Retirement Needs More Than Money: Purpose, Health, Connection, & Growth

What if the biggest risk to your retirement isn’t market volatility, but waking up to a calendar with nothing that matters on it? We dig into the side of planning most people ignore—how to design days that feel purposeful, healthy, and connected—and show why money alone can’t deliver a satisfying life after work.

We unpack a hard-hitting cautionary tale of “doing everything right” financially and still feeling lost, then break down the four non-financial pillars that drive happiness in retirement: purpose and meaning, health and wellness, social connections, and personal growth. From building a weekly rhythm you can’t wait to live, to budgeting for wellness like any core expense, to turning hobbies into real commitments, we share practical steps that turn savings into a life you love. You’ll hear how aligning couple expectations prevents conflict, why community is a protective factor against isolation and depression, and how ongoing learning keeps your identity vibrant.

We also connect lifestyle design with your financial strategy. Using the Retirement Income Style Awareness (RESA) framework, we explain how to match your income plan to the way you actually want to live—funding travel seasons, health investments, and passion projects with intention. This is where portfolios and purpose finally meet, giving you clarity, confidence, and energy for the years ahead.

If you’re ready to retire to something—not just from something—this conversation will help you craft a plan that protects your wealth and elevates your daily life. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s nearing retirement, and leave a review telling us the one non-financial habit you’ll start building this week.

To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com 

Transcript

Welcome & Big Promise

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Welcome to State Money Radio with your host, Brad Pistol. Brad is a retirement income and tax planning certified professional, primarily serving clients in the Midwest, but he's sought after nationally for his expertise in helping people secure their retirements. Mr. Pistol is a licensed life insurance professional in approximately 20 different states, and he specializes in working with people who are near retirement and those who have already retired with wealth management, income planning, and asset protection strategies using life, health, long-term care, and annuity insurance products. And now, here to talk with you about securing your retirement, it's your host, Brad Pistol.

