A Retirement Lesson from a Dallas Legend

This month Dallas-Fort Worth said goodbye to a legend when Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks announced his retirement from the NBA after playing his entire 21-year career with the franchise.  It was a very fun and high energy event but also a very emotional one for both Dirk and Dallas Mavericks fans alike.  Dirk is not only one of the greatest players to ever play the game, reaching the pinnacle the sport in 2011 by defeating LeBron James and bringing Dallas our first and only NBA Championship, but, by all accounts from anyone who has ever met him, he is an even better human being.  His humility, kindness, hard work, and dedication to his fans, teammates, and franchise is unparalleled by any professional athlete in sports history.

The point of this article is not just to praise a Dallas legend as he rides off into the sunset but to use his situation to reflect on something that many of our clients can relate to, retirement.  In his post-game press conference Dirk was asked what he would do in retirement now that his playing days are over.  He replied, to the effect, that he has not really thought about it.  First and foremost, he said he will spend more time with his family and travel for a year or two but after that he is not quite sure what he will do.  He also shared with the media that leading up to his last game and retirement announcement he had several emotional breakdowns at his home when thinking about retiring from the game.

Dealing with life after retirement is a really hard time for most people.  Nearly all your life you have dedicated incredible time and effort to mastering your craft and then all of the sudden it’s gone.  It can be very hard to cope with no longer having your work to motivate you and give you a strong purpose to get up and around every morning.  Even for a professional athlete like Dirk who has accomplished everything there is to accomplish in his job, saying goodbye and moving on to the next chapter is scary when you don’t know what it will be.

Here at Virtus Wealth Management, yes we manage investments, put together financial plans, and work with our clients to help them reach retirement, but it does not stop there.  Having the experience of seeing many people go through this transition also allows us to help clients prepare for the mental side of retirement.  Knowing what to expect and having a plan of what retirement will look like for you can have a tremendously positive effect on the mental transition into the next chapter of your life.  Let us help you plan to re-focus your mental effort and re-discover your passion so your retirement can be as happy and meaningful as it should be, you deserve it.