On Understanding Transition Traits

Written by Susan Bradley

Life transitions don’t happen in a vacuum. There is no “retirement” without a person who is retiring. It’s silly just thinking about that, right? And yet, financial services professionals often treat “retirement” as their subject. They plan for “retirement” with their very helpful toolbox of technical assessments and fixes. But “retirement” is a word describing a major life event that is being experienced by an individual. And that individuals' responses and decisions are directly impacted by their emotions; the amount and quality of energy they have; their relationship to stress; and their history of resilience. Transitions affect how we think, feel, and act. Sometimes those effects hamper our thinking, negatively affect our emotions and result in unwise actions. We call that phenomenon transition Struggle, and it can take many forms, including attention span difficulties and withdrawal. On the other hand, some people experience transitions as invigorating and meet their challenges with enthusiasm and clarity. We call this transition Flow.  Financial services professionals who can recognize Transition Traits and provide their clients with processes and tools to best meet those traits (and yes, there are tools for Flow, as it can always be enhanced) are offering an invaluable service. Yes, the client will make more skillful decisions during this process. But as important, they will be developing a life skill that they can use when their next major life event comes knocking. And it always does.