Am I Ready For Retirement?

Episode 551 | Host: Emilie Aries | Guest: Lorie Jones

How do you know if you’re on the right financial track for retirement?

Even if retirement is still a decade or more away, at the midpoint of your career, it’s a good thing to be thinking about But in this current economic climate, financial futures feel more uncertain than ever. How do we go about ensuring we can retire when we hope to?

Lorie Jones is a financial advisor and retirement and estate-planning expert and the owner of Fearless Financial Advisors (and host of the Fearless Females podcast!). Lorie takes a practical and compassionate approach to helping high-income and entrepreneurial women sort out their money questions and build financial confidence. Her career in the finance world began after 10 years at home raising four children, so she brings both extensive education and first-hand experience to the unique situation facing many professional women.

The current reality of spending and saving

Even though we all know retirement is something we’ll need to ponder someday, it can be hard to make it a top priority when more glaring concerns, like the cost of groceries and childcare or looming elder care, clearly take precedence. However, Lorie clarifies that this reality is one huge reason women especially should be thinking about their financial futures and not leaving the investing and forecasting up to their spouses.

The good news, she says, is that the vast majority of women who come to her for financial advice are in a better position than they think. Often, a few tweaks will set them up for the kind of retirement they want. Sometimes, they even discover they’re primed to take that next step earlier than expected. The trick, Lorie says, is to confront that fear of getting bad news and get yourself to an advisor. As the adage goes, the best time to invest was 20 years ago, but the second-best time is right now.

AI is just another piece of the same puzzle

Women face countless biases, both at work and outside the office. From navigating the ambition penalty to bearing the burden of caregiving for children and aging parents to earning less on average, we’re not strangers to unexpected career interruptions. When I asked Lorie her take on the future of AI and all it implies for women’s jobs (which I talk about in Episode 540, The Double Disadvantage: AI, Women, and the Future of Work, and many other episodes), she’s of the perspective that AI is simply one more factor that could suddenly shift our career and financial futures. In other words, you already have lots of reasons to prepare for the unexpected, whether it looks like resigning to care for a sick parent or getting replaced by a bot.

Start early and stay the course

Lorie cites a satisfying research discovery: women are better at investing than men. We tend to take an appropriate amount of risk and avoid putting all our eggs in one basket, as I discuss in Episode 538, Rebalance Your Career Portfolio. Considering it was only about 50 years ago that women were permitted to carry their own credit, and that financial advice has long been treated as a one-size-fits-all solution (aka: designed specifically for men), we got ourselves up to speed admirably fast.

All these factors, not least among them the centuries-long reality of women’s work being largely unpaid and unaccounted for in the GDP, guide Lorie’s focus on women in her practice. We face unique challenges and start out at a systemic disadvantage, so approaching investing and advising in a way that tailors her message to women’s lived experiences is key. And if the idea of studying stocks and bonds freaks you out, Lorie reiterates: We’re smart; we can figure this out!

Whether you’re in a blind panic after running your pension numbers against reality, you sense a pending layoff, or you’re pretty sure you’ve made a good start and just want confirmation and some guidance, Lorie’s overarching piece of advice is to speak with someone you trust. There are great tools out there today that help financial planners paint a very clear picture of what’s possible for your future, equipping you with the knowledge you need to go forward with confidence.

Where’s your head at when it comes to retirement? I want to hear about your financial fearlessness and what you’ve learned along the way. As always, you can connect with our wonderful cohort of professionals in the Courage Community on Facebook or our group on LinkedIn.

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