“Rest time is not waste time. It’s economy to gather fresh strength.”
Hey Sunday Brewers! Here’s what’s inside this week’s issue:
✅ Use this 7-step hack to fall asleep in as little as 90 seconds.
✅ The profound way men & women disagree on retirement
✅ Did the market bottom in October? One advisor’s technical analysis
The First Sip
Meet Happy, the bull who has defied odds and moo-ved hearts on a dairy farm in Australia.
Born without the ability to make milk – something that usually gives a bull a one-way ticket to nowhere good – Happy’s got a secret weapon that kicked in the moment he hit the grass at Barry Coster’s dairy farm…
Making people SMILE 😀
This Holstein calf sports a natural, genetic smiley face on one side, courtesy of random black and white patterns on his coat.
Megan Coster told ABC Australia, “We’ve seen some number sevens or love hearts on the head, and a few strange markings, but we’ve never seen anything that resembles a smiley face before.”
Megan even thought Happy was a graffiti victim when her husband sent her a pic.
“I couldn’t believe it—I actually zoomed in at first to make sure that none of our workers had added some extra lines or anything,” she shared.
Happy’s one-of-a-kind markings have earned him a permanent spot on the farm – an unofficial mascot of sorts.
Barry’s crew loves having Happy around.
Between the smiles and his A+ lawn-munching skills, he’s become a major part of the farm.
We thought of a few ways to milk this story, but decided to hoof it back to real news. #dadjokes
1 Caffeinated Neurohack
Have trouble sleeping?
1 in 6 adults say they have trouble falling asleep, while nearly 1 in 5 have trouble staying asleep.
So you’re not alone.
Aside from being frustrating, a lack of sleep has a negative carryover effect during the day – hurting your ability to serve your clients as well as you can.
And while I’m not a doctor and I can’t prescribe any solutions to serious sleep disorders – I do want to share a helpful sleep hack.
I call this the 7-Step Sleep Method, and it’s something that’s been used for decades by people in high-stress jobs.
In fact, in his book Relax and Win, author Lloyd Winter says it guarantees sleep in around 90 seconds.
Here’s what you do:
- Relax your entire face
- Drop the shoulders to release the tension
- Let your hands drop to the side of your body.
- Exhale, relaxing your chest.
- Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
- Clear your mind for 10 seconds.
- Repeat the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.
Give it a try and let me know what you think! 😴
☕ TL;DR: Use this 7-step hack to fall asleep in as little as 90 seconds.
Marketing Psychology Quick Hit
Okay, I just ran across an intriguing study by MIT AgeLab that I have to share with you.
The basic gist of it is this…
Fascinating, right?
The study’s authors examined the types of words people use to describe life after a career, and there was a huge difference between men and women.
“Overwhelmingly, middle-aged and retirement age men used words that reflected brochure imagery of retirement, e.g., ‘rest,’ ‘relax,’ ‘hobbies,’” the study explains.
“In contrast, women of the same age described life after work as ‘freedom,’ ‘peace,’ and phrasing like ‘time for me.’”
My big takeaway…
We have to communicate retirement differently to men and women (from a macro viewpoint).
Men see retirement as a final destination – a reprieve from the 40-year grind of ‘clocking in.’
Women see retirement as another chapter in their journey – a chance to pursue dreams.
(Some might even WANT to go back to work full-time or pick up a new career.)
Volunteering is another big one for women in retirement. (Data shows the strongest part of the country’s volunteer workforce is women 50+.)
As advisors, we have to be careful not to assume that everyone’s version of retirement looks like slumping into the sofa and watching M*A*S*H reruns while crushing Cheez-Its.
No two people share the same vision of retirement.
It’s up to you to find what each client’s vision is so that you can communicate the power of planning in a language that they find compelling.
☕ TL;DR: Study says men & women often disagree on retirement
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Weekly Industry Catch-Up
🔹 Market musings. Did the market bottom in October? Are we headed toward a more bullish trend for equities this spring? Are we merely in a correction phase – skipping a full-blown recession, altogether?
Here’s an interesting technical analysis that attempts to answer these questions.
🔹 Retirement shift. The U.S. is seeing more millennial and Gen Z workers contributing to their savings or retirement plans in 2021 than compared to 2006.
Researchers say this is primarily due to automatic 401(k) enrollments and target-date funds. Vanguard client participation increased across all age groups as well, rising from 62% in 2006 to 82% in 2021.
🔹 RMD mistake. JPMorgan Chase studied 31k people approaching and entering retirement and found that 84% of retirees only take the minimum upon reaching RMD age – something that doesn’t necessarily maximize funds.
As study authors explain, “A flexible withdrawal strategy tied to actual spending behaviors of retirees is more effective for meeting income needs.” It also lessens the chances of dying with a large balance left over.”
Happy Sunday,
Jeremiah D. Desmarais
CEO, Advisorist
#1 in ROI-Driven Training for Advisors
