Archives

Home Family

Retirement Is A Transition, Not A Destination

Five takeaways:

  1. This article provides a useful reframe of the idea of retirement and retirement saving.
  2. Life expectancy has never been higher, and thus retirement is now viewed more as a “reinvention” than a transition to one’s elderly years.
  3. As important as a financial safety net, is deep consideration of new motivation, activity, and purpose in retirement.
  4. The article cites author William Bridges, who said that every life transition has “an ending, a ‘neutral period’ or period of ‘unknown,’ and a new beginning.
  5. The article urges readers to look at their retirement as a new chapter in a life portfolio– one you need to periodically reevaluate as you would a financial portfolio. This means being forward thinking and willing to adjust.

From Dorian Mintzer at Forbes:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting Forbes offers 4 free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

The Stories That Bind Us

Five takeaways:

  1. This article asks– what practical steps can we do to make families function more harmoniously?
  2. The single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest of all: develop a strong family narrative.
  3. Psychologist Marshall Duke developed the “Do You Know” test to predict childhood happiness and future success in young people; they found that the more children knew about their family’s history, the stronger their sense of control over their lives, the higher their self-esteem and the more successfully they believed their families functioned.
  4. Dr. Duke said that children who have the most self-confidence have a strong sense of “intergenerational self.” They know they belong to something bigger than themselves.
  5. A family is more likely to be successful and harmonious if it tells a positive story about itself. Families need to “create, refine, and retell” this narrative to be able to bounce back from difficult moments or periods.

An interesting 2013 piece from Bruce Feiler at The New York Times:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting New York Times offers ten free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

Are We Trading Our Happiness for Modern Comforts?

Five takeaways:

  1. Here Brooks points out that while average household income risen over time, average happiness has fallen. Why?
  2. The General Social Survey has been measuring social trends among Americans since 1972, and shows a rise in unhappiness from 1988 to the present– despite many metrics showing an increase in quality of life.
  3. Brooks reminds us that although material comforts can provide a thrill or sense of security, they do not inject life with meaning.
  4. The rise of technology, similarly, promised a utopian vision of a happy and thrilling future; it has not delivered on that promise at all- in fact making us less happy and more socially isolated.
  5. Brooks offers three principles for warding off a life of empty consumption: 1. Don’t make frivolous, short-sighted purchases 2. Be skeptical of government or big tech companies whose sustenance involves taking your attention, winning your vote, and separating you from your money. 3. Don’t trade love for anything: love is the leading indicator of happiness known to man. It is never to be taken for granted and completely irreplaceable.

From Arthur C. Brooks at The Atlantic:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting The Atlantic offers five free article views per month.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.

What Kind of Happiness Do People Value Most?

Five takeaways:

  1. This article asks us to ask ourselves: What kind of happiness do we want? “Experienced Happiness,” or “Remembered Happiness”?
  2. Happiness has different versions. Experienced happiness (where you experience happiness on a moment-to-moment basis) is far different from “remembered happiness” (where afterwards you will reflect back and feel happy)
  3. A recent survey of 1,145 Americans in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that 79% of respondents chose experienced happiness over remembered happiness for the rest of their lives.
  4. When asked about what type of happiness they would desire to experience the following day, most respondents chose remembered happiness, indicating a desire for an immediate feeling of pride and purpose.
  5. We are all busy, the article concludes, but spending too much time on pursuits associated with success and work-based pride might result in a person turning down far too many opportunities to feel happy in the moment.

From Cassie Mogilner Holmes at Harvard Business Review:
Read the whole story.

Note: At the time of this posting Harvard Business Review offers two free article views per month. Four if you register for a free account.

This site may contain links to articles or other information that may be contained on a third-party website. Advisory Services Network, LLC and MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors are not responsible for and do not control, adopt, or endorse any content contained on any third party website. The information and material contained in linked articles is of a general nature and is intended for educational purposes only. Links to articles do not constitute a recommendation or a solicitation or offer of the purchase or sale of securities.
Wealth Advisors | A Member of Advisory Services Network, LLC
Address: 10345 W. Olympic Blvd, Suite 110, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Telephone: 310-601-4095

© Copyright 2024 MAP STRATEGIC WEALTH ADVISORS