Help is offered around every corner, from suggestions for pediatricians and day care to feeding schedules and baby furniture—if there’s a question, there’s a resource with an answer.

For retirement, there are just as many questions, but we don’t see the same number of suggestions. Financial advisors have an opportunity to fill that gap, to point their clients to a resource with an answer. Here are areas where you can help your client build their village.

1. Home

There may come a time when your clients wrestle with where to live—whether it’s staying at home or moving to an assisted living community. Before making any decisions, they will want to talk to specialists, and as their financial advisor, you can help make the process easier.

Connect your clients with experts at an assisted living facility, at a retirement community, and with builders who specialize in modifying homes for the aging population. You could also introduce them to apps that can make life easier like Task Rabbit, which sends help for household tasks.

2. Social

Many new retirees underestimate the amount of free time they’ll have, and when they finally do retire they aren’t sure what to do with themselves. However, filling this time by staying active and social is necessary for a happy and healthy retirement.Connect your clients to volunteer coordinators, a continuing education counselor, or to other retirees who enjoy similar activities. The possibilities are endless, but that can also seem overwhelming to clients, so you can cut through the clutter and point them in the right direction.

3. Health

Older people spend about $300 billion a year on medical expenses¹—it is usually a major consideration when creating your clients financial plan for retirement. Our physical and mental health needs change as we age, and as a financial advisor you can guide your clients.Prepare a contact sheet of dieticians, physical therapists, or Medicare experts to recommend. You can also pass along references—for example, if one of your clients needs knee surgery, and you remember another client raving about their doctor after having the same procedure, pass along the doctor’s information. These resources can be both helpful and comforting to clients.

Your clients have worked with you for years and are well prepared financially for their retirement. This doesn’t always mean they are ready for all of the changes retirement brings, but you can be the resource that guides them through the process.

¹ https://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare/medical_care_issues.htm

Michael Lynch is a registered representative of Hartford Funds Distributors, LLC.

Check the background of this firm/individual on FINRA's BrokerCheck.