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THE RESET FRAMEWORK
A Practical Way to Make Better Retirement Decisions
Retirement does not have to be redesigned all at once.
One question. One variable. One responsible step at a time.
Retirement Decisions Are Rarely One Decision
Where should I live? Should I rent or buy? Could I spend less without sacrificing the life I want? Should I keep working? Could my assets be used differently? Would another location improve my purchasing power? What tradeoffs am I willing to make?
Questions like these can become overwhelming when they are treated as one enormous decision about the rest of your life.
RESET breaks the process into decisions that can be examined, tested, and revisited.
RESET
R – RETHINK
Question the assumption behind the decision.
Instead of beginning with what retirement is supposed to look like, ask what you actually want your retirement experience to accomplish.
E – EVALUATE
Examine the facts, resources, constraints, risks, and alternatives.
Separate assumptions from evidence. Identify what may be fixed, what can change, and what information is still missing.
S – SELECT
Choose the option that best fits your priorities and acceptable tradeoffs.
The goal is not to find a universally correct answer. It is to make an informed choice that fits your circumstances, goals, and values.
E – EXECUTE
Take a practical step.
When possible, favor responsible actions that allow you to learn before making larger or harder-to-reverse commitments.
T – TRACK
Observe what actually happens.
Did the decision improve the part of retirement you wanted to improve? What worked? What did not? What changed? Use what you learn in the next decision.
RESET Is a Cycle
RETHINK
Question the assumption.
EVALUATE
Examine the evidence and alternatives.
SELECT
Choose based on your priorities.
EXECUTE
Take a responsible step.
TRACK
Learn from the result.
Use RESET for one decision, learn from the result, and use it again when the next retirement decision appears.
Why RESET Exists
Traditional retirement planning can make retirement feel like a problem that must be solved decades in advance with one perfect plan.
Real life rarely works that way.
Income can change. Expenses can change. Housing needs can change. Health can change. Relationships can change. Priorities can change. Opportunities can appear that were not visible five years earlier.
A retirement strategy should be capable of changing when life changes.
What RESET Might Look Like in Real Life
The question:
Could moving somewhere less expensive improve my retirement?
RETHINK: Is remaining where I currently live a requirement, or simply the assumption I started with?
EVALUATE: Compare housing, healthcare, transportation, taxes, insurance, lifestyle, proximity to family, safety, legal considerations, and other relevant tradeoffs.
SELECT: Decide whether one alternative deserves further exploration.
EXECUTE: Instead of immediately moving, consider a temporary stay or another limited test when practical.
TRACK: Compare the actual experience with the assumptions that led to the test.
The result might be a move. It might also be a decision to stay exactly where you are.
Either can be a successful outcome if the decision is informed and fits your priorities.
RESET Does Not Tell You What to Choose
RESET is a decision framework, not a prescription.
- It does not assume everyone should relocate.
- It does not assume everyone should downsize.
- It does not assume everyone should stop working.
- It does not assume everyone should keep working.
- It does not assume renting is better than owning, or owning is better than renting.
- It does not assume Baja, or any other location, is right for everyone.
The purpose is to improve the decision-making process, not manufacture the decision.
RESET and the Retirement Reality Center
RESET provides the process.
The Retirement Reality Center helps provide the evidence.
Research, comparisons, costs, risks, assumptions, and practical information can help you evaluate the variables involved in a retirement decision.
Understand the numbers. Examine the tradeoffs. Decide for yourself.
Your Retirement Is Allowed to Evolve
You do not need to solve the rest of your life today.
Rethink.
Evaluate.
Select.
Execute.
Track.
Then RESET again when life changes.