Guess Who
Am I ready to retire? That is the question that led to my retaining Laura Rotter as my Certified Financial Planner a couple years ago. Sure, there are plenty of online retirement calculators out there, but retirement is about more than finances. What are my values? What am I going to do from now on? Even from a purely financial perspective, how do I manage my money? How do I make sound investments that reflect my values? What kind of risk is acceptable to me and how much can I tolerate? Laura helped me answer these questions. The answer to that first question: Yes, I was in great shape to retire—and have done so. Over our first few months of working together, she helped me assess my financial health, of course, and set up and manages my investment portfolio. She also referred me to insurance (including long-term care) and estate-planning professionals so that I can preserve and protect that financial health. Laura now meets with me on a quarterly basis for review and updated planning. With my finances taken care of, I almost feel like I'm living my youth again. Among other things, I can realistically contemplate how much I want to travel and where, whether to live elsewhere entirely or part of the year, or whether I want to go back to school. There's also volunteering, of course. I am pursuing my dreams, some of which I had forgotten until now. Barring an unforeseeable catastrophe, I need never concern myself with having to work for money again. Laura has helped me set out on this final stage of my life's journey with peace of mind. Retaining her is without doubt one of the best things I've done in my life.