Money Isn’t The Main Event

Bob’s Bulletproof Plan, Empty Life

Purpose Over Portfolios

Introducing RESA & Purpose Fit

Four Pillars Of Non‑Financial Success

SPEAKER_00 1:03

Well, hello everyone. I hope you're having a fantastic week, and I just want to thank you for joining us on the show today. Now I'll tell you, we've got a lot of information to cover on the show, and it's probably going to be something you have heard very little about when it comes to financial planning. So let's jump right in. Buckle your seat belts, here we go. When people think about retirement planning, almost everyone's mind jumps straight to money. And naturally so. They think about things like Social Security, investments, pensions, and various income strategies. And while these are all critical parts of retirement planning, here's the truth. These things aren't the most important part of preparing for a successful retirement income plan. Now I know this may seem odd, but the financial side of the retirement plan is usually not the most important part of the plan. It's the non-financial part of the plan that's the most important. Now, what do I mean by the non-financial part of a retirement plan? Well, let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. And I'm going to say this: this isn't specific to any one particular person, but I have personally watched this scenario play out over and over again during my almost two-year career. So while it's not specific to any one person, it's very close to several different scenarios, and it needs to catch your attention. So listen closely. Let's say Bob spends his entire 40-year working career doing a fantastic job of saving and planning for his financial future. He maxes out his 401k every year, and in fact, as soon as Roth options became available, he started max funding his Roth accounts, and he established very specific life insurance policies for himself and for his heirs. When Bob turned 59 and a half, he took advantage of something called an in-service withdrawal, also known as an age 59.5 withdrawal, and he rolled over a large portion of his Roth 401k, and he purchased annuities with income riders to take care of his future income in retirement. This lowered his stock market risk and ensured his future tax-free lifetime income for himself and his wife. He also built up a very healthy brokerage account, giving him exposure to the potential for higher gains and outpacing inflation with those dollars. And since the market has done well in recent years, this proved to be a very successful choice for Bob. Now to add to all these great decisions, he chose to work all the way to age 70, and he waited until age 70 to start his Social Security payments. In other words, Bob did almost everything right financially. He worked well past the normal retirement age of 65, which does several powerful things. It continued his income for several years, keeping him from having to tap into his retirement assets. It also shortened the length of his retirement years because he worked longer than average. It also allowed him to maximize his Social Security payments to the highest possible level. And it allowed him to build his retirement accounts longer into the future before having to start taking distributions. When Bob retired, he had more than enough money, more than he could ever possibly need to live on. His plan was bulletproof. He would never run out of money during his lifetime, and he would pass on hundreds of thousands of tax-free dollars on to his spouse and his heirs because of his life insurance and his Roth planning. However, there's one part of the story that Bob forgot about. And it's the part of the story that I have to tell you now. While Bob did a great job of focusing on the financial side of his retirement plan, he failed to spend hardly any time at all on the non-financial side of his retirement plans. So this is the sad truth about what ultimately happened to Bob and his family. Shortly after retiring, Bob realized something that all retirees eventually realize. He realized that every single day of retirement is a lot like Saturday when you're working. And Saturday's great when you're working because you need the break. But once you stop working, when you spend 30 or 40 Saturdays in a row, it becomes very boring and unfulfilling. Bob had a very fulfilling career and hundreds of people relied on him for his leadership and his advice. But about one month into his retirement, he simply did not know what to do with his time. You see, the phone didn't ring. There were no problems for him to solve. There wasn't a reason to get up in the morning, and Bob started developing some bad habits. He started to watch a lot of TV. He started staying up late and sleeping in late. He realized that he had neglected his health for many, many years during his working career. And about six months into his retirement, he started to develop some very serious health issues. Issues that had developed over the past several years, but remember, Bob never took the time to focus on this part of his life. In fact, he only went to the doctor if there was an emergency, so he wasn't aware of the developing health issues that had been developing for many, many years now. To make a long story short, the first year of Bob's retirement journey was filled with the unexpected. There were a lot of doctor's appointments and exams, and this turned into the need for medication and treatment. And this led to severe depression for Bob. This certainly wasn't what Bob was expecting. And just two years into retirement, unfortunately, Bob passed away much sooner than he or his wife expected. Well, sure, they had plenty of money, and his wife would be taken care of for the rest of her life. But this is not the golden retirement years either one of them had planned on. Now this reminds me of the title to one of the greatest movies of all time. It's called What About Bob with Richard Dreyfus and Bill Murray. Now, if you haven't seen it, you need to see it. And in the movie What About Bob, the character Bob, played by Bill Murray, has some major ongoing health issues. In this case, it was mental health issues. And those mental health issues also affected his physical health and not only his health, but also the health and the family life of his doctor, Dr. Leo Marvin. While this movie is absolutely hilarious, the situation I just described about Bob and his retirement reality is not funny at all. It's very serious, and it happens day after day all over the world. Especially in the very career and