What's your MacGuffin?
Why your retirement needs a purpose, not just a portfolio
I wrote about books last week.
My thanks to each of you who replied with book recommendations.
This week, let’s go to the movies…
Remember the Ark of the Covenant in Indiana Jones?
Everyone in the movie is chasing it.
Same with the One Ring in Lord of the Rings or the Heart of the Ocean diamond in Titanic.
In movies, this is called a MacGuffin.
It’s the thing that drives the story forward.
It doesn’t matter what the MacGuffin is.
What matters is how people act because of it.
The MacGuffin gets them moving, making choices, and writing the story of their lives.
And here’s the thing: your life has a MacGuffin too.
Especially your retirement.
Why a MacGuffin Matters in Real Life
Your money isn’t the story.
Your investments, your savings, your Social Security strategy — those are simply tools.
They’re the props, the set, the special effects in your retirement story.
Important, sure, but they don’t drive the plot.
What drives the plot of your life — what drives every decision you make about retirement — is your MacGuffin.
It could be anything:
More time with your grandkids
Travel
Volunteering or giving back
Finally writing that book you’ve been talking about for 20 years
Peace of mind — knowing you’ll be okay no matter what happens
Your MacGuffin doesn’t have to be big or flashy.
It only has to matter to you.
The funny thing about MacGuffins?
No one else has to care about yours.
In fact, they won’t — and that’s okay.
What matters is that it matters to YOU.
Someone else’s idea of a great retirement might leave you scratching your head, and your version might not make sense to them.
That’s the point: you’re writing your story, not theirs.
The Power of Naming It
Here’s the funny thing about MacGuffins in movies: half the time, they don’t even matter in the end.
Indiana Jones could have stayed home and the Nazis still would have melted. (Sorry, spoiler alert for a 40-year-old movie.)
But without chasing the Ark, Indy wouldn’t have had the adventure that changed him.
Your MacGuffin works the same way.
Even if what you want today changes later, naming it gives you direction and clarity.
It helps you make better decisions with your money, your time, and your energy.
When you know what you’re chasing, it’s easier to:
Decide what’s worth spending money on — and what’s not
Say yes to things that move you closer to the life you want
Say no to things that pull you away from it
What’s Your MacGuffin?
Some of my clients come to me with their MacGuffin already clear.
“My grandkids live in California. I want to be able to fly out anytime, without worrying about the cost.”
“I want to leave a legacy for my kids, not just money, but something that shows them what I cared about.”
Others aren’t sure.
They’ve been working, saving, and checking all the boxes for decades — but no one’s ever asked them what all that money is for.
That’s okay.
You don’t have to have it all figured out right now.
But it’s worth asking yourself:
If my retirement was a movie, what would drive the story?
What’s the thing that gets me out of bed, excited for the day ahead?
Because once you know, the rest of the story — including the financial planning part — gets a lot easier.
Here’s My Challenge to You
Take five minutes today and think about it.
Or better yet, talk about it with someone you trust.
What’s your MacGuffin?
Whatever it is, own it.
It doesn’t have to be flashy, impressive, or make sense to anyone else.
It just has to be yours.
And if you’re not sure where to start, that’s what I help my clients do every day — discover their personal MacGuffin, and then build the financial plan that makes it real.
Because life’s too short to chase someone else’s story.
Links & things
Please read this recent article from Morgan Housel.
Instead of his usual writing, this one is deliberately filled with some:
I appreciate your continued readership.
Please let me know if you have any feedback or suggestions for future essays.
Until next Wednesday,
Russ
Russ - Great idea to promote focus. which promotes involvement.
Such a great post! I love the MacGuffin reference, and also this: "Indiana Jones could have stayed home and the Nazis still would have melted." 🙂 And it makes so much sense. It's actually something we constantly work on in coaching, the lofty goal matters more because of the sense of direction it gives us than in itself. Thanks, Russ.