u/Turrible_basketball

I have a client that I’ve worked with for 5-6 years. She’s made incredible progress over that time and has really improved her retirement outlook. That said, she never was near the 80-90% probability of success.

During some recent meetings she lamented about what’s the point in saving, “I’ll never be able to retire.” I pointed out her recent progress, the fact she has reasonable expenses and good savings habits. I told her I don’t lose sleep over her outlook because we will continue to make progress towards her goal.

She recently inherited $700k. She thought this would allow her to retire 5 or more years earlier than her current goal (that she’s currently not on track to achieve). When we plugged her inheritance into the system, she was as on track for the original plan, but can’t retire 5 years early.

She has since taken the position that I was too optimistic. She’s extremely disappointed and blames me for her disappointment.

I’ve model four different scenarios showing her different ways to retire between 62 and 65. Nothing seems to appease her.

How do I reset the conversation in order to move forward? I have enjoyed working with this client and would hate to see her leave.