Build Your Life Portfolio: How to Step Into Your Next Chapter
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Estimated Read Time 4 Minutes
Retirement is not an ending - it’s an opportunity. A Life Portfolio helps you balance purpose, energy, and impact so your next chapter is vibrant, meaningful, and resilient.
What if retirement isn’t what you think it is?
You’ve planned for decades. Savings, investments, 401(k)s. You’re careful, diligent, disciplined. And yet, when you picture retirement, something feels off. Quiet. Empty. Missing purpose.
That’s the fear most of us carry. The unknown. Not money. Not health. Purpose. What will fill your days? What will make your life feel meaningful?
The Shift: Life is a portfolio
Inspired by Annie Coleman, who advises senior leaders on designing their “third chapter,” I’ve adopted a simple idea: treat your life like a portfolio.
A Life Portfolio isn’t about numbers. It’s about assets that create fulfillment, energy, and impact. Three categories matter most:
Productive Assets – What keeps you growing?
These are your skills, your talents, your “what you bring to the table.” They don’t vanish when your job ends. They just need a new home.
Ask yourself:
What energizes me?
What skills or interests have I neglected?
How can I use my experience to add value in a fresh way?
Investing here keeps your mind sharp and your sense of purpose alive. Lifelong learning is not a luxury, it’s essential for a long, meaningful life.
Vitality Assets – What keeps you strong?
No portfolio thrives without energy. Vitality assets include your health, relationships, and emotional resilience.
Think about:
Who lifts you up, challenges you, makes life enjoyable?
What habits will keep you moving, thinking, laughing?
Your energy is your currency. Neglect it, and even the most well-planned life can feel dull or lonely. Protect it, nurture it, grow it.
Transformation Assets – What leaves a mark?
Transformation assets are about purpose, legacy, and impact. They’re the ways you contribute beyond yourself.
Ideas include:
Mentorship or teaching
Volunteering or community projects
Creative or entrepreneurial endeavors
The most profound fulfillment often comes from using your decades of experience in a way that touches others. This is where your life becomes meaningful in ways money can’t buy.
Why a Life Portfolio matters
Studies consistently show that people with a clear sense of purpose live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives. Yet we often prioritize finances over meaning.
A Life Portfolio bridges that gap. It ensures your post-career years are vibrant, connected, and purposeful. At Longevity Wealth Strategies, we believe wealth is a tool for freedom, but purpose gives it meaning.
Your next chapter is not a wind-down. It’s a launchpad.
How do you start your Life Portfolio?
It doesn’t need to be perfect. Like financial planning, it’s iterative.
Take inventory. What skills, passions, or relationships have been underutilized?
Experiment. Try creative, social, paid, and volunteer projects.
Rebalance often. Life changes, and so should your portfolio.
This approach is inspired by Annie Coleman, who developed the Life Portfolio framework to help leaders design structured, purposeful next chapters. While this post is written from my perspective, her work forms the foundation for thinking intentionally about life beyond your career.
Learn more at Annie’s Website:
Build your Life Portfolio alongside your financial plan.
Schedule a Wealthspan Review™ Strategy Session to step into your next chapter with purpose, energy, and impact.
Your Next Step
Schedule Your Wealthspan Review™Disclaimer: The information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or financial advice. Consult with a licensed professional before making financial decisions.
