Words of Wisdom for Redefining Wealth in 2026
The freshness of the New Year can also help us gain a fresh perspective on what's really important and what we want to accomplish.
From a comprehensive financial planning perspective, that might mean looking beyond your numbers and thinking about what your money is really for.
On today's show, my Keen on Retirement co-hosts and I share a few words of wisdom that I hope will help you maintain balance during the inevitable ups and downs of the markets, the news, and your life in the year ahead.
1. Experience Today
One of Keen Wealth's long-time clients has experienced some significant adversity in recent years, including an unexpected job loss and a difficult divorce. He's beloved around the Keen Wealth office because, despite these challenges, he always brings a positive attitude to every one of his meetings with us. He regularly reminds me and my team members:
"Go out today and experience something that no one has ever experienced since the beginning of time. Experience today, experience this moment and make new memories."
Much like the financial markets, life never proceeds in a straight line. Sometimes you have to take a couple steps back before you can make a leap forward. The key to resilience is anchoring yourself in the present and making the most of the opportunities you have today.
It also never hurts to have a team that you can turn to for trustworthy advice when the road ahead looks bumpy. I'm so proud that this gentleman told us that Keen Wealth was his "first call" when he ran into difficult life transitions. That speaks to the value that a fiduciary advisor can provide when life and money intersect, and the power of a comprehensive financial plan to support you when you need it the most.
2. Let Go
It's so easy to get caught up in wanting more and more and more. Not just more money, but more of the idealized version of life we often see on social media, where folks are always buying new stuff, taking amazing vacations, and living their best lives -- seemingly without any of the stress the rest of us have to deal with on a daily basis.
In her book The Soul of Money, Lynne Twist challenges our modern obsession with accumulation:
"When you let go of trying to get more of what you don't really need, it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you have. When you make a difference with what you have, it expands."
Now, Twist isn't suggesting that we should stop striving to do well in our careers and personal lives. And she's not saying that we shouldn't want nice things, grand experiences, or a little more comfort.
What she's suggesting is to ask ourselves, "Why?" Why do we want a bigger house? Why do we want more clothes and gadgets? Are we using our resources in pursuit of things that are really making our lives better? Or are we just chasing more for the sake of more?
Twist’s ideas also dovetail with a famous quote from Teddy Roosevelt:
“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Once we stop worrying about what we don't have, we have more energy to focus on our real blessings: our relationships, daily moments of happiness, our capacity to learn and grow and improve our skills, and our ability to give back and improve the world around us.
3. Balance Polarities
Living intentionally often requires us to balance competing forces. For the past two years, my podcast co-host, business coach Steve Sanduski, has identified three such “polarities” that he wants to navigate more effectively in the coming year.
For 2026, Steve's polarities are:
Mythos – Method: Living a meaningful story while building the habits and systems that bring it to life.
Compass – Wind: Setting a clear direction while adapting to changing conditions along the way.
Precision – Poetry: Writing with clarity and accuracy while leaving room for language that moves and awakens the reader.
Do you often feel like you're being pulled in several different directions, or between two competing goals? Personally? Professionally? Financially?
Getting specific about some of the polarities in your own life might help you identify ways to find more balance and achieve more at both ends.
4. Fully Experience Life
Author Henry David Thoreau famously spent two years, two months, and two days living in a cabin on Walden Pond, reflecting and writing about living simply and self-sufficiency.
Among Thoreau's most famous quotes is:
"Wealth is the ability to fully experience life."
As I often tell folks, money isn't an end in and of itself. It's just the engine that drives your life and helps you get where you want to go. I don't believe you're truly wealthy unless the money you have is providing you with memorable experiences, deep connections, and a true sense of purpose.
And, once you retire, your wealth should provide the freedom and security you need to spend your time doing the things you love with the people who matter the most.
Live on Purpose in 2026
I think the common thread that connects all these quotes is the importance of being intentional. Once you know what you want to accomplish this year, in the future, and in retirement, you can work backwards and make small improvements that will bring you a little closer to your goals every single day.
Start off your year with a visit to Keen Wealth and let’s talk about how our comprehensive planning process can help you live more intentionally and experience more every day.
This testimonial was provided by a client of Keen Wealth Advisors. The client provided the testimonial on their own initiative and was not offered or provided cash or non-cash compensation in exchange. Client experiences may vary.
About Bill
Bill Keen is a financial advisor with over 30 years of industry experience. As the founder and CEO of Keen Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisory firm, he focuses on providing personalized retirement planning designed to help people thrive before and during their retirement years. With a passion for educating others, Bill regularly blogs about retirement planning, hosts the podcast Keen on Retirement, and has contributed to Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, Reuters, Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, Yahoo Finance, and other publications. Based in Overland Park, Kansas, Bill and his team work with clients throughout the greater Kansas City area and across the nation. To learn more, connect with him on LinkedIn or visit www.keenwealthadvisors.com.
KWMG, LLC’s dba Keen Wealth Advisors (“company”) is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor located in Overland Park, KS. The company and its representatives may only conduct business in those states where registered or where excluded/exempt or from licensure. For registration information, please contact the SEC or the state securities regulators for the states where the company is notice filed. A copy of the company ADV is available upon request. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where the company and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. No advice may be rendered by the company unless a client service agreement is in place. This information is not intended to be investment advice or construed as a recommendation or endorsement of any particular investment or investment strategy and is for illustrative purposes only. Clients and prospective clients must consider all relevant risk factors involved with each strategy, including costs or fees, and their own personal financial situations before trading.
The views outlined in the book, Keen on Retirement Engineering the Second Half of Your Life, are those of the author and should not be construed as individualized or personalized investment advice. Any economic and/or performance information cited is historical and not indicative of future results. Economic forecasts set forth may not develop as predicted.
The Amazon Best Seller ranking listed on marketing materials is specifically referring to Best Seller rankings for the Kindle Top 100 Paid Lists under the subcategories of: Budgeting and Financial Risk Management, based on data as of September 5, 2019 and the second edition under Financial Risk Management on October 26, 2022. Amazon rankings although relevant on how a product is selling overall doesn’t necessarily indicate how well an item is selling among other similar items or similar item categories. Amazon may choose the most popular categories or subcategories within which an item has a high ranking to determine its best seller rankings. These rankings are updated hourly and as a result, should be expected to fluctuate as such. Keen Wealth Advisors and Amazon are not affiliated entities.
The Steve Sanduski Advisor Network, Belay Advisor, LLC and other third-party contributors to our blogs and podcasts are not affiliated with Keen Wealth Advisors.
For additional details on Keen Wealth Advisors, please visit https://www.keenwealthadvisors.com/important-disclosures.
20260114-5122877-16149446