On November 29th, the oldest living person in the world, Emma Morano will turn 117. Based on my research she is the last living person to have been born in the 1800s. While some people might marvel at all she’s seen and been through, I ‘m curious about what she did during her more than 50 years in retirement.

There are millions of words written every day about the economy, the direction of the financial markets, investment advice, and so on, yet no other topic gets as much attention as the concept of “retirement”. When you think about it, it should get attention. Investors spend their entire working career saving and planning for this phase in life. While we prefer the phrase, “making work a choice” (no one likes thinking about reaching the end of their usefulness) we know many people struggle to understand key issues of retirement. So today we want to cover three main areas.

While cognitive decline may be an inevitable part of the aging process, studies show that we can prevent, or at least postpone its development through intervention. Our brain is actually radically adaptable if we train it appropriately—like we do our bodies. The “fitter” our brain is, the more energy efficient it becomes, and the easier it is to do important mental tasks such as focusing attention and being creative. This workshop was originally presented at Prosperion EDU 16.

As a female advisor for 31 years now, I have experienced first-hand the unique challenges facing these women which often center around three important areas: their parents, their children, and themselves.

We believe there are many important areas an estate plan does not cover. It boils down to one simple question: Your estate plan is in place, but are your heirs prepared?