The LEARNING library

The Drop-Off

I have a confession. I (Shea) grew up here surrounded by lakes – the big freshwater kind with lots of little ones as extra bonuses. I love to swim, but I refused to go in the “dark water.” If I could see the drop-off, I wasn’t going anywhere near it. But that all changed two summers ago. My sister-in-law, who was eight months pregnant, jumped into the deep, dark water of Lake Leelanau. After watching her effortlessly enjoying the refreshing water on a hot August afternoon, I decided to try it. It wasn’t any less terrifying as an adult, but it certainly helped that I couldn’t see the drop-off that far out in the water.
For those of you who are near the edge of your working career and retirement, you can see the drop-off. You know the time is coming when you’ll need to swim out into the unknown away from the familiar shores of employment. Assuming you have saved, planned and are ready – what happens if the market takes a plunge before you do? Are you ready if the drop-off gets moved closer to you? How can you prepare your portfolio for something dramatic and completely out of your control?
Join us this Thursday as we run some numbers and give you “worst-case scenarios” to consider so that you’ll be prepared. Bring your paddle board, life jacket and floaties – no wake allowed in these waters.