The Retirement Learning Lab
Tired of feeling overwhelmed and confused about retirement planning?
You're not alone. After 30+ years of helping people navigate retirement, I've seen how the flood of conflicting financial advice paralyzes even the smartest people.
Hi, I'm Van Richards, and I created The Retirement Learning Lab to cut through the noise and give you the clarity you deserve.
Here's what makes this different: Instead of throwing more complicated strategies at you, I teach you a simple, systematic approach that actually works. My clients go from lying awake at night worrying about money to sleeping peacefully, knowing they're in complete control of their financial future.
You'll discover how to:
- Transform retirement confusion into confident action
- Maximize your income while reducing risk
- Avoid the costly mistakes that become impossible to fix later
- Create a plan so simple you could explain it to a 12-year-old
The bottom line: You only get one chance at retirement. Don't leave it to chance.
Whether you're 10 years from retirement or already there, these proven strategies will help you go from financial insecurity to complete control.
Ready to stop worrying and start winning? New episodes every week.
DISCLOSURE: Listeners must understand that this information is not financial advice; it is financial education. There is no guarantee as to the accuracy or reliability of any information presented. For more information on the limitations of the information from this YouTube Channel, please refer to the disclosure on the Richards Financial Planning YouTube page at https://richardsfinancialplanning.com/youtube-channel.
The Retirement Learning Lab
Getting Your Financial House in Order: The Foundation Every Successful Retiree Builds
After 30+ years helping people plan for retirement, I've never met one person who regretted getting organized. Yet most people want to jump straight to the exciting stuff—investment strategies, dream vacations, Bitcoin. Here's the truth: without organized financial information, everything else becomes guesswork rather than strategy.
In this episode, I share two real stories that perfectly illustrate why organization matters:
🔴 The Surgeon's Story: Making $50,000/month but called by his banker about overdraft fees. Despite his high income, he'd completely lost control of his spending. Brilliant in the operating room, lost with personal finances.
🟢 The Psychologists' Success: A husband and wife with 14 different mutual funds scattered across companies. They thought they were diversified but had massive overlap. We organized their investments using the same system I'm giving you free—they went from overwhelmed to completely in control.
The difference between financial insecurity and control? Organization.
When you retire, three fundamental changes happen:
- Your income pattern reverses
- Budgeting becomes critical
- Expenses fluctuate more than ever
I've created the Retirement Life Workbook Module 1 to help you organize everything into 6 clear categories:
- Risk Management (Insurance & Protection)
- Essential Financial Statements
- Investment Assets & Tax-Favored Savings
- Liabilities & Debt
- Other Assets
- Retirement Income Sources
This isn't some generic checklist—it's the same organizational system I use with paying clients, refined over three decades.
Get your FREE copy: forms.richardsfinancialplanning.com
The immediate benefits? Clarity, confidence, control, and efficiency. You'll create a comprehensive snapshot of your financial life that becomes the foundation for everything else.
Don't fly blind into retirement. Get organized first—it's the foundation that transforms retirement planning from overwhelming to manageable, from insecure to in control.
Next Episode: Defining your retirement vision and turning dreams into actionable financial goals.
Educational content only. Not investment, legal, or financial advice.