A new season is a great reminder that everything changes with time including how you live your life. In today’s Choose Your Own Adventure article, I want to dig into some ideas about your lifestyle. This is the first of the five key areas of your life that you can consider in your financial, retirement, and estate planning.  

Your lifestyle choices are part of who you are. This can include your interests, hobbies, employment, age, and where you live. Your budget will also impact the choices you make in your lifestyle. These change over time. Think about where you are now and where you want to live in the future or how you want to live in the next phase of your life.

You might be considering staying where you are, relocating, or downsizing. Before you jump into a new adventure or a new environment, take the time to evaluate the options. Remember that your interests, abilities, and priorities may change over time. Your plans might include specific items like traveling, joining a golf club or other social club, or enrolling in adult learning opportunities. Before any significant financial decisions are made, take the time to evaluate the options.

Ask yourself:

  1. Where will my primary residence be? Will there be multiple residences? Should I right-size and when?
  2. What are my hobbies, passions, and interests? How will I pursue them?
  3. Do I want to travel? To where? For how long?
  4. What else do I want to learn?

Don’t forget to consider:

  1. What are my partner’s expectations and goals? What about other family members?
  2. Are there nonprofits that I’d like to be more involved in?
  3. Are there places nearby where I can teach young people or mentor young professionals?
  4. Are the things I like to do indoors or outdoors? Does where I live accommodate that? 
  5. What healthcare options are available?

This series has covered the reasons you should make decisions about your future - particularly because if you don’t it may put a burden on someone you love or someone you don’t even know. If you missed the previous articles, you can find them here. The goal of these articles and the Choose Your Own Adventure guide is to help you make thoughtful decisions for yourself and those around you. You can download the Choose Your Own Adventure Guide or request a hard copy in the mail by emailing me at jkeyo@westminster-school.org.