Heidi and Scott Musser have been clients of LPSC Financials Managing Partner Drew Stratton for over 10 years. They met as Scott neared retirement after a long and distinguished career at Merck. Scott was profiled last year for his work with “Honor Flight New England.” His story is certainly worth revisiting; it is available here.
Like so many people who have been in the workforce for decades, the transition to retirement, although a lifelong dream, can be fraught with stress and anxiety. Not only can the financial reality of assuring your money last as long as you are a major “keep you awake at night” worry, but an often-overlooked area of retirement planning can add to this stress as well. What am I referring to? If you’re thinking about healthcare costs, taxes, or even aging with grace and dignity, they’d be great guesses. These areas can often be challenging unless you have incorporated them into your financial plan, but I’m not referring to them here. One of the biggest, most overlooked areas of retirement planning is also the simplest.
You can’t just retire from something; you need to retire to something.
Think about it. You have worked for decades, and most of your work week is dictated by appointments, deadlines, projects, and meetings. Depending on your career, this could be 40 to 80 hours per week. Even if only one of you is working outside of the home, the spouse at home has a schedule that is at least partially dictated by the one who leaves the house every morning. Both get into a groove of their daily routines. Add family and children to the mix, and the grooves will get deeper while the years fly by (hopefully). Now, you’ve decided, along with your financial planner that you’ve finally saved enough money to leave the “rat race” and begin your golden years together! Excitement is, and should be, the first emotion you experience when you reach this milestone. Years of careful planning have brought you to this point, and it is so satisfying to know your dream has finally become reality.
Over the past 31 years, I have worked with many clients and learned that this is literally just the beginning. Early in my career, I believed that if you managed to do everything required financially, crossing all the “T’s” and dotting all the “I’s” from a financial perspective, you should ride off into the sunset together without a care in the world. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
You see, there are only so many books you always wanted to read and didn’t, backyard projects you never had time to complete, bucket list vacations, or rounds of golf to play. From my experience with these early clients, after a year or two, you’ve read the books, finished the backyard projects, traveled and golfed to your heart's content, and now you feel a bit bored. Let’s face it, filling up the 40+ hours a week you spent during your pre-retirement life is a lot of time. That time still needs to be used up in retirement in a fulfilling way to remain engaged and with a sense of purpose.
After many years of watching my clients as they move forward in their journey, I can classify only two types of retired people. The first are those who had a serious plan for remaining engaged, and those who did not. The former find their journey to be everything they dreamed of, while the latter watch lots of TV.
I apologize for the long-winded preface to my story. I think it will make more sense to you as I describe a couple who certainly fall into the first category. As I mentioned, Scott Musser found part of his calling through “Honor Flight New England.”
Heidi Musser graduated from Millersville University with a BS in science. She completed a postgraduate year to earn a degree in medical technology. After she and Scott were married, she worked in several hospitals and corporate laboratories testing various samples. When they began the parenting portion of their lives, she stopped working to support the children. Heidi worked at the Brigham & Women's Hospital blood bank until she retired.
Like many people, Heidi’s road to discovering her retirement calling began with a combination of her life’s passion and experiences and some old-fashioned destiny. You see Heidi began sewing during elementary school in 4 H Club. She was tutored by Scott’s best friend’s mother. As time passed, her skills increased. So much so, that when children finally arrived (3 daughters and a son), she began making costumes for dance recitals and dresses for her girls. You can see some of her early handiwork below.
The Musser children sporting some of Heidi’s beautiful work!
Fast forward a few years, and Scott and Heidi are now empty nesters and fully retired. Heidi continues to sew and create. She is scrolling through Facebook and finds an advertisement for an organization called Ryan’s Case for Smiles. Ryan’s Case for Smiles is one the few volunteer organizations solely dedicated to helping kids feel better to heal better. While other great organizations focus on research and finding a cure, they work to improve the quality of life of children and their families as they undergo treatment.
Serious childhood illnesses and injuries can be terrifying experiences for children and their families- 20% of young children, 49% of adolescents; and over 30% of their mothers experience moderate to severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These rates are comparable to those experienced by U.S. War Veterans serving since the Vietnam War. The good news is trauma can be minimized, and outcomes improved through experiences that reduce stress.
Ryan’s Case for Smiles (formerly ConKerr Cancer) was founded in 2007 to bring comfort and support to young patients and their families in hospitals around the globe. They started with a simple goal: to create and distribute whimsical pillowcases that give children an emotional boost and remind them that they are not defined by their illness. You can access Ryan’s Case for Smiles by clicking here.
