It's a blast to dream about your retirement. Freedom. Flexibility. Fun. Just like you see in the commercials and the brochures. But if you want to truly retire happy and lead a life of fulfillment, you'll need to prepare better. You'll want to go beyond the highlights and take a serious look at what your day-to-day life will really be like - and what it will be about.

Tony Hixon, author of the new book, Retirement Stepping Stones, joins our retirement podcast to share his experiences and insights on how you can prepare for the stumbling blocks that can arise in retirement -  and how you can find a new purpose after you leave the world full-time work.

We discuss:

The tragedy that forever changed how he sees retirement - and why he's on a mission to help people prepare differently

The most challenging stumbling blocks people face in retirement

The key solutions to those challenges

Why you should dream big about your retirement - but why you should look past your highlight reel version of it

How career burnout can get in the way of a great retirement

Why retirement isn't for everyone - and why you need a Plan B

How your legacy should be part of your retirement planning

Tony Hixon joins us from Ohio.

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Thanks to our wise guests and loyal listeners The Retirement Wisdom Podcast is among the top 3% in popularity globally according to Listen Notes.

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Wise Quotes

On Transitioning to Retirement 

"You retire one day and [on] the last day they throw you a party. Your email is still active and you get probably a hundred to three hundred emails. And then the party's over. The cake has been eaten. You had the weekend to kind of recoup and Monday morning rolls around. And you open up that email account. It's been deactivated. You switch to your personal email and there are only two [emails ] there, and both of them are junk. So it kind of messes with your mind. You're not quite sure what this new phase of life should look like. You've had the ideal version of what retirement will be based on all the commercials and the Americanization of what retirement is, but perhaps you haven't done the correct work on what you're retiring to. You certainly know what you're retiring from, but you don't necessarily have an idea of what you're retiring to. So that loss of meaning and purpose is certainly a stumbling block that we see many clients face in retirement. Just not knowing for sure if they're needed anymore."

 

On Purpose and Legacy

"However, we often encourage our clients to think more deeply about the kind of emotional impact they want to make on their family and their friends and their community. We ask them questions - and I'd ask your listeners these questions:

What lessons do you want to impart?

How do you want people to feel when you interact with them?

What do you want to be remembered for?

These questions are certainly as important - if not more so - than planning for the financial strategy to care for your loved ones. Remember you get to define your legacy. How you live each day builds the legacy that you want to leave behind. Don't be afraid to start living with purpose. It's never too late - or too early - to start."

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Bio

Tony Hixon, CIMA®, RFC® is the author of the new book Retirement Stepping Stones: Find Meaning, Live with Purpose, and Leave a Legacy.

Mr. Hixon is co-founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer of Hixon Zuercher Capital Management.  As Chief Operating Officer, Tony is responsible for overseeing the administration and compliance of the firm.  In addition to managing the firm’s operations,