Pin Guest Blog Post by Dee Dee Baze, CFP Alphemita Financial Services Intro: Dee Dee has been gracious enough to share her area of expertise as Linda and I focus on helping our community work on advanced life planning. We can help with planning for your healthcare needs but other professionals are better suited to assist you in planning for your finances and your estate. Here is Dee Dee’s guest post for you. Pam and Linda Retirement planning can be a daunting task, but it’s essential to secure your future and prepare for the unexpected. I am thankful Pam and Linda have allowed me to share what lifelong financial planning is. For this article I’ll focus on retirement planning, though we always look at the big picture of every aspect of your lives. One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is to help people transition into retirement. My husband retired back in 2015 and even though I had worked the numbers over and over it was still scary. Why? Because it was something neither one of us had ever been through before. You know, like taking a new highway, eating at a new restaurant, buying a new house. Some people love the thrill of something new. As a couple we approach things with caution, do our research, then take calculated risks. So, it was a calculated risk. My husband was only 51 years old. Yet, it turned out better than we had planned. That is why I thoroughly enjoy taking other people through the journey from preparation to retirement.  It is no longer scary to me, but I also understand the emotions that go along with it.  Planning for retirement doesn’t only involve saving money, but it also requires taking into account life events that could affect your retirement. Some unexpected events such as the death of a spouse, decline in health, or a catastrophic health occurrence can impact your retirement plans significantly. However, with proper planning, you can prepare for the unexpected and enjoy your retirement years. I’m going to greatly simplify the process I take people through, but I want you to understand what we analyze together. Step 1 Look at your current situation Step 2 Define what will your retirement look like? It can be a long process to go through all this stuff, but it is worth your peace of mind knowing exactly where you stand and if your desired retirement date is a logical choice. In addition to that you will be able to see potentially what happens to your assets in the case of a long term illness.  One other thing I should mention. Something I believe is truly important that is left out of most financial planning is a deeper look at YOU. Before I get into the steps mentioned above I actually like to have a deep conversation with you about your relationship with money. Meaning— Do you have limiting beliefs that make you play small or shame yourself for not being enough? Do you have subconscious behaviors that sabotage how you manage your money? You need to understand how you operate when it comes to money, because your behaviors can enhance or derail the best financial planning. Finally, I am a believer of trying to align your money with your deepest held values. There is something that feels so good when you know your hard-earned dollars are going to support companies that you align with and you deliberately stay away from companies that go against what you believe.  I help people align their money with themselves. If you would like more guidance in this area, you are welcome to contact me directly or simply order a free copy of my book, Soul Based Financial Planning: A guide to understanding your relationship with money and aligning with your life’s purpose. https://www.alphemita.com/freeoffer