The Retirement Rebellion - How Gen X Retires and The Challenges They Face with Dan Haylett

Show Notes What if retirement planning isn't really about retirement at all, but about helping clients build the life they want next? In this episode of Financial Behavior Thought Leaders, Mary Bell Carlson sits down with Dan Haylett to explore why Gen X is challenging traditional ideas about retirement and what financial advisors need to understand about this emerging generation of "retirement rebels." Dan explains why traditional retirement planning can fall flat with Gen X, particularly when the conversation focuses primarily on spreadsheets, investments, and financial optimization. Instead, he shares why purpose, identity, relationships, structure, and well-being need to be part of the conversation—and how money can serve as "freedom fuel" for the life clients want to lead. The conversation also dives into how spending can reveal a client's values, why advisors should pay attention to the connection between money and well-being, and how the FIRE movement reflects a broader shift toward viewing money as a tool for creating freedom and possibility. Dan and Mary discuss: • Why Gen X is approaching retirement differently from previous generations • What Dan means by "retirement rebels" • Why traditional retirement planning can feel disconnected from what clients actually want • How purpose and values influence spending and financial decisions • Why advisors should look beyond a client's bank statement and ask what their spending means • Dan's "retirement code" and the human, financial, and behavioral elements of planning • Why purpose, identity, relationships, structure, and well-being belong in retirement conversations • How advisors can close the gap between the financial plan and what retirement actually feels like for the client Dan also shares practical questions and exercises advisors can bring into their day-to-day client conversations, helping them connect purpose and identity to spending decisions, relationships with money, and the advisor-client relationship. Notable quote "The plan and the person rarely meet in the middle." Key takeaway Retirement planning is about more than the numbers. For today's clients, advisors have an opportunity to connect the financial plan with purpose, values, identity, and the life their clients want to create—closing the gap between what the numbers cover and what retirement actually feels like. Resources & Links: • More about Dan: https://www.humansvsretirement.com/ • More about having Dan come to speak: https://financialbehaviorkeynote.com/... Connect with Dan: • LinkedIn:   / dan-haylett-retirement-coach