success-driven United States. Many people with careers have a very difficult time adjusting to retired life after they step out of the working world and into retirement. So I want you to stay with us today. This is what we're going to be talking about on the show. We want to make sure you're not only focused on the financial side of your retirement income plan, so focused that you fail to work on the most important part of the plan, the non-financial side of your life after your career ends. We want you to know that you can call us at any time at 866-780 SAFE. That's 866-780-7233. We are retirement income certified professionals, and we will help you focus on all aspects of the financial plan. We'll make sure you develop a purpose for your life after you stop working. You can visit our website, www.ozarksretirement.com, or you can call us at 866-780-7233 and just ask for a free financial consultation. There is always someone standing by ready to take your call. Today we're talking about the non-financial side to retirement planning. And while that may not sound important, it's actually the most important part of every retirement income plan. Don't ever forget this, friends. If you aren't here to enjoy your retirement, someone else will spend all of the money you spent your entire life saving. And that's exactly why I was interviewed by CFP certified financial planner Robert Powell several years ago for an article that appeared in USA Today. The title of that article is Why You Need to Have Purpose in Your Daily Life Even When You Retire. In this article from back in 2018, I talk about why you need to retire from something to something. You see, if you don't retire to something, you won't have a reason to wake up in the mornings. And when you first retire, you might think that sleeping in and waking up late with nothing to do sounds great, but I'm telling you that feeling won't last very long. It's actually a really unhealthy thing to experience for a prolonged period of time. We are designed and created to have purpose in our lives. And this is exactly what my good friend Dr. Wade Fow talks about in chapter 12 of his retirement planning guidebook when he says, retirement success isn't just about finances. If you want to have a long, truly successful retirement story, you'll have to focus on several things. You see, successful living involves your meaning, your purpose, your relationships, and your lifestyle. If you don't plan for these non-financial aspects of life, even the best funded retirement can feel empty. Today we're going to be diving into just what Dr. Powell says about creating a fulfilling retirement beyond just your dollars and your cents. Now, if this is your first time listening to the show or the podcast, my name is Brad Pistol, and I'm a retirement income certified professional and a tax planning certified professional who's dedicated to helping people retire all over this great country. I'm also a certified financial fiduciary, and I take my role in my clients' lives very seriously. I've taken an oath to do what is in the best interest of my clients at all times. And if you ever sit down and talk with us, you'll learn very quickly that we start by getting to know you and your purpose for your money. Until we know what your purpose is for your money, we can't tell you where to put it. The purpose of money always dictates where you put it. This is exactly why we use Dr. Wade Powell and Dr. Alex Marghia's Retirement Income Style Awareness tool to help our clients find their own specific retirement income style. This is called the RESA. Once you discover your style, you can align this with your new purpose in life in the post-working world, and your retirement will be filled with peace and joy. If you would like to take the retirement income style awareness questionnaire, just give us a call. We pay for this for our clients and for our listeners. We'll send you a link to take the questionnaire, which only lasts about 15 minutes to complete. And once you're done, it will send you a very detailed report with the results. Then we'll contact you and we'll go over your specific retirement income style with you and what this means for you and your family. All you have to do is call us at 866-780-7233. When you call, just tell them you want to take the RESA and that you want a free financial consultation. They'll send me a message and I'll email you a link to your email address. Now, friends, we've helped clients all over the United States discover their retirement income style using this incredible tool. That's exactly why I'm licensed in more than 20 states. If you're working with a financial professional and they've never asked you what your primary purposes are for your money, then you can know this. Your money is working for them and not for you. You have to know what your purpose is before you determine what type of accounts you need to be using to reach your desired goals. Now, this could be safety, growth, future income, or estate planning. And as a retirement income certified professional through the American College, this is exactly what I help my clients do. My son is also a retirement income certified professional. We are laser focused on finding your purpose and helping you achieve the retirement of your dreams. So call us anytime at 866-780-7233 and ask to take the RESA. There is always someone standing by to take your call. Now, friends, on the show today, we've been talking about the primary purposes for retirement and how you have to have purpose in life after you retire, or things are not going to go the way you planned. So we've been focusing on the non-financial aspects of financial planning. Retirement is a major life transition. And my good friend Dr. Wade Powell talks about this in one of his most recent books, The Retirement Planning Guidebook. And he says that retirement is one of the biggest life transitions we'll ever face. For decades, your days have been structured around work, your job defined your time, your sense of accomplishment, and even your social circle. But when that suddenly goes away, many retirees are surprised to find themselves struggling. Some get bored, they feel isolated, and others feel a total and complete loss of identity. Here's the lesson retirement isn't a permanent vacation. It's a brand new chapter in life that requires just as much intentional planning on the lifestyle side of things as it does on the financial side of things. So let's start by talking about the four pillars of non-financial success as described by Dr. Wade Powell.

