Why Most People Prepare for Retirement the Wrong Way

Let’s play a little game. Imagine you're packing for the most epic trip of your life. You've got your passport, your insurance, your emergency fund, your GPS, and fifteen different kinds of travel adapters. But you forgot to pack clothes. Or shoes. Or even decide where you’re going.

Welcome to how most people prepare for retirement... BACKWARDS!

They obsess over the financial side, investments, tax strategies, drawdown plans, “safe withdrawal rates,” and the like, while completely ignoring the life part. You know, the part where you actually live in retirement.

This is where The Retirement Focus Ratios come in.

Here’s the deal… the closer you get to retirement, the more your focus needs to shift away from money and toward meaning.

Let’s break it down

5 Years Out – 50% Financial / 50% Life

You’re still building the nest egg. Fine. But it’s time to stop pretending that retirement is just an extended financial planning exercise. Start asking questions like:

• What does a great day in retirement actually look like?

• Who will I spend time with?

• What will get me out of bed in the morning?

  
  

Start flexing those non-financial muscles.

3 Years Out – 70% Life / 30% Financial

It’s time to get serious about life design. Don’t wait until you’re retired to figure out what to do with your time. Ever seen someone try to learn golf, travel the world, write a novel, and build a charity all at once the day after they stop working? It’s not pretty.

Let the finances simmer gently while you turn up the heat on purpose.

12 Months Out – 80% Life / 20% Financial

The money’s mostly in place by now. Tweaks? Sure. But the big moves should be behind you. Now your calendar deserves just as much attention as your portfolio. What will fill your days when there are no more meetings, deadlines, or performance reviews?

The biggest investment you make now isn’t money, it’s energy.

Already Retired – 95% Life / 5% Financial

Congratulations! You made it. But if you’re still spending your mornings glued to the financial news and your afternoons tweaking spreadsheets, it might be time for an intervention.

Your retirement isn’t a second job. It’s your life.

So Why Do We Get It So Backwards?

Because money feels safe. Tangible. Measurable. Life is messy and complex. And honestly, who wants to admit they don’t know what they’re retiring to?

But here’s the hard truth… your spreadsheet might tell you your retirement plan is a success, but it can’t tell you if your retirement will feel fulfilling, connected, or joyful.

Financial planning is important. Vital, even. But it’s not the main event. Think of it as the backstage crew. It supports the show, but it’s not the star.

You are.

Ready to Flip the Script?

Use this framework. Pin it to your fridge. Tattoo it on your arm (okay, maybe not that). But seriously, keep it visible. Every time you find yourself diving too deep into the financial weeds, ask yourself: What am I doing to prepare for and life the actual experience of retirement?

Because in the end, your retirement won’t be remembered by how well your asset allocation performed.

It’ll be remembered by how fully you lived.