Are you a plotter or a pantser with your money?
Why the best retirement plan mixes structure with flexibility
I read a lot.
Mostly fiction.
I enjoy sci-fi and fantasy books, but often explore other genres.
Note: If you have a favorite book you’d recommend, please reply or leave a comment below. It can be old or new and from any genre. I’m always looking for good books to add to my “to be read” list.
I just finished listening to the audiobook version of “11/22/63” by Stephen King.
In this book, he repeatedly uses the phrase “the past is obdurate,” which is an idea I plan to revisit in a future essay.
I’ve read several books by both Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson.
They’re two of the most successful writers alive, but they couldn’t approach writing more differently.
King doesn’t outline his books.
He starts with an idea and discovers the story as he writes — what writers call being a “pantser,” short for “flying by the seat of your pants.”
Sanderson is the opposite.
He outlines everything before he starts, mapping out every scene like a carefully plotted road trip.
And you know what?
When it comes to your money — and retirement planning in particular — most of us lean one way or the other, too.
What’s a financial plan, really?
A lot of people think it’s a script — a rigid, step-by-step instruction manual.
Save this much.
Spend this much.
Invest exactly like this.
That’s not how I see it.
A good financial plan is part outline, part discovery framework.
It gives you structure — clear priorities and guardrails — but it also leaves room to adjust when life surprises you.
And life will absolutely surprise you.
The market will zig when you expect it to zag.
A health scare might shift your priorities overnight.
You might fall in love with Costa Rica and decide you do want that 2-month summer rental after all.
If your financial plan can’t bend, it will eventually break.
It needs to be resilient.
Which type are you?
Think about how you feel when you look ahead to retirement:
Do you feel calmer when every step is mapped out?
Or do you prefer to keep things flexible, deciding as you go?
There’s no right or wrong answer.
Some of my clients want detailed projections for the next 25+ years.
Others just want to know, “Can I do what I want this year and still be okay?”
It might be helpful knowing which approach you naturally lean toward.
That’s how we build a plan that feels natural to you — not a straitjacket you’ll fight against.
A quick story
One of my clients, Laura, is a natural pantser.
She lights up when we talk about travel, hobbies, and family time — but her eyes glaze over if I show her a spreadsheet.
For her, we keep things high level: spending guardrails and semi-annual check-ins.
She has the freedom to say yes to things that excite her, knowing we’ve already accounted for the big risks.
Another client, Sarah, is the opposite.
Sarah loves details.
She wants to see the long-term projections, the tax modeling, the “if-this-then-that” scenarios.
It gives her peace of mind to know how the pieces fit together.
Both approaches work — because they fit who they are.
Your retirement, your story
Stephen King still edits.
Brandon Sanderson leaves room for surprises.
The best plans, like the best stories, blend both approaches: enough structure to keep you on track, enough flexibility to enjoy the unexpected.
Retirement isn’t about following someone else’s script.
It’s about writing your own story — one that gives you freedom and peace of mind.
And the best stories?
They always leave room for discovery… without wandering too far off the map.
I appreciate your continued readership.
Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions for future essays.
Until next Wednesday,
Russ
Nice email today Russ!! Keep it up!