So how do you measure a life? Is it in wealth? Is it in status or accomplishments? Or is it simply just in the passage of time? Is it marking birthdays and trips around this earth? My dad just turned 70 recently. In fact, both my parents turned 70 this year. And this got me thinking about the passage of time and how much time we have left with those that we love and with our friends and family.

I had heard years ago of looking at life as a series of life events and mapping it out on a piece of paper that way. So in my case, I have a sheet of paper with 120 circles, a number of these already filled in. In fact, 42 of these already filled in. And along the way, I’ve written down various things that I’ve done when I graduated high school, when I got married, bought my first house, or started having kids. In fact, now my kids are starting to graduate and live their own lives.

Now, if you go to the Social Security administration website, they actually keep actuarial tables, and you could see what they think that the average life expectancy is for someone of your age. So in my case, being 42, I have about 35 to 36 years left, effectively putting me in 2060 before I step into eternity. And so maybe I’ll live longer than that and maybe I won’t. So once you have an awareness in terms of how finite your life really is and how few circles you have left on your piece of paper, you really need to start being a little bit more intentional.

The question that we all must ask ourselves is what are we going to do with the time that we have left? Some of those years will be working years, and some of them may be retirement years depending on what you want to do in life. Now, we’re not guaranteed any day, week, or month, but we should start with a plan. Because if at least we have a plan, there’s a greater likelihood that we’ll be able to achieve some of these goals and dreams that we have.

My team and I help create financial plans for and around these very life events. And while this isn’t a financial plan, it’s the start of a conversation towards a financial plan. I, along with members of my team, would love to sit down with you and have a conversation about your goals and your values so that we can help you achieve your dreams and celebrate with you along the way.