Thebest way to get ready for the show—and the only way to reallyunderstand how the show will go—is during dress rehearsal. (Photo:Shutterstock)

At my college reunion a few years back, a classmate came up tome with his wife and adult children. He had a beaming smile. Heproudly introduced me to his family as the man who changed his life. I had no idea.

In the course of everyday life, what is often considered routineto us can be significant—even life-changing—to others. Forprofessionals who work daily in the forest of finance, the excitingbecomes routine and the routine becomes numb. We find ourselvestraveling a road that's as familiar as the back of our hand. Webecome less impressed with our knowledge, sometimes to the point weassume everyone knows what we know. They don't.

Christopher Carosa, CTFA, ischief
contributing editor for FiduciaryNews.com,
a leading provider of essential news and
information, blunt commentary and practical examples for
ERISA/401(k) fiduciaries, individual trustees and
professional fiduciaries.

That's where we can best help.

Related: A 'retirement ready' Thanksgivinglist

When it comes to advising employees on what they need to do toincrease the odds they will retire in comfort, experience shows usstrategies and tactics exist that go far beyond merely saving more.We know this, but the typical retirement saver doesn't.

Adequate preparation means more than merely finding the companywith the best benefits or working multiple jobs. Yes, financialpreparation remains a keystone to a comfortable retirement, butputting all one's eggs in that single basket will leave onefrustrated. There's more to retirement thansimply creating a bucket list of items to spend on and having themoney to pay for that spending.

Those who advise current retirees see this firsthand.It therefore makes sense to share these observations with peoplebefore they retire. There's the rub.

We speak in a language of familiarity on the subject, but it's alanguage the intended audience generally isn't conversant in. Tobreak through this communication barrier, I suggest using thefollowing metaphor.

Most people are familiar with acting, if only becauseShakespeare is required reading in high school. They know actorspractice by reading the lines. That's how they prepare for theirperformance, but it's not the only way. For those who have beenactors, they'll tell you it's not even the best way.

The best way to get ready for the show—and the only wayto really understand how the show will go—is during dressrehearsal. In dress rehearsal, everything is exactly likeit will be when the curtain goes up. The only thing missing is theaudience. Without an audience, actors have no fear of missing theircues, forgetting their lines, or breaking character.

Saving for retirement is like an actor practicing the lines of aplay. It's necessary, but it's not the only thing. Retirementsavers should have several “dress rehearsals” for retirementimmediately prior to retirement.

How can they do this without knowing anything about the actualshow? By getting advice from someone who has seen the show plentyof times.

That's the adviser.

Who knows? Years from now, someone may come up to you and say,“You changed my life.”

More retirement readinessadvice: 

• What you need to know about the '3 hobbies ofretirement'
• The FIRE movement and the advisor'srole
• How to plan for retiree health carecosts