YOU CAN'T LIVE FOREVER

As you get older, death and dying weigh more on your mind. You spend your life hurtling into the future, going from A to B, and planning the next move. Thinking about the end is not easy or comfortable. So much so, you can have great fear about it.

There is plenty of information about putting your affairs in order. Wills, final wishes, life insurance, and arrangements. These are just the details. How to grow comfortable with your fate is another matter. Some Scandinavia countries actually have senior citizens practice falling, so they know how to handle it. But with dying, you seem on your own to contemplate the prospect.

Maybe it's good to take some time to practice dying. That doesn't mean sucking all the air out when you are lying on a couch. It's about taking stock of the life you have lived. Has it given you peace of mind, a spirituality. Have you taken time to embrace all of life around you and the fulfillment  that comes from that.

As important as staying on the speeding bullet of life, may be stopping to consider the end and how you feel about it. 

Additional Reading: "Preparing to Die, Practical Advice and spiritual wisdom from Tibetan Buddhist Traditions" by Andrew Holecek

THE POETRY OF THE MOMENT

 

“An ordinary coffee place on a dark day. The patrons blending into a blankness. Their faces backlit. Still there was poetry here. Each person a blank sheet of paper to write on. Places for lines of rhymes.” - Oregon Taylor Fields 

You might be good at art or you might not. Either way art can make your life richer. You learn to see things different and more fully. Scenes you pass pull at you, making you pause. Studies have shown art can increase critical thinking, cultural interaction and can even fuel community rebirth.

Against this backdrop though, 55% of school districts have substantially reduced or eliminated funding for the arts. In many cases in favor of STEM programs. In the broader community, art museums have also suffered from reduced attendance and donor funding. While it used to be that art donations topped the focus of community leaders. That has changed with Gen x, Millennials, and Gen Z interest ranking arts as low as 3rd on the list for donations.

Larger global issues such as climate change, technology and the demands of a tech based economy have led to this situation. AI has also impacted the landscape of art in many ways still being understood.

Time only will tell though if this re-ordering has unintended consequences from the lack of arts exposure. It’s important to have the ability to take in and fully appreciate the poetry of the moment. It’s important to being human…

PROFITING FROM THE OTHER MARKET

 

The appearance of wealth is running rampant in the USA. Luxury cars, travel, Yachts, homes, and expensive handbags allure us. The idea of fame, wealth and power keep us fixated on this well to do economy. At the same time though, there is another market largely overlooked. 

It’s sobering to realize that the middle class has shrunk substantially. In the past 50 years, the middle class of our economy has shrunk from 61% to present day 50%. Even with wages rising, they haven’t been able to offset the higher cost of living pushing many out of the middle class. If you make less than $52,000 you are now considered to be low income. This segments represents 50% of the households in the US. The unmet needs of this group are enormous including affordable housing, healthcare, food, and services. 23% of the low end of this segment don’t even use banks.

Where there are needs, there is also opportunity. New marginal income, brand loyalty and profit can be found here. The market segment is unique through, requiring special approaches. It is a market that is slow to move. Some firms in the past have used predatory approaches to capturing profit creating business distrust. Many low income people over time have learned unique ways to deal with needs, an improvised self sufficiency. When cars break down, they call Joe down the street to help, not a dealership.

Successful approaches needed to capture market share in this segment include: 1) understanding the market, 2) delivering affordable products that target real needs, 3) products must focus on quality and value even at low price points, 4) cost effective ways to operated need to be modeled and followed, 5) the products and services need to be easily accessible both in location and on line, and 6) trust must be built in the community including the potential of partnering with non profits.

A recent Forbes article highlighted companies like Dollar General who have been able to do this. Dollar added fresh fruit and vegetables to their stores in otherwise food deserts. This increased both store traffic and profits.

As a business, you can follow the crowd marketing products and services to the wealthy market. A market that often is over run with such products. Or you can turn your attention to the overlooked low income market. One where new profits can be found and making a difference can be the rewards.

Sources for this article include: Forbes, CNBC, World Economic Forum, Statista, Pew Research Center

EXPORTING

 

Business planning often overlooks the potential of exporting. The US imports $115 billion more than it exports. With all the talk of tariffs and other issues surrounding imports, the opportunity represented by exporting is often overlooked.