Heidi was intrigued and contacted the organization to learn more. Although it wasn’t a perfect fit, she kept the thought in her back pocket and realized that she wanted to use a similar concept but keep it closer to home. Heidi, (like most of us old people!) had been going to Massachusetts General for some health care needs and realized a similar program there could have similar benefits and would allow her to have an impact in her community.
They contacted Mass General and were directed to speak with Josselyn Connor, MS. Josselyn is the child life specialist at Mass General. Not surprisingly, Josie was familiar with Ryan’s Case for Smiles and happily agreed to let Heidi begin making pillowcases for the kids who were getting treatment for various illnesses at the hospital. Fast forward to 2024, and Heidi has already made 124 pillowcases for children undergoing treatment at the hospital. It takes Heidi about an hour to make a pillowcase. She estimates she works on them about 20 hours per week now.
Heidi at work making pillowcases for the kids at Mass General Hospital
The impact of her work is profound. There is nothing more confusing or terrifying for a small child than a hospital stay. The fear only compounds when the reason is life-threatening. Josselyn Connor, Mass General’s child life specialist explains. “Our pediatric patients have the pleasure of receiving the wonderful pillowcases that Heidi creates. Throughout our various units, these pillowcases are distributed to patients and their families while either staying overnight or coming to the hospital for a potentially stressful appointment. Pillowcases can be used to make the beds in the hospital more inviting, encourage a child to relax while lying down, and help families feel a little bit more comfortable while their child is in a hospital bed.
Heidi has great attention to detail, which shows with the pillowcases she creates. She uses fabrics that represent various age groups, from patterns that would interest a young toddler to making a pillowcase that a teenager would like. The hospital staff gives each patient a choice of which pillowcase they want on their bed. Giving each child a choice for what pillowcase they want on their bed helps give them back control within an environment that is new and unfamiliar. The most important thing that these pillowcases give to each child and their family, is connection. Going to the hospital can be scary for both a child and their caregiver. Offering Heidi’s pillowcases not only helps make the hospital seem less scary but also creates a connection between the hospital staff and the family they are caring for. When a child has a pillowcase, that they picked out, on their bed, staff members will ask them about it and create connections between the patterns or characters on the pillow. In an environment where a child may be fearful of medical care, potential diagnoses, or a potential long-term hospitalization, connection with the medical staff and helping the hospital feel normal is of the utmost importance. Of course, the children all get to take their pillows home with them!
To illustrate the impact, I've included a true, real-life story that her husband Scott shared with me.
“The young child paced around the room, stopping occasionally at each parent who tried to reassure and calm their little girl. But she was agitated, anxious, and exhausted because it had been a long and troublesome day. She was repeatedly poked with needles for multiple blood tests, and she had to wait patiently lying on or in large machines that rattled, buzzed, or beeped until the friendly nurse said it was ok to get up. She still did not understand why she could not go home to her own bed so she would not lie down on the hospital room bed despite the late hour.”
“The kindly nurse who had been with her the entire day came into the room with a small brightly colored package. She said that the package was for her, and she could open it. The child pulled out a pillowcase, and her expression changed to excitement and wonder. The material displayed all her favorite Disney Princesses. As she helped the nurse place her pillow in the case, she was thrilled to learn that it was hers to take home. The child was lifted into bed, and as she hugged her new gift, she quietly fell asleep. Thus, demonstrating the power of a pillowcase. This is one of many patient scenarios that play out daily in hospitals that treat children like the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston. The cheerful, homemade pillowcases are a powerful and compassionate tool caregivers use to support children of all ages.”
Heidi also has begun working with another worthy local organization called The Santa Foundation. The Santa Foundation was established 39 years ago to fulfill one goal, to provide gifts for families in need at Christmas time. The foundation utilizes both individual and corporate donations to provide gifts to families in need who might otherwise go without them during the holidays. Once again, Heidi uses her tremendous skills to create custom stockings for children. The foundation then fills them for the kids.
She has already made 45 beautiful stockings for this year’s holiday season.
A wise man once told me that EVERYONE possesses at least one of the following: Time, Treasure, or Talent. Retirement planning requires that you think beyond just the financial aspects and take a deep dive into how you will fill your time to remain active and engaged. By utilizing your time and talents, it is possible, like Heidi to combine all of these to not only make your own life fulfilling but also to make those around you better off as well.
I would like to thank Heidi for sharing a part of her journey with me, and as a result, you. The entire LPSC Financial Team and I wish you a wonderful holiday season. May your lives be filled with prosperity, joy, and meaning.
Warmly,
Drew Stratton CFP
Managing Partner
Financial Advisor
LPSC Financial