How to STOP making retirement planning decisions like a CONFUSED Donkey!

…without risking your retirement dreams, even if you are uncertain about the future.

Have you ever been stuck trying to make a decision for yourself?

Perhaps it’s one of these:

How do I invest my money the right way and safely?

How do I know I have ENOUGH money to retire when I’m ready?

Will I run out of money in retirement?

How do I plan for my retirement?

If so, you’re not alone. These are some of the most common questions we’re asked by clients and prospective clients.

Here’s the thing, trying to answer these questions on your own, most end up like a CONFUSED donkey!

Let me explain…

Tim Ferris (author of “The four-hour work week” and podcaster where he deconstructs the DNA of world-class business people) interviewed a guy called Derek Sivers. Derek (now in his 50’s) was asked by Tim “what advice would you give to your 20-year-old-self?”.

And his response was, don’t be a CONFUSED DONKEY!

He went on to illustrate a paradox of philosophy. Named after the 14th-century French philosopher Jean Buridan.

It was a tale about a confused donkey.

It goes something like this:

There’s a donkey standing between a bucket of water on one side and a pile of hay on the other side of a barn. The poor confused donkey can’t decide where to go first. Do I go for the water or the hay?

Here’s the thing, donkeys can’t think of the future. Who would have thought?

Now, for us humans the decision would have been pretty easy. Either choose to go for the water first if you were thirsty or go for the hay if you were hungry or vice versa.

The donkey on the other hand continues to look at the hay then at the water. The donkey does this until eventually the donkey falls over and dies from starvation and dehydration.

So what does this have to do with making decisions and progress when it comes to your retirement plan?

Quite simple. We as humans have a tendency to focus on the short term. We then become overwhelmed with the number of decisions to be made. Being so confused we end up doing nothing.

Bill Gates once said to a bunch of college graduates:

“People overestimate what they can achieve in one month and underestimate what they could achieve in one year”.

So Derek was really saying make decisions and move on.

Don’t get caught in the decision paralysis vortex.

You’re going to waste a lot of precious time and effort. For what?

It’s going to cost you money.

You’ll lack the confidence to make sound financial decisions. Decisions which have a direct impact on you living your best life.

Ones which need to be made so you know precisely what needs to happen to have a life well-lived. One where you’re lying on your deathbed. Sitting there looking back with a mischievous grin on your face as you giggle to yourself: “That was so much fun!”

Mark Twain once said: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do”.
This is exactly what we do for clients every single day. Help them make sense of their wealth. Help them discover their number. To live the life they want. And then to help them accumulate it, protect it and most importantly, ENJOY IT! Before it’s too late.

And even now, many are STUCK in a world of uncertainty. They lack the confidence to make decisions they need to make. I’m not immune from this. I struggle to make decisions on what to cook for dinner. What I would give for someone to take my kids, my wife and my likes and dislikes and just tell us what to cook. What a relief that would be.

You see, we help our clients make all kinds of decisions.

Important decisions like:

How much money do I need for the rest of my life?

What do I need to do to arrange my finances so I can comfortably retire?

How do I invest safely so it will support me in retirement?

When will I be able to retire? Can I retire?

In simple terms, we can help you understand what’s going to happen to your financial bucket. And how to enjoy it so you can have peace of mind about where you are heading financially.

These decisions could be financial or a combination of financial and non-financial.

Just like a recent client. Who was struggling to work out whether they were financially in a position to STOP work. Leave the RAT race and enjoy a long happy retirement.

We help clients make decisions which impact every aspect of their life. So they can achieve everything they wanted too in retirement. FREE from worrying about running out of money.

And now, more than ever, important decisions need to be made.

Don’t settle for the fate of the “CONFUSED DONKEY”. We’re here to help you make SMART decisions about your money. So YOU can make progress and continue to live your best life knowing you are on the RIGHT path. One where you NEVER need to worry about running out of money.

Are you planning on a self-funded retirement?

Do you want to know how much money is ENOUGH to fund the rest of your life and NEVER run out of money?

Would you like a simple retirement plan? With the sole focus on helping you to accumulate, protect and most importantly ENJOY your wealth? Before it’s too late!

NOW, more than ever you need CLARITY about the progress you are making towards your self-funded retirement. Minus the financial services B.S… A plan for a post-COVID-19 retirement.

“life is not a rehearsal, and precious time IS slipping away”

Find out more here and book a complimentary call>>

Here’s to living your best life!

Glenn Doherty – CFP – Money Mentor | Taking the stress out of planning your self-funded retirement | Founder of Jigsaw Private Wealth

We conduct virtual client meetings!

Request a Retirement Clarity Call

An opportunity to talk through some of your challenges and questions you have around your retirement.

Achieve some clarity and maybe a roadmap on how you can achieve a comfortable retirement.

Schedule here

Advice Disclaimer: Any reference in this publication to the provision of advice refers to advice of a generic nature, and should not be taken as product or investment recommendations. Before any action is taken based on the information provided, independent financial advice from a licensed financial adviser should be sought. Financial Freedom Project Pty Ltd ATF GA & DC Doherty Family Trust Trading as Jigsaw Private Wealth is a Corporate Authorised Representative of Exelsuper Advice Pty Ltd. The information contained in this publication is of a factual nature only and is not intended to constitute financial product advice. Information is current as at date of publication. This is an online information blog. It does not imply an offering of securities.