Three Tips to Help Nail the Grand Finale

April 2019 | By Michael Lynch Better Prospecting

Think back to the last time you were on the edge of your seat, filled with anticipation. Maybe it was the fourth quarter at a game, the final act of a play, or the last chapter of a book.

The end is the most exciting part, and every point scored, scene acted, or page read up until that point was just the set up for the culmination.

Life is no different. Everything your clients do now is just set up for their last 8,000 days: retirement. Retirement should be just as thrilling as those final moments of the game, but when you think of the team that won, or the plot twist that wowed you, the common thread is preparation. That’s where you come in.

Here are three ways to make sure your clients are as prepared for retirement as possible:

Design a game plan.
Most of your clients will tell you their ideal retirement is spent at the beach, in the mountains, or in their grandchildren’s playroom. But with retirement possibly lasting more than 20 years, there’s more free time than most are accounting for. Explain to your clients that it is the time to follow their passions, the things they never got to when they were busy working or raising a family. These conversations can help your clients design a stronger game plan for their retirement.
Calm their fears about the unknown.
Until retirement, life is fairly predictable. Wake up, go to work, check in on the grandkids, have dinner with a spouse or friends, rinse and repeat. There can be a lot of fear of the unknown that is retirement, but there doesn’t need to be. Ask your clients what their biggest concerns are, whether it’s losing the ability to drive or having to move to an assisted living home, and provide anecdotes and solutions as to how your other clients have worked through similar situations.
Connect your clients.
Introduce your clients to technologies that can help them in retirement and as they age. There are apps that can help monitor health, get them a ride, or allow them to hire someone to do tasks around the home. There are also devices that can make the home safer and easier to live in. These simple things can be a game-changer for the aging population as they enter retirement.

As an advisor, you have more to offer than rebalancing portfolios. You have witnessed hundreds of retirements over the years, and are in the best position to pass that experience and advice along to the next cohort of retirees.

Michael Lynch is a registered representative of Hartford Funds Distributors, LLC.

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About the Author

Michael Lynch

Vice President, Strategic Markets

Michael Lynch is a Managing Director of Applied Insights for Hartford Funds. In his current role, Mike is responsible for engaging and educating both financial advisors and their clients about current and emerging opportunities in the financial-services marketplace. These opportunities range from tactical strategies in areas such as retirement-income planning, investment planning, and charitable planning, to anticipating and preparing for long-term demographic and lifestyle changes.

Mike joined the organization in 1993 as an annuity client service specialist. In 1997, he joined the Advanced Product Marketing department, where he developed an extensive knowledge of estate and retirement planning. In 2004, Mike became a regional sales director. In 2006, he became Vice President and national director of The Hartford’s Retirement and Wealth Consulting Group, which provided thought leadership and financial education focused on retirement and small-business planning. In 2012, he joined The Hartford Mutual Funds.

Mike earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Connecticut State University. Mike is a registered representative of Hartford Funds Distributors. He is FINRA Series 6, 63, and 26 registered and holds a life, health and variable insurance license. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife, Kim, and their children, Josh, and Em.

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