If you are a 40 year old woman with a life expectancy of another 50+ years, what is your life plan? If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that life is unpredictable and plans can go out the window with a moment's notice. I like to live by the saying, "plans are worthless, but planning is everything".

The number one question I received from clients this year is “Can I retire early?” Whether it’s because of an early retirement package being offered by an employer, because a business owner is burnt out, or something significant happened in 2020 and they can no longer work. As a financial planner and a fiduciary, I have three thoughts that you may want to consider if you are one of these people asking this loaded question.