Vacation and retirement planning, more similar than you might think

Planning a vacation and planning for retirement may have more in common than we think.

My wife and I are heading to the Maritimes this month for a little work and a little sightseeing. One of the enjoyable parts of the trip has been the planning itself — researching routes, choosing places to stay, identifying experiences we want to have, and deciding what matters most to us along the way.

Most people naturally approach travel this way. We plan for it.
What’s less common is bringing that same level of thoughtful preparation to retirement — a stage of life that could last 30 years or more.

Interestingly, good vacation planning is not about scheduling every moment in 10-minute increments. It’s about having a sense of direction. It’s about identifying the destinations, experiences, and waypoints that matter most while leaving room for flexibility, spontaneity, and discovery.

Retirement planning works much the same way.
The people who tend to navigate retirement transitions most successfully are not necessarily those with the most detailed spreadsheets or rigid plans.

They are often the ones who have taken time to reflect on questions like:
What kind of life do I want to create?
What experiences matter most?
Who do I want to spend time with?
What gives me energy and purpose?

Financial planning is critically important, but so is life planning.
This is the work I do with my clients — helping them think intentionally about the road ahead so they can move into retirement with greater clarity, confidence, and purpose.