About
MICHAEL CHARLIE LUCAS 
LMFT-A, M.Ed, MCD, BS-Psych, PMP

We have been way to casual about  our Laissez-faire approach to retirement for our aging Americans. After having done  seminars to  thousands of attendees, the most common response I hear is : "How come no one has ever told me this before?" 

 This response really should not be a surprise to anyone. 

 

Does any college offer "Retirement 101"? 

 I have been tasked to teach at our local community college--

 

but  even that is just an optional community education resource. 

​

Is there a program provided by corporations or the government to guide retirees through all the ins and outs and nuances short of a subscription to AARP magazine? 

 

I may sound cynical, but I am being absolutely serious.  I am a licensed psychotherapist with a Masters degree in education, a Masters degree in Community Development, and a bachelors in Psychology. 

 

I have honed my practice focus on our retired population - and at first I was a bit surprised at the collective lack of awareness, but now I find it remarkably noteworthy and deserving of my full attention and resources.   

 

Some may call it ignorance, but circumstantially,

​

I feel it is more of an innocence.

 

The retired population doesn't know what questions to even ask.  and this is relevant for a couple of reasons. 

 

Most retirees are in some aspect "Subject Matter Experts"  having excelled in business or raising a family.  It is humbling and a bit uncomfortable for this generation to now feel "needy"  or "helpless"  so they just plan on figuring  it out.

 

And you have to love the grit and tenacity, but this is like trying to figure out how to change out an engine, with our only experience with vehicles --as being a driver.   I may have a set of ratchet and tools to do the job, but doesn't mean I am going to get it right very often.

​

An interesting example of this is one of the early clients of my wife-Brian. 

 

 Brian was a legitimate rocket scientist. 

  Like the real deal having worked on missions for NASA and SpaceX . 

 

He was super competent and wicked smart.  He had managed their own funds for years and enjoyed dabbling in day trading and researching the markets. 

 

When he came to one of my wife's events, he was floored.  He had no idea of some of the tools he had just heard her speak of at the event. 

 

Brian, being an engineer was naturally curious, and after conversation at the event, wanted to meet at her office to better understand.

 

Brian  and his wife decided to move forward in one of the diversification tools they had learned about, and they were so grateful for having been introduced to the tools.  -So much so that they then invited us to visit their summer home in upper-state New York- which we did and and we are still friends with the family to this day.   

 

The first takeaway from this story is that Brian is probably one of the smartest guys ANY of us will have ever met- yet he, like others said that day he met my wife "How come no one has ever told me about this before"

​

Less than 5 years later, Brian passed away. 

 Guess who was the first person Brian's widowed wife called after notifying her family?  

​Thank God that my wife was able to play advocate on his widow's behalf.  

​

Who is your wife or partner going to call when you pass away- after notifying family of course?

​

Do you or your partner have that type of relationship with any professional in case of an unanticipated passing?

​

Do you or your partner even know all the passwords in case your partner died tomorrow?

 

Since 2019 my wife and I have presented tools and strategies for retirement to those at or near retirement.   The sessions were underwritten by financial firms who can get benefit  and revenue from the tools being shown-  But as we got to know some of the attendees and event sponsors,  and with my background in psychology, the request for more information on tools and strategies available evolved from just financial , to now inclusive of the psychology of how and why we think what we do as retirees.  And how this may be a positive, or NEGATIVE impact on our overall goals for retirement! 

 

As our messaging evolved and I spoke regarding grief, homeostasis, the biggest fears of retirees, and the changes of relationship dynamics in retirement.  The response was overwhelming, with many requests for follow up sessions. 

 

The psychology of the mind of the retiree is a very real element that I want to not minimize.   It is not LOGIC or even MATH will be the basis for a lot of the decisions that retirees make, but emotion,  peer pressure, and marketing. 

 

This is understandable, but certainly not ideal.   This is why I as a researcher, teacher, and psychotherapist am focusing on you, the retiring demographic.   

 

Because, I am looking to eliminate  the second most common response to our educational message..

 

                                                                   "I wish I would have known this sooner."

​

So what can be done about it?

                                     We have a 5 tier  approach to giving  our retirees the FACTS about retirement. 

1. Educational events can be planned for your place of business or community.  Discounted rates may be available for certain 

non-profit and community organizations. 

2. We are preparing for release of an educational series  covering the 7 FULLFIMENT PILLARS OF RETIREMENT with an app and e-workbooks that can be accessed  through our website.  We anticipate these being ready for release by end of 2026.   

2. The book STOP RETIRING WRONG and all of our resources are available at www.StopRetiringWrong.com

3. Individual team members in our network can meet with you and receive a custom initial retirement strategy session no cost covering the 5 Financial Pillars 

​