3. Activities and Hobbies. "People really need to identify what it is that they like to do and then figure out how to free up the time to do it. While in retirement, some people have plenty of time, but no priority as to the things that they want to do."

LaValley recommends a simple exercise involving writing down the 10 things that you like to do most in life, and also writing down the date that you last did them. "A lot of people are really surprised that they haven't spent a lot of time in their lives doing the things that they like to do. In the next stage of their lives, they have an opportunity to fix that."

4. Home and where you want to live. "A lot of people have dreams about where they want to live in the next stage, but no plan to make that happen." LaValley suggests that his clients come to a clear understanding of how they feel about the location in which they live. "Decide what your dream is and then build a plan to make it happen, even if your time horizon is farther away."

5. Friends and Socialization. LaValley notes that many of our relationships have been formed in the workplace and don't tend to transfer when we leave. "As we get older, our social relationships increase in importance and it is important to begin to build them to survive the workplace."

6. Healthy Aging. "One of the saddest things that I see is people who are doing very well financially and still have the desire to enjoy their lives, but have lost their health." He notes that there are some things relating to our health that we cannot control. However, "your plan for the next stage of your life has to include some thought on how you can feel as good as you can physically to really start to enjoy yourself."

7. Family. LaValley notes that many retirement plans are not family plans. "A lot of times I see couples who have never talked to each other about their plans for the future. It is very important to put together a family lifestyle plan that works for everyone."

8. Spirituality. "One of the keys to building a life plan to help us enjoy the next stage is to truly understand who
we are as people," he says.