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Dr.

The Retirement Trap Explained

Health As Your Core Asset

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Phoe outlines several areas that are essential for a healthy, successful, and satisfying retirement. Here they are. Number one, purpose and meaning. Retirement isn't just about not working, it's about finding your purpose. This might come from volunteering, mentoring, pursuing hobbies you've always wanted to develop, or even a part-time job. Studies show that people who feel a sense of purpose actually live longer, healthier lives. Here's number two, your health and wellness. Good health is the foundation for enjoying retirement. Dr. Fowl emphasizes staying active both physically and mentally. It's very, very important. You need to exercise, eat healthy, and have regular checkups. That's not just good advice. They directly impact your ability to enjoy freedom in your retirement. Friends, if you spend every day in a doctor's office or picking up medications, that's not true freedom, and you're not going to enjoy it. Your health and wellness are very important. Here's number three, social connections. Work often provides built-in friendships, and without it, loneliness can become a real problem. Retirement success requires intentionally building and maintaining social networks. This can take place through your family, friends, community groups, or faith-based activities. Strong relationships are one of the most consistent predictors of happiness later in life. Without them, you're going to struggle. Here's number four, your personal growth. Retirement is a chance to learn, explore, and challenge yourself in new and exciting ways. Whether it's traveling, taking classes, doing creative projects, or developing new skills, continuing to grow prevents stagnation and will help keep your life vibrant. So there you have it. Those are the four big non-financial pillars that you need to be focusing on right now for your future. Purpose and meaning, health and wellness, social connections, and personal growth. We're going to be talking more about this on the rest of the show today. We're going to be talking about how to avoid the retirement trap and how to develop the four main non-financial aspects of your retirement plan. Now, friends, if this is something you've never thought about and you want to learn more about it, just give us a call. Our number is 866-7807233. Ask for a free financial consultation. We are retirement income certified professionals, and we will help you focus on all aspects of your financial plan. This is going to deal with financial things and non-financial things. You can always visit our website at Ozarksretirement.com or you can call us anytime at 866-780-7233. Remember, there is always someone standing by to take your call. Now as we continue the show today talking about the non-financial aspect to retirement planning, we want to talk about how to avoid something Dr. Wadefow calls the retirement trap. And what is that trap? It's when you think about retirement in this way. Surely retirement will be fulfilling because I no longer have to work. And that's what life's all about. No longer working, right? That's a retirement trap. In reality, many retirees experience something like a honeymoon phase right after they leave work. They enjoy the freedom for a while, but then a sense of emptiness creeps in if they don't replace work with something meaningful. That's why Dr. Phoul encourages his readers to develop a retirement lifestyle plan before you ever retire. You absolutely need to be thinking about these things for many years before you approach your retirement. You need to be thinking about things like this. How will I spend my time day to day after I retire? What activities are going to give me joy and energy? Who will I spend my time with? And what type of things will I look forward to doing? Just like financial planning, the earlier you think about these questions, the smoother your transition is going to be. And this isn't something you need to start thinking about when you put in your two weeks' notice or turn in your retirement date to your company. It's too late. It's something that needs to happen at least five years before you retire, and you need to develop these mental pictures and come up with a plan long before your retirement ever begins. Now we talked about this earlier, but here's another major non-financial aspect of retirement planning. Your health. Dr. Powell argues that this is actually the cornerstone of your retirement years. Without good health, you won't enjoy your life. Dr. Phoe makes a strong case that good health is the most important and the most valuable asset that you can bring with you into your retirement. Without it, your money's going to matter a lot less to you. Your overall health involves several different things. Let's talk about your physical health. Regular movement, strength training, and healthy eating. These are things that will extend the quality of your life in your retirement years. Let's talk about your mental health. Staying mentally sharp through reading, doing puzzles, or even part-time work can prevent cognitive decline. I've personally witnessed this with many of our own clients who go back to work and take a part-time job simply because they want to keep their mind sharp. They don't need the money, but they don't want the possibility of what could happen to them if they become stagnant and physically unhealthy and lose their mental cognition. Here's another one. Let's talk about your emotional health. Managing stress, practicing gratitude, and cultivating joy play a huge role in your retirement satisfaction. A successful retirement is not just about living longer, it's about living better, improving the quality of your life. Here's another one. Dr. Pho highlights that retirement doesn't happen in isolation. Your spouse, your kids, your grandkids, and even your community all shape your experience. Now, for couples, having alignment is key. One spouse may picture traveling the world while the other dreams of nice, quiet days at home. Talking about your expectations ahead of time will prevent major conflict. One of the number one issues we're facing in today's world is something called graying divorce or silver divorce. I cannot tell you how often we watch people in their 60s and 70s who've been married for 40 and 50 years going through and experiencing a divorce. Why is this happening? It's happening for a lot of reasons, but part of it is the boredom and the lack of preparation for what was going to happen when both people gave up their careers and then found themselves sitting at home all day long every day without a plan. It's very, very important. For individuals, building intentional community becomes even more important once you retire. Staying socially connected prevents loneliness and depression.

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Dr.

