At my college reunion a few years back, a classmate came up to me with his wife and adult children. He had a beaming smile. He proudly introduced me to his family as the man who changed his life. I had no idea.

In the course of everyday life, what is often considered routine to us can be significant—even life-changing—to others. For professionals who work daily in the forest of finance, the exciting becomes routine and the routine becomes numb. We find ourselves traveling a road that's as familiar as the back of our hand. We become less impressed with our knowledge, sometimes to the point we assume everyone knows what we know. They don't.

That's where we can best help.

When it comes to advising employees on what they need to do to increase the odds they will retire in comfort, experience shows us strategies and tactics exist that go far beyond merely saving more. We know this, but the typical retirement saver doesn't.

Adequate preparation means more than merely finding the company with the best benefits or working multiple jobs. Yes, financial preparation remains a keystone to a comfortable retirement, but putting all one's eggs in that single basket will leave one frustrated. There's more to retirement than simply creating a bucket list of items to spend on and having the money to pay for that spending.

Those who advise current retirees see this firsthand. It therefore makes sense to share these observations with people before they retire. There's the rub.

We speak in a language of familiarity on the subject, but it's a language the intended audience generally isn't conversant in. To break through this communication barrier, I suggest using the following metaphor.

Most people are familiar with acting, if only because Shakespeare is required reading in high school. They know actors practice by reading the lines. That's how they prepare for their performance, but it's not the only way. For those who have been actors, they'll tell you it's not even the best way.

The best way to get ready for the show—and the only way to really understand how the show will go—is during dress rehearsal. In dress rehearsal, everything is exactly like it will be when the curtain goes up. The only thing missing is the audience. Without an audience, actors have no fear of missing their cues, forgetting their lines, or breaking character.

Saving for retirement is like an actor practicing the lines of a play. It's necessary, but it's not the only thing. Retirement savers should have several “dress rehearsals” for retirement immediately prior to retirement.

How can they do this without knowing anything about the actual show? By getting advice from someone who has seen the show plenty of times.

That's the adviser.

Who knows? Years from now, someone may come up to you and say, “You changed my life.”

More retirement readiness advice:

Instant Insights /

Plan for retirement dress rehearsals

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