Exporting is not just a big company game. Many small and medium size companies who produce products or represent them can profit from exporting. Exporting represents new market shares not pursued by competition. Examples include a small firm restoring Harley Davidson motorcycles for collectors in Japan, a group of high tech executives who discovered a Latin American market for surplus hi tech hardware and software, to a broker who exports timber and surplus building material. 

Barriers to exporting can seem high. However, there is wealth of resources to help you learn the ropes and succeed. These include the SBA. The Export Assistance Centers, SBDC and U.S. Trade and Development Agency. There is even financing available to fund your export transactions through the Export Import Bank. 

One of the main functions of our Embassy network is to find trading opportunities for US companies. Interestingly, Canada and Mexico are two of the largest trading partners we have. You can find opportunities for export there through your own efforts.

So when everyone else is making plans for the US market, why not take on the world to expand your business in 2025.

GUEST 1305

 

Have you been to a McDonald’s lately? I took a drive yesterday out into the beautiful and pleasant low country of the South. I always get this feeling after about 2 hours of driving, “why not drive across the country,” I say to myself.

I stopped for lunch at a McDonald’s I used to go to. A safe meal on the road always a good thing. What a change, no large area for seating, no Mc Coffee, just a wall with a shelf for the finished product to arrive.

You ordered a a kiosk (I knew that), but the sheer lack of any contact with a human now much more the case. I held my receipt 1305. I could see in the corner slant view of the kitchen drinks coming down the line, apparently they found a way to fill these without humans too. 

We all stood around with our receipts, 1304 was next to me, focused on listening for the the finished Big Macs to be called out. Finally “1305,” I found one of the few seats in the place.

I thought to myself, that you might never see another human being in a cross country trip. I decided to give this some thought and keep my 1305 number just in case.

RETIREMENT

 

NOTE 1 - PLANNING AND REALITY

This is the first of a series of my insights on retirement. My goal is that my experiences might be helpful to you. $1 million is often touted as the magic number to retire with. Some now even suggest $2-4 million. Even the $1 million is a daunting. 

The reality is that only 8.5% or less than 2 people in 20 reach that magic number. If you take the more stringent measurement of just investible assets (cash) versus entire net worth, those figures drop to less than 5% of population or 1 in 20. If you are on track to reach that magic $1.0 million, great. For the other 80%, alternative thinking is needed. 

Traditional retirement planning is largely financial based, growing your investments to hit the magic number your financial planner lays out. Important yes, but not the whole picture. The less talked about elements of retirement are cutting expenses, what you want from retirement and having the courage to change your lifestyle (if necessary) to achieve it. 

This might be called PLANNING IN REVERSE.  Not striving for some threshold that may be unrealistic, but instead planning ways to retire with what you now have or expect to have.

Retirement should be all about your time. No more Monday meetings, goals someone else sets or late nights typing reports. Time in retirement is how you want to invest or define it. This might be volunteering, art, learning new things, enjoying your spouse or just wandering this wonderful planet.

None of these pursuits requires large sums of money, but you still have to buy that time. In another words, cover the overhead of retirement and lifestyle.

That’s why you should start now to change your life in ways that move you closer to your retirement goals. Your expenses, lifestyle, place  and how long you want to work are the four things you have most control over. Each of these unfolds into many life questions. Ones that are key to discuss with your spouse. It is critical you both view retirement the same way.

It is always good to look at a realistic picture. For example, the average net worth of people 60 years of age is $224,755. If a couple retired with that much in investments, they might have an income of $52,000 including social security (close to the national median income for all ages). Would that work considering your expenses, lifestyle and place you live now? 

The good news is that there are plenty of places and lifestyles that can make that work. GoBankingRates lists 50 cities in the USA ranging from Las Vegas to Memphis where you can live comfortably on $50,000. 

The challenge is making your circumstances fit. The sooner the better. The reward, YOUR TIME BACK!

NOTE 2 - GHOSTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

“The past can become ghosts when you move on.”  T. Fields

My career was filled with accomplishments and helping other people. So why after retirement did I feel empty regarding purpose and lost? It was the Ghosts from the Past. They haunted me and held me back from finding the new me. I had lost my work identity, purpose, and social interactions. Somehow in retirement, I needed to find new ones.

When you retire, it’s a new day. The road forward is less clear. Your earned work portfolio does not have the meaning it once did. 

There are many good articles on this transition and ways of dealing with it to find new fulfillment. Mentoring others, volunteering, learning new things or continue working in same field are often ways mentioned to deal with this transition.