Relationships, Identity, And Divorce Risk

Hobbies, Learning, And Encore Work

Integrating Money With Lifestyle

RESA Invitation & Planning Offers

Key Takeaways From Wade Pfau

Live Your Legacy Story

Final CTA, Disclosures, Closing

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Fow notes that the happiest retirees are usually those who have strong support systems, social networks, church groups, and different activities that they're involved in on a regular basis. Here's another big theme in chapter 12 of Dr. Powell's The Retirement Planning Guidebook. He says retirement is a rare opportunity to do the things you never had time to do while you're working. Your hobbies and lifelong learning become very, very important during this stage of life. Maybe it's painting, gardening, woodworking, or playing golf. You know, that that sport you never had time to do when you were working because it takes four to five hours. Now you've got all the time in the world to do it. Maybe it's learning a language or playing an instrument or taking college courses, keeping your mind sharp and active. Some even start encore careers or small businesses, and it's not because they need the money. They do it because of the fulfillment and the activity and the mental clarity that it provides them. Dr. Fowl stresses that staying engaged and staying curious helps keep your brain sharp and your life meaningful. Friends, there's a good chance that this is something that you've never talked about with your financial planner. It's very possible that all they ever talk about is the financial side of things. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance, annuities, your future income stream. But maybe they've never talked to you about the non-financial aspect of retirement planning. I've always been thankful for my background and what I did before I started this career almost 20 years ago. I was in full-time ministry, youth and family ministry. I did a lot of marriage counseling. I have my marriage and family training certification through Oklahoma Christian University. And not only do I have that as my background, but I'm also a retirement income certified professional, a tax planning certified professional. And together, there are more than 500 different topics that are covered in this training through the American College. We know how to help you focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement planning. It's going to be very, very important for you to know how to focus on your health, your social activities, your purpose and your meaning, all types of aspects that Dr. Wade Fowler talked about. Purpose and meaning, health and wellness, social connections, personal growth. If you've never had a financial planner talk to you about this, it's probably not something you're going to figure out on your own. You're going to need someone who is an expert to help guide you through this. And that's exactly what we do here at the Ozarks Retirement Group. Both my son and I are retirement income certified professionals, and we are offering a free financial consultation to you and a wellness checkup anytime. Let's find out whether or not your finances and your personal plans are aligned. Our number is 866-780-7233. You can call us anytime. You can also go to our website at ozarksretirement.com. You'll see exactly what we do for other people and why we're different. 866-780-7233. And remember, there's always someone standing by to take your call. Now, friends, as we continue the show, I'd like to talk to you about something that Dr. Wade Fowl says is very important when it comes to the success of your retirement income plan. And that's learning how to integrate the non-financial and the financial planning sides of your retirement together. Here's something I appreciate about Dr. Fowl's perspective. He doesn't separate the financial and non-financial sides. He reminds us that they are very interconnected. For example, if you want to travel extensively once you retire, your income plan should account for that. But you also need to realize that if you aren't healthy, you're probably not going to be able to travel the way you want to. If you want to fund hobbies, you need to budget for this. But if you are physically unable to run, walk, or play tennis, pickleball, or golf, having the money saved for these activities really doesn't matter. You won't be able to participate in them. If maintaining health is a top priority, and it should be, you will need to earmark funds for fitness, healthy food, or wellness programs. You might set up a home gym in your garage or in a spare bedroom. You might know about a silver sneakers program or join some type of activity club in your neighborhood or at your church or your local YMCA. In other words, your lifestyle vision will shape your financial plan. And your financial plan needs to support your lifestyle vision. Both need to work together. They are interconnected. Here's a real life example of a story that mirrors what Dr. Powell talks about in his book. I met with a client who retired at age 65 with a very comfortable nest egg. He thought he'd spend his retirement years playing golf every single day. But after a year, he admitted he was miserable and bored. He missed the sense of purpose and daily structure he had during his career years. So he started mentoring young business owners at a local nonprofit. Within months, his entire outlook on life changed. He said, Brad, I don't just have money to live on now, I have a reason to get out of bed every single morning, and that makes all the difference in the world. That's exactly what Dr. Powell is getting at here when he says this. Retirement success isn't just measured in your