Am I on Track for Retirement? Stop Consuming & Take Action

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You've consumed enough information that you should have a degree in financial services of some sort and other, but yet you're still hesitant to take action. By the end of this episode, you will know what's possible and how you can start taking action today. All right. So visualize with me. Hopefully, you have some touch with this, but you know how Apple products or there are certain softwares that will show you your consume time, so it doesn't matter how you've seen that, how you know that, social media apps, those types of things. I want you to think about what would yours look like, your consume time rate from consuming enough information about managing your money and making progress toward retirement, all exclusively, not just in the last week, not just in the last month How long have you been searching, consuming, listening, reading, whatever progress, there's your time. Now, what if we could get another comparison number to sit side by side with that, that is going to show you the implementation time that you have spent putting that information into action. Now, here's not what I'm saying. It's not time for time. But what if your implementation time is really small and you don't see any progress compared to how much time you've consumed, I think it would be better if you could at least see a quarter percent of the time you've spent consuming actually putting that information into action, thinking about those two pieces as you're looking to get unstuck from wherever you are and looking at, oh my gosh, I am actually not taking action. If you've been here, I give you action steps. I help you know what to do. But the reason you stay stuck is because you're looking for something that's more like a guarantee, something that appears as, here is step A to Z, do exactly those things, and you will get to where you need to go. That doesn't exist for any challenge or any problem, we know there are issues. So what you need to do, instead of looking for a complete solution, find something that's going to get you started with letters maybe A through C, and put that into action. Because until you put something into action, you're not going to know if it's gonna work, number one. You're not gonna see, okay, maybe that wasn't the right thing, and you're thinking, "Oh, but more time is gonna be lost if I'm not doing the right thing." Okay. Go back to our time consumes on both sides. If you're not even implementing you're not losing time. You're already losing time consuming, waiting, doing those things. So you may be feeling like my client. My client, it took her two years of consuming not only my information, but others', trying to take action on her own scrambling with making decisions, and some of the decisions were more out of desperation or I thought they were gonna work. Now, I'm not faulting any actions she took, but it took her two years, think of what can happen in two years. And so when she finally took that step with me, knowing she could get moving forward, that was to schedule her retirement strategy session, and this began her journey in working with me. So what can you expect from a strategy session? The first and most important thing, and I've talked about this many times on the podcast, is that the strategy session helps you get a clear picture of your financial situation, this gives you the clarity, the understanding. This is knowing, where am I at? What is working? What isn't working, so within the session, as you sign up, you get some prep work, as I call it. It's a spreadsheet with a lot of numbers that you fill in. It's not hard, but you may not be able to glean anything from it, you're looking at all these numbers and going I hope she can figure this out." That's my jam, people. I love numbers. I love being able to find solutions. The numbers speak to me. I see them in a different way, and I know numbers are not for everybody. So really diving into those numbers as I look at them, so this is- Due to me 72 hours before your session, I spend time reviewing it. I'm looking for what is going on. I'm looking for, oh, something might be missing. And as I'm building this picture, because I don't really know a whole lot about your situation yet till I look at these numbers, and so as I'm building a picture, I might see some things that are missing. There might be a gap. And so I reach out by email to really get this picture solidified before our session. Now, in addition to the spreadsheet, there is a questionnaire. The questionnaire gives me more about what have you tried, what didn't work, but what did work. And those two things are very important as I start looking at what is going on with your numbers and what have you tried, what do you want to happen, we all have that big desire. And so those two pieces of information help me create a clear picture. I am not just gonna give you the numbers back, okay? Because that doesn't help you. I'm going to build this picture. I'm gonna show you in a way that shows you what's happening right now, what's working, what's not working. We're gonna look at what is your progress to retirement, what have you saved, what it's going to amount to, according to your expenses you've given me, how much do you need in retirement? And so I build this picture that makes it very simple for you to see, I love the numbers. I love making them into something that you can connect with, that then you can start seeing. So we review that. I help you understand what is going on, and we do that for about the first 30%, a third of the session. The session is two hours long. And we'll make sure you understand your situation. Once you have that then we're going to identify your top three financial priorities, meaning what are the things, the three things that you feel need to be solved sooner than later, that's obviously a priority. And in the questionnaire that is asked, but I also have clients who when they come to the session, because there is that 72-hour delay at least, that just doing those two pieces, their, the floodgates in their minds start opening. They're like, "Oh my gosh, I forgot about this and this, and I need you to add this." And when they come to the session, they still have more that is pouring out of them, right? It's like almost taking this first step and filling out these numbers is just that release, and turning it over to me, and then they're free to start remembering all the other things. They're not stuck in that middle of that worry, okay? So as we talk through what are your top three financial priorities, we get those listed out, and then you get to choose one to be fully coached around that day, we do that for about half of the session to actually see what coaching is like, to help you find a solution for one of your priorities that you can really even mimic and put into with the other two, but really helping you walk away with some direction, some action steps, some, confidence that, "Okay, I can figure this out," "she's just told me everything that I need to do, and I just need to pick one thing and do it today," so that's just a quick share of what you could see inside the session. It obviously depends on what you're desiring, what you're wanting, what you're struggling with, what your progress is that you've made, and none of it is bad, and none of it is just good, we have both. We have indifferent. Basically, the session really gives you, "Where am I starting at now?" "Where am I at in this money journey, retirement journey, and what do I need to do most? What is the most important thing?" And that essentially is what we solve inside that strategy session. So I had another client. It took her four years to take action on a most amazing goal she's had. If you've been a listener for the pod- of the podcast for a while, this is my client who knew she wanted to buy 100 doors before she was 50, and she made that goal early 40s and delayed taking action for four years, obviously due to worry, fear, not sure, all of those things, but once she did, she understood her financial sit- situation, we created that picture. She realized she did have savings, and that if she just tweaked her system to support that, she could start moving forward to her goal. So instead of her going back onto, "Okay, I'm gonna buy my first home within two years," this helped her accelerate being able to purchase a home 18 months sooner, that was because she was actually being guided and led and knew exactly what to do. Now, my client, as most of my clients are, in fact, all of them are, very intelligent, but they're stuck in one spot within the money journey. And once I help them solve that, like I have got to be running with them. They are just leading me taking me down the track with them. We're running together, ? And I go your pace. So if you are somebody who wants to run, and you just need to get past that first stuck point, I am the coach you need. So what I want you to take away from this episode, again, it's not too late to start planning for retirement, and the retirement strategy session is going to help you stop guessing what you should do with your money and help you know the exact actions you need to s- you need to take to start seeing progress toward retirement, ? So book a call, and let's see if the strategy session is for you. That's it for this one. See you next week. /p>