Having tried all these things myself, I can vouch for them as valuable tools of transition. However, they can also hold you back from the last opportunity you have to become that inner person you always wanted to be.

You have to ask yourself how much responsibility do I want and will using my past skills give me the fulfillment I seek in retirement?

For instance, you may want to do volunteer work. The question is will sitting on a board (based on your past skills) give you what you want. Or will seeking a lower level volunteer position where you can work more directly with clients, gain the perspectives of others and make new social connections with other volunteers be better.

In retirement, the timelines are different. It’s not like the straight line of your younger years. Things happen. Your health might not hold up. You might not be able to achieve the skill level to be a great painter in years you have left. It may take you longer than expected to work on the new you. And there will be times you crash and burn in that pursuit.

Here are a few things I would suggestions to best move forward toward the goals of becoming a new you in retirement:

• Start when you are still employed to begin exploring the pursuits you want to follow.
• This is doubly true if you are still going to need to work. Looking and training for different work is a valuable investment. If you follow a new work line, you may feel refreshed by the newness of the endeavor.
• Keep the great communication going with your spouse on the retirement goals you have.
• Avoid as much responsibility as possible. You have had long years of goals set by others, selling what you do, going to company meetings and repeating year after year the same work. Do you really want more of the same?
• Realize that you may not ever do anything grand again and that is OK. It is the pursuit of goals such as becoming a good photographer that will give you the greatest rewards. 
• Recognize its not always the big effort that wins the day. There are opportunities to help all around each of us every day. Small gestures of kindness and outreach can give much satisfaction. They don’t come with trophies or awards, except those inside. 
• Move through life gently, it gives you the best chance of observing the best of life. Learn to stretch the time you have left. Slow down and enjoy.
• Take risks, learn new things and meet knew people. People different than the ones you worked with all those years. These efforts yield great insights in life and give you knew ideas.
• Lastly, forgive yourself for past missteps and falling short of career goals. There is still much to achieve and enjoy in life moving ahead. 

When you retire, it will surprise you that when you meet people they might initially ask you what you did in your career. After that, they only thing they really care about is you as a person. So, you are free to become the person you really always wanted to be. Take advantage of that freedom and the opportunity it represents.

NOTE 3 - PLACE

“The sky deep with blueness, bright, and unending. My fear disappeared into it. I knew I could find a place…”  - Oregon Taylor Fields

The place you retire is one of the most important decisions you will make. We explored many alternatives in deciding where and how to retire. We were tired of the rain in Seattle and some aspects of Urban life,  but were unsure as to the next best place. Was it going to be another city, the country, a small town and or suburbs?  Questions about leaving the friends, contacts, services, cost of living and the home we knew so well in Seattle swirled in our minds.

There is a wealth of articles on the “Best Place” to retire. All offer valuable advice. However, we wanted to find that best place ourselves.

One of our exploratory trips took us to the desert where we met up with an old friend Shayla. We knew Shayla for a long time. She seemed always be on some new adventure. One thing was clear, she held a wealth of life spirit and earthy wisdom. She had traveled the world as a tourist guide, tasted some business success, successfully raised a daughter, lived in places from Alaska to Ecuador, always with abandon about the future. 

The latest chapter of her adventures found her living in a motor home off the grid near the Saddle Back Mountains west of Phoenix. She had settled with a group of other off the gridders in an old RV park. No more than did we get there than Shayla had us out walking on the desert floor exploring the bounty of its beauty. The deep blueness of the sky and vast vistas pulled you in then beyond yourself to imagine what might be. She talked about how a group of the park people would drive in each Sunday to get the NY times and groceries, returning to eat breakfast around the campfire and share the paper. At night, there was the sky. The sky so crystal clear it almost felt like you could fall into it.

The experience of seeing Shayla left us with many thoughts. Despite its grandeur, we did not want to live off the grid. However, we could if we had too. More importantly, it freed our thinking. We could be bold enough to try new places and different ways to live. 

The question still remained, where should you retire? 

I confess to being a lover of urban life. I have always wanted to live downtown or close to it. Time, however, has changed my thinking. We lived most of my life in the Northwest where three walkable and gentle cities exist; Seattle, Vancouver and Portland. Each had its own character and charm. Seattle has business vibe, Vancouver international edge and Portland great transportation and a human scale.