dollars, it's measured in your fulfillment. This is exactly why we use Dr. Wade Powell and Dr. Alex Marghia's retirement income style awareness tool. We call it the RESA. It helps clients find their own specific retirement income style. Once you discover your style, you can align this with your new purpose in life in the post-working world, and your retirement will be peaceful and fulfilling. If you would like to take the retirement income style awareness questionnaire, just give us a call. We pay for this for our clients and make it absolutely free. We'll send you a link to take the questionnaire, which only takes about 15 minutes, and once you're done, it will send you a very detailed report with the results. Then we will contact you to go over your own specific retirement income style and what this means for you and your family. Just call us anytime at 866-780 SAFE. That's 866-780-7233. When you call, tell them that you want a free financial consultation and you would like to take the RESA. They'll send me a message and then I'll contact you. I'll email you a link with the RESA to your email address. Now remember, we've helped clients all over the United States discover their retirement income style using this incredible tool. That's exactly why I'm licensed in more than 20 states. People call us from all over the U.S. Friends, if you're working with a financial professional and they've never asked you what your primary purpose is for your money, then you can know this for sure. Your money is working for them and not for you. You have to know what your purpose is for your money before you determine what type of accounts you need to be using to reach these desired goals. Now, different goals that we talk to our clients about involve safety, growth, future income, and estate planning. And as a retirement income certified professional through the American College, this is exactly what we're doing. Exactly what we help our clients do. We are laser focused on finding your purpose and helping you achieve the retirement of your dreams. And this involves the financial and the non-financial aspects of retirement planning. So call us today at 866-780-7233 and just ask to take the retirement income style awareness tool. There's someone standing by to take your call at all times. 866-780-7233. Friends, thank you so much for joining us on the show today. As we start to wrap up the show about why the non-financial side of retirement planning is even more important than the financial side of retirement planning, let's take one last look at the big takeaways from chapter 12 in Dr. Wade Fow's book, The Retirement Planning Guidebook. This is what he says retirement planning isn't only financial, it involves your purpose, your health, your relationships, and your personal growth. If you ignore these non-financial aspects, you can have millions and millions of dollars in your accounts and you will still feel empty. And this emptiness can lead to really bad habits and poor health, which will shorten your retirement years. But if you embrace them, you can create a retirement that's not only financially secure, but also joyful and meaningful. So I'll tell you what, let's do. Let's go back to the USA Today article that I was featured in back in 2018. Now remember, the title of this article by certified financial planner Robert Powell was Why You Need to Have Purpose in Your Daily Life Even When You Retire. In this article, I talk about the possibility of losing your sense of purpose once you retire from a very meaningful job. And I talk about the importance of having a very specific plan for how you're going to spend your time. I talk about volunteering for different things like coaching your grandchildren's sports teams or getting involved with your church or your favorite charity. I talk about focusing on service-oriented activities that involve service to others because this is really good for your physical and mental and social health. The bottom line is this while maxing out your 401k and your Roth IRA are definitely important when it comes to your future retirement, they aren't the most important things you need to be focused on. Don't ever forget, if you spend all of your time in doctors' offices or in hospitals once you retire, not only will that be extremely expensive and it will cut into your nest egg, but you will also experience sadness, depression, and a whole other list of emotions that can quickly disrupt your plans for a healthy and happy retirement. The time to focus on the non-financial aspects of retirement planning is right now. Right now is the time to get healthy, not 20 years from now. Right now is the time to develop wise habits, not after you retire. Right now is the time to think about how you plan to spend your time once your career is over, not once you turn in your two-week notice. It's too late then. This planning will help you develop a fun and fulfilling retirement plan that will help you live the retirement of your dreams. This is exactly why we use Dr. Wade Powell and Dr. Alex Marghier's retirement income style awareness tool. It helps our clients find their own specific retirement income style. And once we know that income style, then we can fit together the non-financial aspects with the financial aspects to come up with a bulletproof, safe and secure retirement income plan for you and your family. This is what's going to provide you with purpose in the post-working world. And your retirement will be much more peaceful and fulfilling. Friends, if you'd like to take the retirement income style awareness questionnaire, just give us a call. It's absolutely free. We pay for this for our clients and listeners. We'll send you a link through your