If you've been listening to podcasts, reading articles, following financial experts, and consuming retirement advice for years, you may feel like you should have this figured out by now.

But here's the frustrating part: you can know a lot about money and still not know what you should actually do next.

You may even feel like you've earned a degree in financial services from all the information you've consumed. You know you should be saving. You know retirement is getting closer. You may have a 401(k), IRA, savings account, or other investments.

And yet, you're still wondering:

Am I on track for retirement?
Am I behind on retirement savings?
What should I be doing differently?
When will I actually be able to retire?

If that's where you are, the problem may not be that you need more information. You may need to stop consuming and start taking action.

Information Doesn't Create Retirement Progress

Think about how your phone shows you how much time you've spent on social media or how much screen time you've consumed.

Now imagine having two numbers sitting side by side:

Retirement information consumed: 100 hours
Retirement information implemented: 5 hours

I'm not suggesting your implementation time needs to equal your consumption time. But what if you could see the gap between how much you've learned about managing your money and how much you've actually put into practice?

That gap matters. Because information can make you feel productive without necessarily moving you forward.

You can listen to another retirement podcast.

You can download another checklist.

You can read another article about how much you should have saved by age 40 or 50.

You can compare your retirement balance to someone else's.

You can calculate your retirement number again.

And you can still end the day wondering what you're actually supposed to do.

More Information Isn't A Retirement Strategy

At some point, more information stops being helpful and starts becoming another form of hesitation.

You may be looking for the perfect answer:

"Just tell me exactly what to do, step by step, and I'll do it."

But retirement planning doesn't work that way.

There isn't an A-to-Z checklist that can guarantee you'll arrive at the retirement you want.

Your income is different.
Your spending is different.
Your savings are different.
Your goals are different.
Your desired retirement lifestyle is different.

Even the timing of Social Security benefits needs to be considered within your individual circumstances. The Social Security Administration specifically notes that there isn't one claiming age that works best for everyone; your financial situation, goals, and other circumstances matter.

