The Right Choices
Recently I talked to someone nearing
retirement. The timing wasn’t totally his choice and he was nervous. As he
talked I realized he didn’t grasp what critical choices he has to make now or
understand the options. He didn’t see where he needed to put the most thought
and energy.
Often we sweat the small stuff and don’t grasp the big picture. He couldn’t
tell whether he was in good financial shape or not and he didn’t have a way to
measure it.
Eventually, I identified the most important choice that he will
have to make soon. That choice could determine the comfort and security of his
wife for decades if he dies first. Statistically, that is likely to be the
case. And yet many people don’t think of this as a real choice or anything
important. Or even whether to involve her.
This item is couched in technical
language and not flagged in big or bold type. It’s easy to gloss over and down
the road you may even forget you had a choice. But its impact could be profound.
Those are the things I like to help people with. Get the big things right and
the rest generally falls into place.