email to take the RESA. And once you take the Retirement Income Style Awareness Questionnaire, you'll be sent a report. It will go to you and to us, very detailed. It will show you exactly what your retirement income style is. Then we can get together, whether in person or on the phone, and talk about what this means for you and your family. Call us anytime. Our number is 866-780-7233. Let's discover what your purpose is for retirement planning. It's not just about your money. Sure, your money may be earmarked for safety and growth, future income or estate planning, but we need to figure out how you plan to spend your time. What will your hobbies be? What kind of health concerns do you have? What do you need to do to get into better shape so that you can enjoy the retirement plan of your dreams? Both my son and I are retirement income certified professionals through the American College of Financial Services, and I can assure you of this. We are laser focused on helping you find your purpose and helping you achieve the retirement of your dreams. If you want to experience the difference that so many people have experienced from all across the country when they contacted us, just give us a call. The number is 866-780-7233. We'll send you a link to take the RESA, the retirement income style awareness tool in questionnaire. We'll send you a report, and then we will get you headed in the right direction toward the retirement of your dreams. Our number is 866-780-7233, and there's always someone standing by to take your call. As we bring this show to a close this week, I'd really like to share with you a very special story. And this is a story about my mother, who is now 78 years old. I want to tell you about a very special weekend that I spent with her recently and how this correlates to the show that we've been sharing together today, the non-financial aspects of retirement planning. See, it's just so natural that whenever you think about your retirement, you naturally think about money. You think about your hard-earned savings, your 401k, your 403B, or your TSP, depending on what line of work you were in. Maybe it was an IRA or a Roth IRA. But most people think about their retirement plan from work and they think about what they've built that number up to. Maybe it's a quarter of a million dollars or a half a million dollars, and you think about how you're going to have to make that last the rest of your life. And our focus is normally on that. What withdrawal percentage can I take out? Is there a special number? Is that based on how the market performs up and down? Is there some special sauce, some secret sauce where someone like Brad, a retirement expert, could come in and say, hey, we need to reposition this into something else and it'll generate lifetime income like a pension. And those things are all important. And we want to make sure we have those accounts in place and that our money is in the right type of accounts to meet our goals and our purposes. But there's something far more important than that. And that's why I want to talk to you about my mother. In a recent weekend, and we planned this ahead of time, my mother came up and we did all kinds of activities all weekend long. Now, this happened to be the first weekend of October. And the reason that we did this, not only this year, but we do it every year, is because my father's birthday was on October the 2nd. And so every year it's just natural when you've lost a loved one, and I'm sure many of you have, whether it's a spouse or a parent or God forbid a child, a good friend of yours, you remember their birthday. You remember special events and special dates with them. And so my father's birthday is 10-244. I always think about 1944, what was going on in the world at that time with the war, and actually my grandfather was gone. He didn't even meet my father until he was almost two years old because he was gone to war. And I think back through those things. And so when it's dad's birthday time, mom comes up and we always go to the Ozark Craft Fair. Now, we are the Ozarks Retirement Group and we have our offices in Ozark, Missouri. But there's also the Ozark Craft Fair, which is an annual event. And if you've never been, you need to go, but it's always on the first weekend in October. So mom comes up and she stays several days and we do that together. But now there's a new tradition. There's also farm fest that takes place every year. And so we'll go on Friday to the Ozark Craft Fair, and on Saturday we'll go to Farm Fest together. And then normally on Sunday afternoon, we'll go down to Silver Dollar City, and it's the fall festival, and so we just participate in all these events together. Well, this year we did something really special. Now, back in the day, and people will say I'm a little bit honre, you know, I love to make people laugh and tease and cut up, but that really comes from my father. He was a master of making everyone in the room laugh and feel lighthearted and really just enjoy special memories. And so back about a year ago, myself and my younger brother took my mom to Silver Dollar City and we encouraged her to get on Time Traveler with us. Now, if you've ridden Time Traveler, you know it kind of reminds me of the old teacup ride from days gone by because it spins you around in circles while taking you through a roller coaster up and down in twists and turns. And I told her, Oh, mom, you're gonna love it. It's gonna be great. And I took video of it before we got on and then video after we got off. And she was like, I can't believe you made me do that, Brad Pistole. You told me it wasn't gonna be that big of a deal. Well, the funny thing is, I was riding next to her and she