The Big Red Bucket Theory: A Financial Adviser's Simple Way to Visualize Your Retirement Plan

A red bucket with hundred-dollar bills in it, sitting by a window.

I've been noodling on a new way to think about retirement planning, and I'd love to share it with you. It's still a work in progress, but I think it offers a helpful, and hopefully memorable, visual for anyone wondering, "When can I retire, and how much do I need?"

So, let's talk buckets. More specifically, one big red bucket.