The Baby Boom Experience

Most people don't look back on their lives wishing they had spent more time at the office. But neither do most people do what's necessary to secure the cash they'll need to pay for the retirement lifestyle of their dreams.

Now more than ever, it takes strategic planning to turn your retirement dreams into reality -- especially if you're one of the estimated 76 million members of the baby-boom generation born between 1946 and 1964.

Because of their sheer numbers, baby boomers have long had the economic impact of a demographic tsunami. It's no different this year as the first wave turns 64, an age said by many boomers to be a great time for starting life after work.

The timetable seems especially fitting for a generation defined in part by the soundtrack of a decade whose leading symbols include the iconic rock band that famously set to music the youthful Paul McCartney's vision of what his life might be like "When I'm 64."

The former Beatle probably had no idea how good it would get. His generational cohorts should be so lucky: hardly anyone seems safe from the global economic turmoil and record unemployment that has proven to be a shocking game-changer for successful business owners and highly paid professionals alike.

Before the worldwide downturn, an often-quoted estimate said that $40.6 trillion in wealth and property would change hands when boomers hang up their hats and pass the legacy down to the next generation. While the real number may now be anybody's guess, it's still likely to be the largest peacetime transfer of wealth in human history.

What is certain is that more people are now competing for a slice of a shrinking economic pie. That makes it all the more critical to write your strategic exit plan today -- especially if you're looking down the barrel of imminent retirement.

Dreams come in many shapes and sizes. Yours may include traveling to exotic locales, supporting a favorite charity, or simply having enough money in the bank to protect your nearest and dearest from financial misfortune.

If you're among those fortunate enough to be in possession of a small or midsized business, the sale of that business is likely to be the largest single source of retirement funding available to you. The sooner you get to work on your exit strategy, the greater your chance of maximizing the revenue you'll receive when the final sale is closed.

Don't forget that our lifespan is statistically the longest humans have ever lived. Those extra years won't come without cost. Phasecorp can help you plan ahead, increase the value of your personal and corporate assets, even document a professional opinion of their fair-market value as ammunition for a sales campaign.

However you picture your life after work, the right exit strategy can go a long way toward making it a reality.