closed her eyes through the entire ride. Never opened her eyes. So this year, when we went back, I wanted to take her on wildfire. And I said, Mom, this time we're gonna ride wildfire, but here's the deal: you've got to keep your eyes open. You're missing the whole experience. So once we take off, you need to keep your eyes open. You get to see out all the way across Table Rock Lake. You can see all of Silver Dollar City. You need to keep your eyes open. And here's the thing we're gonna ride on the front row. And so, making a long story short, I convinced her, and it took some convincing, but we got on the ride. We rode the roller coaster. There was a kid next to us we'd never met, and he was having a ball, and she kept her eyes open through the entire thing. And I got video before we got on, I got pictures and video after, and it was just the greatest thing. And of course, she's messaging all of her members of her life group back at her church saying, Brad made me ride wildfire today. Here's a picture. And, you know, my 78-year-old mother rode a roller coaster with me. And not just any roller coaster, but wildfire. And it was amazing. She now has a funny memory that she will never forget. And I can appreciate this because I've lost my father. You know, I've lost all my grandparents and all my aunts and uncles for the most part, have one left. And now I've got mom here and I want to make the most of all these years that remain. I want her to live a very full and satisfying retirement. And that has nothing to do with money. It's about experiences. It's about all the things that we share together. Because you see, when it comes to legacy planning, you have to live your legacy. Legacy is not about leaving someone buckets of money, it's about your life. It's about your experiences, your memories, the things you do with your family. You live your legacy. And then when you pass on, what you've left to them is the memory of all these wonderful things. And as we bring this show to a close today, I'm reminded of this because I had something happen this week that really caught me off guard. I opened LinkedIn and one of my good friends had made a post about a colleague of ours who used to work at the Wall Street Journal who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 62. And I thought, wow, they spent their entire life saving and planning for retirement from the monetary side, building up their buckets of money. And then before they ever experienced one single day of those retirement years, they passed away. It was the non-financial planning side of life that caught them off guard. Because, friends, you know this. You watch it happen every day. Life happens. It's the non-financial side that will be the most important to you during your retirement years. It's what happens with your health. It's what happens when you move or when a family member loses a job or when something changes and you're forced to deal with it, and it has nothing to do with money. So I just want to always remind you the money side of things is very important, and we are national experts. There's no one better at doing what we do than our team here at the Ozarks Retirement Group. And we're happy to help you, but we also want to help you focus on the non-financial stage of life. It's always going to occur throughout every stage, but in that last one-third of your life and your retirement years, which could be 25 to 35 years long, there are going to be several non-financial things that are going to happen to you that could also affect the financial side, but those life changes, you have to be ready to deal with them. So, friends, please call us anytime. We are retirement income certified professionals and tax planning certified professionals. And I'm a certified financial fiduciary. I've taken an oath to do what is in your best interest at all times. And it's in your best interest to not only focus on the financial side, but also the non-financial planning side of life. Our number is 866-780 SAFE. That's 866-780-7233. Call us anytime, ask for a free financial consultation. We are here to help. 866-780-7233, and there's always someone standing by to take your call. Well, I'm about out of time, and I would like to thank you for listening to Safe Money Radio. If you're serious about your financial future, give me a call, and together, we'll get your retirement savings on the fast track to accumulation while reducing exposure to market losses. Thanks for listening, and until next time at the same time, I'm Brad Pistol, reminding you to stay safe so you can step into a secure future.

SPEAKER_02 44:35

Find out how to contractually guarantee that your hard-earned money is safe while avoiding market loss so you can have the retirement that you deserve. Call Brad Pistol now for your complimentary safe money book and safe money information kit at 866-780 SAFE. That's 866-780-7233. The preceding information does not represent tax, legal, or investment advice. Surrender charges apply to base contracts. Optional lifetime income benefit writers are used to calculate lifetime payments only and are not available for cash surrender or in a death benefit unless specified in the annuity contract. Fees may apply. Guarantees are based on the financial strength and claims paying ability of the insurance company. No information presented today should be acted upon without meeting with a qualified and licensed professional. Obviously, by calling us now, you are just taking the first step towards protecting your retirement. It's important that you read all insurance contract disclosures carefully before making a purchase decision. Rates and returns mentioned on this program are subject to change without notice.