Our flight plan was filed and has been dutifully followed. We have two stops left on our journey…one in late March for one passenger to disembark (hubby) and the final destination will be reached in early June (me).
How do you like the flying metaphor our financial advisor used to describe this part of our journey towards retirement? 🙂
We had our periodic catch-up call this past week with our financial advisor to review our progress and talk about next steps as we move away from full-time employment to whatever’s next. The year long break we plan to take may turn into full-on retirement or we may decide to go back to work. Either way, it’ll be OUR choice.
We haven’t always had a financial advisor. Our first one was a disaster and turned us off of “professional money management” for many years. We did meet with a Dave Ramsey ELP who was very helpful at guiding us to develop a holistic view of our finances.The thing is, when most of your assets are tied up in employer sponsored retirement accounts, most financial advisors may not make time for you. They key in on investable assets or money outside your 401(k).
How to get advice in this situation? Take advantage of financial education offered by your employer or local credit union. We met with financial reps introduced to us through hubby’s work, my work and our credit union. That’s how we found our current financial advisor. We’ve worked with him for the past six years. His advice has been invaluable as we navigate all the moving parts involved in a successful transition to the next phase of our lives.
Resources we found helpful along our journey:
http://www.daveramsey.com (Basic financial principles that really work)
http://www.wesmoss.com (Retire Sooner podcast & books – really helpful to think through early retirement)
http://www.moneyguy.com (Common sense advice on a host of financial topics)
Come Stitch With Me, LLC 