General instructions:

Living the life you want will require 3 things:

Having a VISION of what is important to you
Setting GOALS and working hard to ACCOMPLISH them
Living DELIBERATELY

This project is intended to help you consider the important elements that lead to a successful life. There are NO right or wrong answers in this project. Your life is up to you and only you will decide how your life turns out. Be optimistic and very realistic in this plan.

NOTE: This project should be written as if you are approaching your retirement (assume you’re 60 years old). Ideally, you will write in the past tense (“I have done…” or “I completed…” instead of “I plan to…”)

This project must be typed in standard format 12 pt. font with double line spacing. The emphasis of this project is the quality of content and not a specific length. To make this project easier to complete it has been broken down into 4 sections (steps).

Section 1: Family / Lifestyle (approx. 1-2 pages)

In this section of the project you will describe your family (spouse, children, grandchildren, etc.) and your lifestyle (where and how you live). Be very specific but do not discuss your income, wealth or career (these items will be discussed in other sections.

Some of the items to consider are: Family size, family activities (camping, boating), travelling, dining out, etc., hobbies (music, cars, sports, skiing, etc.), passions, involvement in organizations, where do you live (city, rural, farm, mountains)

Section 2: Career Planning (approx.. 1-2 pages)

In this section you will focus on all aspects of your career. How you spent your income will be discussed in the next section.

Some items to consider are: chosen career, income, benefits, hours, travel, job satisfaction, current high school grades, workplace environment, co-workers (personality types), pros and cons of the career, career location, possible addition streams of income, entrepreneurship, educational/training requirement, specific skills needed, career changes over time, technology risks,

Section 3: Finance & Wealth (approx. 2-3 pages)

In this section you will discuss your income, cash flow and how you have built wealth.

Some of the items to consider are: income vs cash flow, appropriate budgeting, size of home, type of cars/transportation, variable vs fixed expenses, needs vs wants, savings plan, emergency fund, impact of taxation, investment/retirement plan, 401k, IRAs, cash investments, stocks, bonds, real estate, alternative investments, how investment allocations have changed over time, insurance considerations

Section 4: The Completed Project

This is where you put all the pieces of your life plan together. You will assemble the previous three sections and add a shorter fourth section.

This section will consist of three parts:

Personal Characteristics: In this section you will discuss what is important (and not important) to you. Identify the attributes and characteristics you have developed over your lifetime. Do you like the person you’ve become?
Adjustments to the Plan: This is where you will make sure that the first three sections are compatible. This plan will need to be consistent. For example, your income will need to match your lifestyle and expenses.
Personal Reflections: Describe and discuss what you have learned from this project. What have you taken away from this project? How will you use this Life Plan to help you make decisions now and in the near future?