Finding these large charming cities is more difficult now. In their place you find cities with standard fare experiences, very dense living, traffic centric and tons of people. Even the NW cities have changed, getting far more expensive and congested.

Beyond big cities, were the suburbs, small towns, “small ball cities” and “places in between” to consider.

Maybe the suburbs are for you. However, the sameness of them, the unending sprawl of houses/developments and lack of walkability does bad things to my soul. I cannot live there and won’t. 

Small towns can be charming, close to nature and peaceful to live in. My parents chose one to retire in a small town. It worked for a long time, but when they grew older and needed medical care the services were not there and those that were, overrun.

“Small Ball Cities,” offer great potential for retirees. These cities are between 100 and 250 thousand population. Many are far enough away from larger cities to have their own personality, but close enough if you needed the expertise found there. Many in the South have a minor league baseball team (thus the nick name). The flavor of community is strong in these places and many locally own businesses offer pleasant wandering. Small Colleges often are located in them, adding to the culture. In big cities you can go see a play, but in smaller cities you can be in one. These smaller cities were a strong second choice for us.

“Places in between” offer perhaps the best of all worlds and were we chose to retire.. They often can be found beyond the city but free of suburb sprawl. In these gaps, you can have one foot in the city and one foot in the country. We embraced the advantages of these places in terms of life spirit, cost, and discovery. Most are growing areas with good opportunity to find work, if you need to, fueled by local needs. You may find active adult developments in these areas, since they have to build far enough away from cities to find the land needed. There are some built in advantages to these communities including facilities and other active adults from all over that makes finding new friends easy. They are not the only choices, however, in these unique areas. Other housing alternatives abound. We have not tired of living in these “places in between” even after ten years of retirement.

I still like the city and always will. On many days, I find myself at the exit to our home with the option of turning left toward the city or right toward the country and small towns. What great options to behold. More and more, though, I find myself turning right toward the country where peace abounds and new discovery sill lurks.

NOTE 4 - FRIENDS

“A Friend is a person whom one knows well and is fond of. A person on the same side of a struggle, one who is not an enemy or foe.” Webster Dictionary

It had only been a few months since we retired and moved from Seattle to the Desert. I was still finding my way in the new role of retiree. To my amazement, my long standing friends back in Seattle were slowly drifting away. Guys who had always been part of my life, played golf together and done business with were no longer close. It bothered me for a long time until I settled on a new concept of who friends really are. 

The very nature of friendship is a fluid one, based in large part on circumstances and location. You are most likely to have friends in the same school, workplace, club or places where you live. The question is are they long term friends or just acquaintances.

Retirement will test this, especially if you move to a new location. I understand now that this is a natural process and not all bad.

Friends can unintentionally hold you back. For years, you have probably traveled in the same social circles. These circles can be limiting in retirement. You have to ask yourself if you want to go to the same clubs, events, travel locations and be around the same group of people all the time. 

You have a certain image with the group. Does it still fit who you want to become in retirement? Can your new retirement budget handle the costs of belonging to the same social circle? 

You may not want any changes in your life and that is great. However, if you do, it is important to realize that not all you friends may fit anymore. Additionally, they may not understand the changes you make.

Moving away to a new location automatically breaks the social circle you have been traveling in. Be prepared that some of your old friends, even your best ones, may feel betrayed by your move. It will take them time to work through this. The good ones, though, will reconnect. 

You will pleasantly find that other retired people are very open to making new acquaintances and friendships. As you expand your activities, you will find people who only care about you as a person. Little attention is paid to your past accomplishments or status in life. 

The transition with friends may alter your concept of friends all together. Even the definition of friends in the dictionary is a loose one. There is no mention of a long term relationship. The definition includes being “on the same side of a struggle” as an important point. Also the reference to a “person you are fond of” is worthy of thought. In retirement, you will become jealous of the precious time you have left. You may not want to devote the time to develop close friendships. Substituting instead, an array of valued acquaintances. A new form of friendship.

Finding these new friendships rests on your ability to get along with all people. Meeting and developing new acquaintances can greatly help in this regard and is important to your life. 

You could be in an auto accident and end up being cared for by hospital staff far away from home or be in some disaster depending on emergency workers. Making these people your “situational friends” is key to your survival. That rests on the honed skill to get along and respect others.

Indeed this goes for all you encounters. You never know what fate will throw at you. Besides, the world needs those who are willing to reach out to new acquaintances and friends. It enriches life experiences and leads to new thinking.

