I turned 40 last year, and something shifted. Not dramatically, and not overnight. It was quieter than that. I started noticing how I felt after a bad night’s sleep, how much longer a heavy week took to recover from, how often the word “retirement” came up in conversations with friends my age.
For most of my adult life I’d thought about the future in vague terms. I knew I should save more, move more and worry less. But I never really sat down and asked myself what I actually wanted the back half of my life to look like.
The question I couldn’t shake
I’ve spent two decades working in finance and risk. I’m comfortable with numbers, with planning, with thinking in probabilities and time horizons. But all of that experience was pointed at money — and money is only one part of the picture.
The question that stuck with me was simple: what do I want my health and my wealth to look like when I get older, and what can I start doing now? The more I thought about it, the more it bothered me that I was planning hard for one half and barely thinking about the other.
Health and wealth are usually planned for separately, and often too late.
Why a framework, not a resolution
I know how resolutions go. They burn bright in January and fade by February. What I wanted instead was a way to see the whole picture at a glance, come back to it regularly and watch it change over time.
So I started breaking the question down into areas I could actually look at — four for health, four for wealth. Heart health, endurance, strength and lifestyle on one side. Debt, protection, income and retirement savings on the other. Eight areas that, together, shape how well I’ll live and how freely I’ll be able to choose as I age.
That became the ULTM8 Octagon — a single picture of where I stand across all eight. It’s not a scorecard to feel bad about. It’s a map. Some areas are strong, some need work, and seeing them side by side helps me decide where to put my attention.
Sharing it as I go
I’m not an expert in any of this. I’m someone figuring it out in real time, reading what I can, trying things and keeping track. I decided to build this in the open and write about what I learn, partly to keep myself honest and partly in case it helps someone else asking the same questions.
If you’re somewhere near 40 and that quiet shift feels familiar, you’re in the right place. Start by checking your own 8 — it’s the same first step I took.