Holding On to These Moments: Allyn’s Retirement Story

At Mission Wealth, we believe retirement is more than reaching a financial milestone — it’s about stepping into a new chapter filled with wellness, meaning, and connection. As part of our Living Your True Wealth series, we’re proud to share stories directly from clients who are navigating this transition in their own words.

Today, we feature Allyn Hughes, former Mission Wealth Director of Risk Management, who recently retired and reflected on his first month of this new journey.

From Allyn Hughes

“I have now been retired for less than a month, and I haven’t really gotten into any schedule yet. I think it might happen one day, but it might take a while to get there, as so far, every week has been different for me.

In the past few weeks, I have had jury duty, hosted dinners and house guests, and generally relished not thinking about work. I have also tried to work through a bunch of little transitions to figure out what is next for me.

A few days ago, I had what I hope is an extraordinary introduction to retirement, courtesy of our older daughter.

Almost six years ago, our daughter Kathryn got married to David McCall at a winery outside of Sacramento, CA. As the father of the bride, I was asked to give a toast at their wedding reception. My toast went on for a few minutes, and it included one important quote: ‘(you have to) hold on to these moments as they pass,’ and it was from the song “A Long December” by The Counting Crows, a rock band that was pretty popular in the 90s.

The point that I was trying to make to Kathryn and David is that if you have successful lives, you will likely have many experiences that will become special to you. These experiences become the thread that you should use to create the quilt that becomes your life.

A couple of months ago, my wife, Diana, asked me to make sure my calendar was clear on a Sunday in August, a few weeks after my retirement date. She said that she wanted to do something special for me to celebrate my retirement. She and I started calling that day ‘Diana Day’ and noted it on both of our calendars.

On that Sunday, I was told to be ready at 8:30 a.m. At the appointed hour, I asked Diana what the plan was, and she told me that we were driving to the airport but didn’t say anything more.

As we got close to the airport, she directed me to the cell phone parking lot. We waited there for a little while, and after she received a text, she directed me to a specific area of the arrivals terminal at SEATAC airport.

When we got there, we saw our daughter, Kathryn, standing outside. She got in the back seat of the car and started talking.

‘A few months ago, I was showing some of the videos of our wedding to Hailey (their three-year-old daughter). She loves watching these.

We were watching the video of the toast that you gave at our wedding reception. I heard you quote that song by the Counting Crows, and I had a thought. I wondered if they were still a touring band?

I did some research and found that The Counting Crows are playing tonight at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville, WA. I have purchased two tickets to this concert along with a parking pass, and we are going to go see them together. Oh, and your Diana Day is now a Kathryn Day!’

We went to the Counting Crows concert that night, and everything about it was perfect. The weather was good, the seats were fantastic, and the bands were at the top of their games. Kathryn and I had a wonderful and very memorable time together.

Kathryn used her money and her time to give both of us an experience that we will cherish forever.

It was a fantastic way to start my retirement, and I look forward to holding on to these moments as they pass — more than ever.”

Finding Inspiration in Retirement

Allyn’s reflections remind us that retirement is about more than leaving the workforce — it’s about creating moments, memories, and meaning. His story beautifully reflects the essence of our Inspired Living™ services, which help clients align their financial resources with their personal values and aspirations.

Ready to create your own Inspired Living story? Connect with Mission Wealth to start designing a retirement, and a life, that’s rich with purpose, wellness, and connection.