Most importantly, remember that your spouse or partner is also your best friend. They are your confidant, sounding board and guardrails to help you through what sometimes is the “fog of retirement transition.” Keeping full and warm communication with them affords a wonderful foundation to enjoy the best of your retirement years.

Tomorrow is new day, a good day to practice making new acquaintance friends.

“A true friend is who gives you total freedom to become yourself.”   Jim Morrison

NOTE 5 - MONEY

The last in my series of retirement notes is about money. I held it for the last because so much good material is already written about this subject. So, one ponders how much you can actually add. Still, there are strategies that have helped us retire and live successfully. I want to share them with you.

Plan – When you think of retirement plans, you probably think of financial planners, numbers and graphs. All important. However, it is equally important to plan around your dreams and goals in retirement. Very early on in our marriage we developed a plan for retirement. We called it the 1999 plan. We did the numbers thing, but also included our dreams. We even cut out pictures of what our home would look like and the places we wanted to live. The plan included not only our retirement but also the interim moves we might make before then. Over time, we would update the plan and add the new strategies and dreams. Our actual retirement date got delayed some, but almost everything we pictured in the plan came true.

Value of Money – The best use of money is to buy your time back. It’s the best investment you can make. The more cash you have stockpiled, the more freedom you will have.

You May Not Make it – The financial planners drive stakes in the ground about how much you need to retire. Some say $5 million, some $1 million and some $500 thousand. These are “tall dog” goals to meet in this every changing economy. If you don’t make these goals, you don’t have to give up on a good retirement. Yes, you may have to work into retirement. However, that does not have to be the same heavy lifting career you have now and it does not have to be full time. The resources you have managed to save will buy some of the free time you desire. Additionally, there are a multitude of low cost places to retire and life styles that make things work on a low budget. Small work opportunities abound in local economies. Everything from window washing to house sitting. Some of these have surprising financial rewards. I once calculated how much Fred, our window washer, made. Being retired, Fred only worked four hours a day. He charged $75 for his service. I suddenly realized he had the potential to make over $70K a year. Not bad for a part time job.

Health – Eating well, exercising and avoiding bad habits will extend your active retirement years. It takes some self-management, but I have found building your own health routines versus joining an expensive health club to be the best. This way, you can pursue your health routine anyplace and anytime. When you retire, you become more aware that you don’t have that many years left. You don’t want to spend them in costly doctor’s offices and hospital beds.

Retire Now – The Millennials tout FIRE (financial independence retire early). While much of this thinking is about getting rich early, there are other excellent points they raise. The best one is practice living retired before you are retired. This may mean learning to live on a lower budget, take evening classes to retrain for what you want to work at in retirement, expand your social circles, develop skills in your desired retirement pursuits and explore places you want to live. As you cut down on your financial obligations and start to chart ways to live after retirement, your opportunities and freedom open up. A great way to practice all this is to carve out a period of time, say a month, and just do things that are cost free. Think library, wandering the city, taking photos, writing, attending lectures, going on picnics, exercising, meeting and learning about new people. Not all things that give pleasure to life cost money.

Own Your Home – If you been fortunate to own a home, your retirement nest egg has benefited. Home ownership still represents one of the best investment options, even in these new tax law times. If you choose property well, the roof over your head will not cost you anything. The mortgage you may have is in part a forced saving program and the appreciation over time recoups the other carrying costs of owning. If you rent for 10 years, you may pay $288,000 or more for a 2BR 1,200 sq. ft. apartment in the city. That’s money you could save with a home. You can buy a home twice the size of that 2BR apartment for the same expense. For example, the mortgage on a $440,000 at 5% interest plus taxes and insurance is almost the same as the cost of your rent over that period. However, you will gain $55K in equity plus your house appreciation. US Census reports home appreciation over the last 10 years has averaged 4.2% annually. This equates to a $223K. That plus the equity gain means your house cost nothing. One of the greatest things about this country is the right to own property. You can’t say enough about the feeling of owning your place.

Four Seasons Location – Moderate climates rule. It can cost you money to live in a place with a severe season. Yes, this includes the desert. You find that the months of severe weather will create the need or desire to travel more to avoid it or own a second home. Travel alone might cost $10K plus each year. Having a place in a location with moderate climate affords year round living.

