What if Retirement isn’t the Goal?
I recently finished two books and listened to a podcast that at first glance didn’t seem to have much in common. However, as I reflected on them, I started to see a thread tying them together, which was longevity and intentionality. Interestingly, these two ideas have a lot to say about how we approach financial planning.
Living Longer Means Living Differently
The first book I read is The 100-Year Life, Living and Working in an Age of Longevity, by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott. As you can probably guess from the title, the book explores the reality that people today are living significantly longer lives. One stat that stuck with me: a child born in 2015 has over a 50% chance of living to be over 105. In contrast, a child born in 1914 had a one percent chance of living to 100.
But the book isn’t just about longer life—it’s about rethinking how we live and challenging the traditional three-stage life of education, work, and retirement. Instead, it introduces the idea of a multi-stage life, in which people cycle through phases of learning, working, taking time off, even going back to school—all throughout their lives. In this model, retirement isn’t a long, final chapter—it’s one of many stages we move through. Transitions become the norm in a longer life.
When you think about it, retiring at 65 might mean you have 30+ years left to live. That’s a long time to rely solely on your savings and potentially not working.
What Will You Regret Not Doing?
The second book, The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying, written by Bronnie Ware, was about a caregiver who worked with people in their final days. One regret stood out to me—probably because I’ve heard some version of it from clients over the years. It’s not the things we do that we end up regretting, it’s the things we don’t do.
That could be anything from starting a business, taking a family trip, or changing careers. Things that felt too risky, or like they had to wait until retirement. Unfortunately, I’ve known people who said, “I’ll do that when I retire,” but for one reason or another, they never got the chance.
It’s a reminder: sometimes the cost of not doing something is greater than the cost of doing it.
What If You Took a Break Now, Not Later?
The podcast I listened to featured a conversation about “mini-retirements.” These are intentional breaks that can last a few weeks, a few months, or even a year. The idea is to take time off during your working years—not just at the end of them.
Maybe it’s a cross-country road trip while your kids are still young (and want to be with you!) Maybe it’s a few months to focus on health, recharge from burnout, or map out your next chapter. Travel is an easy example (because I enjoy it), but it doesn’t have to be about travel—it’s about reclaiming time.
Each season of life has unique opportunities. Mini-retirements give you a chance to take advantage of them while they’re still available.
What Does This Mean for Financial Planning?
If we’re going to live longer, move through more life stages, take breaks or make big changes along the way—it requires a different approach to financial planning.
It means shifting away from a one-size-fits-all retirement model built for a time when people worked in physically demanding jobs and stopped working at 65 out of necessity. Many of us aren’t working in those jobs anymore. And if we have decades of life left after age 65, maybe retirement shouldn’t be the only time we rest, explore, or reset.
This is why we use tools like the Wheel of Life. It helps identify areas that might be out of balance—relationships, fun, purpose, health, finances. Often, the changes we want to make are tied to finances. That’s where planning comes in.
A Few Questions Worth Asking
1. Have you ever said, “I can’t wait until I retire so I can…”?
If you’ve said that phrase, maybe it’s time to ask what it would take to do part of it now. Sure, there may be financial or family constraints—but what’s the cost of waiting? As the book put it, we tend to regret what we didn’t do.
2. Is a single, decades-long retirement the best use of your time?
Our current view of retirement was largely shaped by factory work post-WWII. But as society shifts from manufacturing to service and knowledge work, maybe the beauty of a longer life is the opportunity to explore multiple careers, revisit education, or take intentional breaks.
3. What would it take to incorporate this into your own life and plan?
Maybe taking a full month off isn’t possible right now—but could you take two weeks instead of one? Or a week where you don’t check email? Small steps add up. And bigger changes—like career pivots, extended travel, or personal growth seasons—can still be possible with a financial plan in place.
This Is Why Planning Matters
These ideas—mini-retirements, sabbaticals, bucket-list trips—they all have financial implications. That doesn’t mean they’re impossible. It just means they need to be planned for.
It might mean building a dedicated fund. Or temporarily reducing retirement savings with a plan to “catch up” later. It might mean exploring whether reallocating some resources now could actually enhance your long-term financial picture—not harm it.
This is where a financial planner becomes more than just someone who talks about investments. My job isn’t to tell you what to do—it’s to help you see what’s possible, what the tradeoffs are, and how to navigate the path you choose.
The Bottom Line
If we’re going to challenge the traditional notion of retirement, it starts by asking better questions. What do you want your life to look like—not just at 65, but at 45, 55, 75? Where might your Wheel of Life be out of balance? And how can your financial plan support not just a future life—but a full, meaningful life today?
If these ideas resonate with you, now’s the time to talk. Not someday.
Schedule an introductory phone call with Mark at this link: Mark Brinser – Introductory Phone Call
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