That's why you need a retirement strategy, not another generic list of things you're "supposed" to do.

So, Am I on Track for Retirement?

This is where I want you to shift the question.

Instead of asking:

"Am I on track?"

Start asking:

"What does being on track actually look like for me?"

Being retirement ready isn't simply about hitting a certain savings balance by a certain age.

It's about understanding how your current financial situation connects to the retirement you want.

That means looking at several pieces together.

1. Know Where You Are Today

Before you can determine whether you're making progress, you need a clear picture of your current financial situation.

What are you spending?
What are you saving?
What do you owe?
How much do you have in retirement accounts and other savings?
What does your current cash flow look like?
What is working?
What isn't?

You can't create a strategy around numbers you don't understand.

2. Know What Retirement Needs to Cost

Your retirement isn't a number in an account. It's a life you're going to fund.

What do you want to do when you retire?
Travel?
Spend more time with family?
Move?
Pursue hobbies?
Work part-time because you want to—not because you have to?

Your desired lifestyle matters because the amount you'll need in retirement depends on what you're actually trying to fund.

Social Security provides tools to estimate your future benefits and compare different claiming ages, but Social Security also emphasizes that retirement planning involves other sources of income and savings.

3. Identify the Gap

Once you understand where you are and what you want retirement to look like, you can begin looking at the gap.

What will your retirement income look like?
What will come from Social Security?
What other income might you have?
How much will your savings need to provide?
And how does that compare to what you're currently doing?

This is where the question "Am I behind on retirement savings?" becomes much more useful.

Instead of comparing your account balance to an arbitrary benchmark, you can ask:

"Based on the retirement I want, what needs to happen from here?"

That's a much more actionable question.

You Don't Need the Whole Plan to Take the Next Step

One of the biggest reasons people stay stuck is that they think they need to know everything before they can do anything. You don't.

You need to know enough to take the next right action.

Maybe that means increasing your retirement contribution.
Maybe it means finally understanding where your money is going.
Maybe it means changing how you're handling debt.
Maybe it means building a savings system that actually works with your cash flow.
Maybe it means taking a closer look at your retirement timeline.
Maybe it means getting help understanding the numbers you've been avoiding.

The point isn't to find the perfect solution before you move.

The point is to move so you can learn from what happens next.

What If You're Not Retirement Ready Yet?

If you discover that you're not where you want to be, that isn't a reason to panic. It's information. And information becomes useful when you use it to make a decision.

You may discover that you're closer than you thought.

You may discover that you have a gap that needs attention.

You may discover that your current money system isn't supporting your retirement goals.

Or you may discover that a few strategic changes could significantly change your trajectory.

But you won't know which one applies to you until you stop guessing and look at the actual numbers. And that's exactly what happened with one of my clients.

She spent two years consuming information and trying to figure out what to do on her own. She wasn't uninformed. She was stuck.

Once she took the step of having her financial situation reviewed, we could create a clear picture of where she was, what was working, what wasn't, and what needed her attention.

That clarity gave her somewhere to go.

Another client had a goal she'd been sitting on for four years. Once she understood her financial situation and made changes to the system supporting her money, she was able to move toward that goal much sooner than she expected.

The difference wasn't that they suddenly learned everything. They finally took action on what they already knew.

Your Retirement Strategy Starts With Where You Are

If you're asking, "Am I on track for retirement?", don't answer that question by downloading another retirement calculator and hoping it gives you certainty.

Start with your own numbers.

Start with the life you want.

Start with your current financial reality.

Then ask:

What's working?
What's not working?
What's missing?
What matters most right now?
What's the next action I need to take?

That is the beginning of a real retirement strategy. You don't need another year of consuming information without implementing it. You need to know where you are, where you're going, and what needs to happen next.

Ready to Stop Guessing?

If you've been trying to figure out your money and retirement on your own but still aren't sure what your numbers are telling you, my Retirement Strategy Session is designed to help you get clear.

Before we meet, you'll complete a financial inventory and questionnaire so I can review your numbers and understand your goals.

During our two-hour session, we'll create a clear picture of where you are, identify your top financial priorities, and work through one of them together so you leave knowing what to focus on next.

You don't need more information. You need a strategy for turning what you know into action.

That's how retirement progress begins.

Book A Strategy Session Now