Ingram's July 2026

KANSAS CITY, 2040 What does this region look like farther down the road if today’s trends simply run their course? Battmer’s answer blends optimism about technology with a warn

lationships, physical and mental health, faith, continued learning and opportu nities to contribute. The healthiest re tirements are the ones where both bal ance sheets are in good order.”

ately think, ‘I have to have a large chunk of assets in concentrated investments,’” he said. “All they’re really doing over the long run is guaranteeing lower portfolio values. You need to be focused on the

The trend line is constantly changing. The traditional concepts around retire ment have changed dramatically as we’ve drifted much more toward a service based economy than a hard-labor one. And that changes what someone is going to need in retirement—financially, and for their emotional livelihood.” — Jamie Battmer, Chief Investment Officer for Creative Planning “

long run, especially those in a position where their time horizon needs to extend even beyond what it’s been in the past.” Successful people, in other words, tend to over-trust the asset that made them successful, at precisely the mo ment their planning horizon demands diversification. And Battmer reserves particular criticism for how the industry has framed safety itself. “The financial industry has misguid ed so many for too long with ‘these are the safest investments,’” he said. “That strategy is the most dangerous, because it increases the likelihood that your portfolio will not reach its full potential. There’s been a massive outperformance of equities, and that produces a recency bias. But if you draw back 100 years, keeping money in cash and ultra-low risk investments—after inflation, you’re barely breaking even.” Boswell sees a second executive blind spot—one that has nothing to do with allocation, and one he discovered by retiring and then coming back. “Most executives are good at prepar ing financially but spend far less time preparing personally,” he said. “They build retirement portfolios but not re tirement identities. Financial indepen dence creates choices, but it doesn’t tell us what will make those choices mean ingful.” His prescription borrows the lan guage of the boardroom. “Throughout my career, I reviewed financial balance sheets. Retirement taught me that each of us also has a life balance sheet. Finan cial assets are important, but so are re

ing about preparedness. “The hope is that tech will solve for a lot of that,” he said. “AI now can make radiologists five times as productive as they used to be. So we’re hoping to create productivity enhancements broadly. But if you’re on the brink of retirement and don’t have the right type of consulting, that’s going to be a problem, and it will produce further strain on an entire system that’s already under stress.” Boswell reads the same demographic hand and sees an asset where others see only strain. “Our community is filled with experi enced leaders who have decades of accu mulated knowledge, relationships and wisdom,” he said. “If we create opportuni ties for those individuals to continue men toring, serving, teaching and contributing, our businesses and nonprofit organiza tions will become even stronger. Kansas City is a community where retirement isn’t viewed as stepping away from signifi cance, but stepping into a new season of contribution.” Two answers, one conclusion: Preparation will determine whether the retirement economy becomes a burden on this region or one of its greatest resources. Or, as Boswell distills it: “Great financial planning isn’t about helping people retire. It’s about helping people live intention ally.” For millions of Americans, the retire ment economy has arrived, whether they’re ready for it or not. The question is whether institutions, businesses and individuals are prepared for what comes next.

A Different Kind of Retirement Perhaps the biggest misconception about retirement is that it represents withdrawal. In reality, older Americans remain deeply engaged in economic life. They continue working, they volunteer, they provide caregiving and support fam ily members. They contribute significant purchasing power to local economies. “Retirement is becoming less of a destination and more of a transition,” Boswell said. “People are living longer, healthier and more active lives. Many aren’t interested in simply stopping work—they want the freedom to choose different work.” Some teach or consult, he notes; others mentor, serve on non profit boards or launch businesses. Boswell counts himself in that col umn. “I didn’t return because I needed another job,” he said of his own re-entry. “I returned because I realized I still had something to contribute.” AARP’s most recent analysis found that Americans over 50 generate enor mous economic value not only through employment and consumption but through unpaid caregiving and volun teer activities as well. And as Kansas City confronts con tinuing work-force shortages, business transitions, nagging housing challeng es and the largest generational wealth transfer in history, retirement planning becomes something larger than person al finance—it becomes regional plan ning, an issue worthy of more attention from the civic and public sectors as a matter of policy.

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July 2026

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