I recently attended my wife’s grandmother’s funeral in St. Louis. I know, what a way to start a story. But stay with me on this.

I mention Doris, the grandmother, because, even at the age of 95, she was independent and self-sufficient right up to the very last month she was alive. Until the end she lived her life wide open to the magic of being alive.

One of Doris’ greatest passions was music. She was a music teacher for years, so for her, playing the piano and singing were natural ways to express herself. She always mixed that passion with a starry-eyed sense of adventure, never wanting to miss anything as she traveled through her life.

The day before she passed away, she was being wheeled through the hospital lobby where there stood a piano. Barely able to speak, she gestured toward it, and her aide wheeled her close. Doris reached out her hands, a smile on her face, and stroked the keys to play one last song.

Doris lived her passion to the end, staying “awake” to the adventure of life and catching every single moment.

Doris knew what was important in her life. Not money, not possessions, but the things that make our souls sing.

A financial planner by trade, I am privileged to help people in all walks of life and of all financial backgrounds. During my career, I have learned much from them and have compiled this knowledge into five simple rules for happiness:

1) Family matters. Family has a lot of different meanings, and it doesn’t have to be your blood kin. To me family includes the people you consider close enough that if they were gone from your life you would greatly miss them. Studies consistently show that family and friends are the building blocks to a long and fulfilling life.

2) Make memories. Holiday get-togethers or Sunday dinners with friends; family vacations at the lake; or that Wednesday afternoon bridge game. However they are formed, making those happy memories with your “family” is what life’s all about.

3) Love where you are. Be OK with where you are in your life. Realize that, whatever challenges you face, you are where you are supposed to be. All of your life’s adventures brought you to here, so drop the unnecessary. Find peace in where you are, and then consider making changes in ways that will help you be happier.

4) See each day as an opportunity to grow. Like Doris, live your life with a sense of adventure and passion. Keep that sense of wonderment to what the day may hold, and never let those moments slip by without reaching for them.

5) There is no day but today. This reminds me of a time with Doris and my in-laws; we were at a pizza joint (if ever in Dayton, OH, and you like thin-crust pizza, check out Marion’s Pizza), and I ordered a pitcher of beer for the table. My in-laws politely refused the beer; then out of nowhere, Doris chimes in with, “Pour me some beer too!” I wish I had a picture of her daughter’s face at that moment. There sat Doris at the wonderful age of 88, slurping on a beer and noshing on her pizza, loving every minute of it.

So how do these five rules relate to your finances? Simply put, you can’t take it with you, and while you can leave a legacy to your heirs, you can also use your finances now to share your passions and life experiences with the people who matter most. This, in my opinion, is what makes us rich.

Not sure if you can afford to live out your dreams in the moment? Meet with your financial planner/investment person, and share your thoughts on what’s important to you. Ask them how much money you need to maintain your current lifestyle for the foreseeable future and how much you expect to have left at the end of your life.

Take half of the amount that will be left over (the other amount is your rainy day fund just in case), and consider it available to do the things that make you truly happy. Knock a few more destinations off your bucket list, or give a big gift to your favorite charity. Buy a piano f or your senior center, or enroll in a class at the community college.

Working with your financial planner, make a plan to spend some of that “happy” money. No matter how you keep your passion and sense of adventure alive, there truly is no day but today.