“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.”
-Havelock Ellis
How is retirement planning like riding a Peloton?
There are two key things needed to be financially successful. What are they? Let me share a story …
I was riding my Peloton this morning. Ugh, sometimes I am not motivated, but the guy leading the class kept it interesting. There are two metrics on the screen I can control, one is cadence and the other is resistance.
Cadence is how fast you spin the pedals. Resistance is how hard it is to push them.
How is that like retirement planning, you may ask?
Cadence is how much you save. Saving 10% of your pretax income is a good goal. A great goal is saving 20%.
But Jeremy I am retired, I no longer save, I spend. In this case, your cadence is how much you spend. Spend within your means. When a proper retirement plan is done, you should live within your “cadence.”
So, what is the resistance? How you have the money invested! Your goals may require you to have a certain allocation to give you the best chance of success. Does that sound easy? Let me ask you a question … were you tempted to change your resistance (allocation) when the market went down?? Did you? Or did you hold on and push through? In other words, did you sell and go to cash when you got “tired”? Staying on course is what trainers and advisors help you do.
My previous 60-minute ride record was 344 total ride output. I never took a class from an instructor before. I just rode however I felt like riding. This was the first time I took a class and my output was 441. Without structure, I did ok, with structure I did fantastically well. Same with finances. Having a financial coach helps keep you on track with saving and spending, while maintaining the right allocation/resistance. At the end of your “ride,” you will have maximized your benefits.
A friend once told me you can’t out-train a bad diet. Financially speaking, that means you can’t out-invest bad spending or saving habits.
In other words, you can have the right resistance, but if you don’t spin the pedals, you get no benefits. Just like you can have investments, but it isn’t going to make much of a difference if you don’t have money in them.
Let me know if you have any questions. You can email me at Jeremy@Riverbendwm.com or click here to setup a phone appointment.
On the lighter side, my Kryptonite to a good diet is ice cream. My wonderful wife peeled some bananas, carved a little slit along the sides and poured in some Nutella. Then she froze the bananas. My goodness! It’s FANTASTIC!!! Isn’t she wonderful to think of it! Hope I hold back and eat less bananas than a silverback gorilla.
Jeremy
Finger Financial Five – 5 points in 5 minutes or less – is intended to provide you with a weekly shot of useful financial information. My intention is to share principles, so you will have more clarity and peace and make better financial decisions.
Investment advice offered through Stratos Wealth Advisors, LLC, a registered investment advisor; DBA Riverbend Wealth Management.
This content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information and provided by Riverbend Wealth Management. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. Stratos Wealth Partners and its affiliates do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.
