5 Steps to Redefining Retirement

Retirement. Is it the American dream or has it become kind of like the American nightmare? This thing that we give up so much of our life for along the way, hoping, scrimping, sacrificing, saving and budgeting our life away, trading our time for dollars so that one day, someday, we can finally enjoy life.  

What if you created a life you didn’t want to retire from? What if you achieved financial and economic independence, which is having enough recurring revenue, also known as cash flow, to cover your basic expenses? 

When that happens, what you’ve got is choice – choice of what you do day to day.  

What would it take for you to create economic independence? Not in 30 years from now, not by accumulating and taking too much risk with the “set it and forget it” mentality. Waiting for compound interest to finally save you so that one day, someday you can live off your interest.

Unfortunately, people struggling in retirement are losing purchasing power to inflation. Interest rates have been so low, it doesn’t kick off enough interest to live on. And taxes keep creeping up. So what people thought was a dream has become more of a nightmare.  

A lot of it is because of the notion that you have to take far too much risk just to get a return. Being disconnected from the outcomes of that income puts people in a bad situation when they retire. Rather than taking vacations, they’re checking the Wall Street Journal, watching stock tickers, wondering if it’ll be a good day or a bad day. They start intermittent fasting before it was a health fad, living off two meals instead of three, just to get by. That’s not the life Wealth Factory wants for you.

So what’s the alternative? What else can you do? And it doesn’t have to be about struggle, sacrifice or budgeting. 

Wealth Factory doesn’t know how about you, but the word “budgeting” kind of sucks. It’s always about missing out now, so that one day, someday, when you might be too old to enjoy it, you can finally do what you love. What if you live a better life today? What if improving your quality of life and investing in yourself was the key to a better life now and later?

Here’s what that looks like: Let’s redefine retirement by creating financial independence, which begins by plugging financial leaks instead of budgeting. There’s plenty of money leaking or lost in everyday life to financial institutions and government. 

What if you banked that money back into your life by being more efficient? Stop overpaying taxes and keep more of what you make. Restructure loans, renegotiate interest rates, reallocate funds to be more efficient. Move money from low interest savings into paying off high interest debt. This gets you guaranteed savings and moves you towards financial independence now, not 30 years from now. 

Maybe some of that money goes toward a vacation or support so you’re not just working nonstop. And some goes toward the future as well. Retirement planning is always 30 years away, distant and not that inspiring. But financial independence can begin today by plugging leaks and keeping more of what you earn.

You don’t have to budget, just automate savings. Pay yourself first, efficiently and automatically. Every deposit, take a percentage into a wealth capture account. That’s how you capture wealth, not through exhausting hard work and budgeting.

The next step is getting assets that create cash flow to cover basic expenses. Know what those are each month. If you had that coming in, you can choose what to do day-to-day. Bills are paid if you don’t go to work. You’ve got time and ability to switch careers or swing for bigger goals without jeopardizing stability. 

To engineer wealth, reverse engineer that number. See where money is slipping through cracks. Remove unnecessary risk. Coordinate real estate, investments, taxes, cash flow, credit, insurance to maximize efficiencies. 

Look for sustainability and security to give peace of mind so you don’t feel stressed and overworked. The last piece in engineering wealth is to focus your growth, not diversify. The ultra wealthy diversify to preserve, but focus to grow. 

Learn your Investor DNA – your values, abilities, drivers. Then you can focus on what fits you rather than overwhelm yourself trying to be an expert on everything. Lower risks by playing to your strengths. 

So step one is plug financial leaks. Step two is engineer wealth and cashflow. Step three is create cashflow, don’t just accumulate. It takes resourcefulness, not just money. Challenge “high risk, high return” and “good things come to those who wait.”

Move to a cash flow mindset. Scale revenue by growing your business or skills. And make it count – build a life you love. Take time for hobbies, self-care, and creating value. Don’t just work hard at things you hate for a paycheck. 

Why retire from value creation, investing in yourself, and living your purpose? Money doesn’t have to be the obstacle, it can be an ally. Take control to build the life you want. Plug leaks, discover your investor DNA, accelerate with cashflow, invest in yourself, and make it count. 

Join the movement to take control of your finances. You can get rid of confusion around money, plug leaks, automate savings, and invest in the life you want today. No more waiting for retirement at 65. No more letting others dictate your financial story.