We are going to start the year off with a podcast series called "The 2026 Retirement Challenge". The idea is that each podcast I am going to bring you one thing to work on so that by the end of the series you will know if you are ready to retire and if the numbers will work.

Most retirement planning starts with a number.

"How much do I need?" "When can I retire?" "Am I going to run out of money?"

Those are important questions — and we'll get to all of them in this retirement challenge.

But today, I want to start somewhere else.

Because here's what I've seen after years of working with retirees:

Retirement isn't just a financial transition, it's a life transition.

That's why the first step in the 2026 Retirement Challenge isn't about Social Security, taxes, or investments.

It's about your why.

Why are you retiring? What are you retiring to? And what kind of life do you actually want to design?