To Be an Expert - You have to Live It
Many of you know my passion for waterfowl hunting. The pursuit of cold mornings, sunrises, wet dogs and seeing nature wake-up excites me like very few things in life, and it doesn't matter how many days in the field I get; they all feel the same.
There are over 40 species of waterfowl in the US, many of you can identify a mallard or a Canada goose, but what about a canvasback? Or a ringneck? Add in limited light, fast flight, and it's down right hard to do! One can learn by study, there are books written on identifying waterfowl, which do help to an extent. But the reason you have to be good is to protect the species and adhere to state-specific laws, limits and rules. Not every State is the same, different species are legal during specific dates only, and many states have hard limits (or no limits) on species. So making a mistake - like accidently bagging the wrong bird can be a serious ticket or fine.
Over 20 years I have hunted, and somewhere along the way I learned how to identify these birds. They way they fly, their markings on the wings, the unique calls they make. All of it comes together, and I don't know when, but it did and it's something I'm grateful for. An overnight hunting guru...20 years in the making.
Most of us will retire one time. Just once - you don't want to retire knowing you have to go back to work! And yet the majority of my business is helping people build the right assets, and also provide the right income sources to retire efficiently.
"But Andrew, you've never retired, so how do you know?" - Many may think.
Well, like hunting in my career of over 17 years I have helped hundreds of people. I have seen many do the right thing, the wrong thing, the really brave thing, etc. on their journey to retiring. I've also helped many make that leap from three or four decades of habits, living, and mindsets into an absolutely unknown world! Like hunting for the very first time, you have no idea what to expect.
Retirement is tough. Yes, you need assets, you need to be able to support your lifestyle. But why do so many have the assets and choose not to retire? I've seen it time and time again, those with $2 million or $4 million, or more, and they say "Well, I'll work one more year." Although the numbers show they could have quit five years ago!
It's deeper than numbers. The psychology and sociology behind retiring is a tough thing to come to grasp with if you've never done it. I've seen clients celebrate leaving a career having the best day of their life, only to miss their friends from work and find a part-time job two weeks later. I've seen others post-pone retirement due to fears of running out of money (although the math says they will not, if they're smart). I've also had clients cry and share that they feel like it's an up-hill battle to restore the relationship with their spouse or adult children after years of limited time, and how do they even start to build something new?
I've never retired. But I've been there, I've seen it all. I've lived it through my clients, and I know how to plan for the what are meant to be, "The Best Years Ahead." It can be done, but it's difficult. Change is hard. But like anything worthwhile, it takes some awkwardness to get there.
That's why I'm so passionate about retirement planning. I want people to enjoy the merits of their years of hard work. You deserve it, you did the hard part. My goal is to be the professional to lean on, to help with the hard questions or to be an unbiased ear that just listens to your feelings. I know the math, I know the strategy, but more importantly I know what you may be feeling.
So like being able to discern ducks, I'm ready to guide and help you get to retirement. It took dozens or hundreds of meetings, but I'm ready! Let me know when you are.