compounded over time.
His story isnโt unique.
In fact, I see the same five roadblocks lengthening the journey to financial freedom for so many:
1๏ธโฃ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ณ๐: “๐’๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.”
Without a written plan, savings lack purpose and a target. You can’t hit a goal you haven’t set.
2๏ธโฃ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ผ๐.
We budget for holidays and homes, but rarely for our future health. A medical event can derail decades of prudence in mere months.
3๏ธโฃ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฝ.
Parking everything in ‘safe’, low-yield instruments feels wise, but it’s a silent battle lost to inflation. Your money grows, but its purchasing power shrinks.
4๏ธโฃ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ.
The bigger salary didn’t go to investments; it went to a bigger car, a nicer club, and upgraded holidays. The retirement date, however, remained frozen.
5๏ธโฃ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ: “๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป’๐ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด.”
Planning for a 15-year retirement when you might have 30+ years ahead is the single biggest risk to your later well-being.
The good news?
Robert’s story had a happy ending.
With a clear strategy, we got him back on course. But the best time to fix these mistakes is not five years out; it’s today.
Your retirement journey doesn’t have to be longer than it needs to be. It starts with awareness, is built on a plan, and is powered by consistent action.
To help you start that conversation with yourself (or with your advisor), I often recommend using a solid retirement calculator as a first step. It turns the abstract into the tangible. Letโs find out now.ย
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