Retirement can be exciting, but it’s also a major life and financial transition. The stress brought about by the inevitable changes surrounding retirement can cause rifts significant enough for people to contemplate divorce.¹ To a lesser degree, it can make the estimated 1 in 3 married couples who don’t have a shared vision of their golden years² confront what could be difficult realities, including financial discord.

Investor demographics are shifting, and that should be a wakeup call for the financial industry. Over the next five years, the whole of Baby Boomer clients is estimated to drop from 46% to 43%, and senior clients are estimated to make an even sharper drop from 23% to 14%.¹ On the other hand, Gen X and Millennials are poised to represent a collective 41% of financial clients — a jump of around 11% over current statistics.¹

Financial advisors generally understand and accept that volatility is inherent in the stock market, but not all clients are as immune to the natural ebb and flow of investing.¹ It’s not uncommon for a market dip to grip clients with fear, and often a reactive leap out of their long-term investment strategy follows.²

For many, early retirement is its own reward. Being freed from the “rat race” of long commutes, deadlines, workplace stress and continual attempts at work-life balance makes the leisurely pace of retirement just that much sweeter. Also, having the time to dedicate to a healthier lifestyle — exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep — contributes to a general sense of well-being.¹

For money they won’t need for at least a decade, only 23% of Millennials prefer putting it in the stock market to amassing a cash nest egg.¹ Coming of age amid significant financial crises — the stock market upheaval in 2008 and the dot com collapse in the early 2000’s — have 46% of Millennials convinced that “investment earnings aren’t worth the risk.”²

Retirement planning puts clients’ futures front and center, forcing them to consider the “what ifs” and “I wants” of their golden years. It’s not surprising, then, that clients attach certain expectations to their retirement plans that fall within four general categories:¹ 

It happens. Through luck, inheritance, settlement or some other random twist of fate, a client “strikes it rich” and suddenly assumes money is no object in their world. In rare cases, this assumption is true. More often than not, recipients of a substantial financial windfall succumb to what some financial advisors term “Sudden Wealth Syndrome” and mismanage their newly found fortune.¹ Case in point? The one in three Americans who recklessly spend inherited money, or the 70% of rich families who lose their inheritance by the second generation,¹ or the multi-million dollar lottery winners who declare bankruptcy within three to five years of landing their fortune.²

Despite some debate over the degree of wealth necessary to be considered a High Net Worth individual (HNW), it’s generally accepted that a minimum of $1 million in liquid assets is required for a person to fit into this category.¹ The broad definition may be true, but it’s also pretty stark. What other characteristics do HNWs possess?

Every person defines “retirement” on his or her own terms, and those individual views of this major life event can cause friction between married couples. One spouse may want to travel more; the other wants to stay put and enjoy volunteering in the community. Couples can generally compromise on how they’ll spend their newly found free time. However, there are some larger issues surrounding retirement that require couples be on the same page, whether the “golden years” are decades off or just around the corner.

Taking a look at historical market performance, it’s easy to see that asset classes fall in and out of favor with great frequency.