Consolidate – Work to consolidate your financial resources. As you grow older trying to track numerous bank accounts, credit cards, brokerage accounts, your own stock portfolio and CD ladder can quickly become confusing. It’s good to consolidate where you can, without sacrificing diversification.

Family and Friends – I have seen numerous plans for retirement go sideways over perceived obligations to family and friends. You want to help. We all understand that. However, does it really make sense to co-sign a student loan or give money out for some need to family? In the long run, does this create good feelings or a sense of resentment on the benefactor’s part as they try to repay it? And who most often ends up holding the bag? Answer, You. Everyone to be successful at some point needs to take responsibility for their life. I am not sure family and friends really benefit from the band aid approach to financial needs you might be able to provide for them. It may just simply push off the ultimate realization on their part that they need to solve their own problems. This all may seem harsh. However, there are many other non monetary ways you can help friends and family, including good advice.

Always Feel Wealthy – You will always feel wealthy if you live within your means. Doing so guarantees you will not outlive your money.

Old Cars – As Suzie Orman says, “keep your car as long as possible.” The cost of new cars drives up financial burdens and even insurance costs. Numerous successful retirees I know (including one that drives people to/from airport) are keeping their cars to 150 thousand + miles. Most recent cars are built so solidly that they will last that long. Besides, there is the added bonus that comes from driving an older car. You fit in more places. Good to stay under the radar in retirement. Every time I look at our two 10-year-old autos in the garage, I realize that each month we drive them represents $1,000 in our pocket that we would otherwise be spending on car payments. I like our cars and often just walk by and touch them by way of thanks.

Health Care and LTC – Anything you can do, to carry your present employer sponsored health plan into retirement is worth it. Medicare supplement programs are readily available, but it’s an open ever changing market. If you have the option to convert your employer plan to a supplement plan, you will always have the strength of that employer group behind your plan. Beyond this, its important to find what ever plan you can. This includes purchasing long term care coverage. Both health issues and LTC can sink your savings.

Your Risk Appetite – We by nature have been conservative regarding risk. Yes, it has cost us some big investment gains (i.e. real estate). However, it has provided a consistent “guard rail” for us. Sometimes when you step outside your risk tolerance, you can find mistakes driven by timing issues staring you in the face

Consider Money Management – I have an MBA in finance, so it always caused me angst to have someone else managing my money. However, I remember statistical studies teaching that you can’t beat the market return as long as you are well diversified. Time has proven that. It has also made investment decisions far more complicated and complex. As you age, trying to stay on top of it all and make the always right timing decisions on investments can be challenging. Investment managers free you to better enjoy retirement. If they don’t perform, you can fire them and choose another. It’s better than your partner/spouse firing you for your bad decisions.

Budget – Developing a budget is a great retirement move. It will keep you on track with your expenditures and be something your partner/spouse can work on together.  A budget is a great planning tool. It will help keep your retirement on track financially.

Wills/Health Care Directives/Executors – There is nothing worse than leaving your partner and heirs with no roadmap on how you want your estate assets handled. Also, I have seen anxious families in hospital waiting rooms trying to make decisions on health issues of a loved one with no guidance. A well prepared will and directives solves all that. You can also consider establishing a revocable trust to speed estate settlement through the probate process. The effort in developing all these is one of the best gifts you can give to your loved ones. A key element to make all this work is a careful selection of who your executor is going to be. You always run the risk of being hit by a Mack truck and both be out of it for a period of time. In short, you don’t have to die to use the value of a good executor to handle your needs on a temporary basis. Without all these elements, you could find yourself and assets handed over to a State appointed guardian who will mike your estate for high fees. 

Temptations – They don’t stop just because you retire. Weigh things like travel, new cars, expensive décor and personal items carefully. You don’t have to keep up with the Jones anymore. This is your time and you can live like you want. There are other ways to find satisfaction now.  These include personal growth and spirituality. You will be amazed about how much you can do that is fulfilling at no cost.

Expect the Unexpected - No matter how much you plan or save. The unexpected happens. This could be serious illness or financial reversals. It’s all about realizing the best active years in retirement don’t last forever and being thankful for every good day. Most importantly, keeping good communication with your spouse/partner on what to do if those events happen or if you are out of the picture.

These touchstones together with my other articles are my thoughts on how to have a successful retirement and what that means. The other four articles on Planning & Reality, Ghosts & Opportunities, Place, and Friends can be found on my www.contemporaryexplorer.com website. I wish the very best of retirement years for you.

David Young