Thursday, August 23, 2018

Individual Retirement Attitude

1. One thing is for sure. We are no longer living with industrial-age realities, and the industrial machine should nor be making life decisions on our behalf. As individuals, we need to decide when we are done. It should be a matter of personal policy, not corporate policy or government policy. The first order of business, then, is to eradicate artificially imposed finish lines in our life and began designing our own track to run on.

2. ~ The realization that retirement is an unnatural idea and runs contrary to the preservation of the human spirit.
~ The freedom to stay in the race as long as you choose to.
~ Prizing personal autonomy above all else.
~Being motivated to save and invest toward that personal autonomy.

3. Knowing full well that the age of paternalistic pensions and institutional stewardship is past, I will assume the locus of control over my own retirement planning. If it is going to be positive, it will be up to me. I will accept all the correlating responsibilities of looking out for my own future.

4.~ Make plans to occupy your mind, time, and energies in retirement.
~ Do all you can to maintain personal health and well-being.
~ Decide how you will define success once your financial goals are met.

Your life ledger is more important than your retirement fund. Keep this in mind and you won't get caught in the retirement whiplash that has surprised so many people.

5. The most important consideration for me as I contemplate life in "retirement" is the state of my being, my heart and mind. Rather than opening the door to idleness, aimlessness, and languor, I will approach this as a time to challenge myself and open up new horizons.

6. I will engage in a thorough examination of what work means to my personal bearing, my loved ones, my sense of meaning in life, those I work with, and the things I work on. I will no longer blindly follow old assumptions about age and meaningful work engagements. I understand that meaning is a highly personal concept that may have significance to me but not others.

7. I am going to spend the necessary time to reflect on the transcendent aspects of work that infuse my inner being. I understand that, because I am unique, it will take specific (and possibly many) types of engagements to satisfy my working soul. I have much to give, and I will choose to contribute where I can bring the greatest value and absorb the greatest level of meaning.

8. If I hope to extend my shelf life, I understand that I will need to do everything in my power to keep a competitive edge. I will not succumb to entitlement thinking no matter how long I have been at it and will earn every opportunity I get in the future based on merit and through ingenuity and initiative.

9. While your peers may be contemplating retiring on the bach or on the golf course, you can tell them you are retiring "on purpose." beaches and games are good for respite, but purpose is best for the soul. Set your heart toward making the absolute most of your time, abilities, wisdom, and passions.

10. I realize that today's retirement is not "the end of the road" but the beginning of a new path with many turns and possible detours. Rather than resigning, I will apply new tread and prepare for the next 100,000 miles of my life with an air of adventure and expectation !

11. No other human can define "rich" for me. I will manage my resources wisely and with an eye toward extracting the most meaning from the means I possess. My focus will be to achieve ROL, Return on Life, by living the best life possible with the money I have.

Some people know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.

12. I will seek to understand the impact of money on every area of my life by engaging in a Financial Life Planning process that focuses on what is happening in my life, adjusted financially to facilitate those happenings.
I will seek to use my money to create a better life.

13. It has been said that those who master patience master everything else. I will do my best to continue to receive paychecks for as long as possible and give myself a raise for my future. I will be proactive and creative while I continue working, making sure not to miss out on the fun in my 60s and 70s. In fact, I will use some of my additional years of income to pay for that fun I will do it my way.

14. ~ Develop an income plan that addresses both emotional and financial needs.
~ Understand the relationship between being well invested and well-being.
~ Order your finances to meet life needs: survival, safety, freedom, love, and self-actualization.

15. ~ Take the time to calculate your bill for monthly survival.
~ Know what the associated costs are for safety, freedom, love, and actualization to materialize in your life.
~ Realize that life is not a dress rehearsal. Use what you have to live the best life you can.

16. The individual retirement attitude recognizes both the freedoms and perils of the new financial marketplace, and recognizes the need for wisdom and experience, not just information and the lowest fee. The individual retirement attitude recognizes that if people want to, they can do the work and go it alone; but it also recognizes the value of the time and stress that can be saved by joining up with the right wealth-building partner.

17. ~ Continue your education and mental challenge throughout life.
~ Maintain a positive social network of friends and associates throughout life-stage changes.
~ Look for ways to stay engaged and make a contribution in your mature years.

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