Baker/Clair: The ideal retirement
Written by Nolan Baker Mark Clair | | letters@toledofreepress.comSo, what does it look like? Walking on the beach at sunset with a cool breeze blowing through your hair? Is it drinking coffee, reading books and sitting in the easy chair? Not having a care in the world other than what’s for lunch? I am sure this sounds good to some, but possibly boring to others.
As The Retirement Guys always say, time is short. Time is flying by and we are speeding toward the latter part of our lives. As we realize this is happening, we get more and more concerned about what it will look like. The first thing that needs to happen in our minds is making sure we have a sense of security financially. We ask folks on a regular basis when they come into our office, “What is your biggest concern?” Nine times out of ten the answer is “having enough.” “Not outliving my money.”
This is where The Retirement Guys have found our niche: Helping people get things in order for retirement. Giving them ideas on how they can increase the likelihood that they will have a happy and relaxing retirement. We talk all the time about how many times it takes a “mind shift.” A change of thinking may be required if you are used to doing things a certain way. If you are used to investing your money a certain way, if you have certain spending habits, if you are used to a certain amount of income, etc. If you are approaching or are in retirement it may now be time to examine how to not only change your thinking, but to change how you go about things.
There are different analyses to be done and different steps to take to move toward having this financial security in retirement. If you take these steps it can lead to the peace of mind folks are looking for for that relaxing retirement. But, wait. Perhaps you do not want to “relax” in retirement. Perhaps there are many things you want to go do. It is a great big world out there, and we are of the opinion that you ought to go see and experience it.
It seems we all go through certain stages in life. As a child, we can’t wait to grow up. We have thoughts about how good it will be when we graduate from high school, get our first big career job, get married, have children, etc. We then go through the phase of establishing ourselves with our families and careers. Our main concerns are finding a career in which we can be happy, productive and make enough money to support our families and live a nice life. Then eventually comes the midlife crisis. Life is now passing us by and we want to experience things before it is too late. For me (Mark) it was learning how to ride a motorcycle, playing electric guitar and seeing more of the world. For some it can mean making drastic decisions with what they are doing with their lives. These decisions don’t always end up being good ones.
After the midlife crisis is over, many of us then start to ask ourselves, “Why are we here?” “What is the meaning of life?” “What is really important?” If we have established some sense of financial security, and our children are on their way to establishing their lives, we start wondering what is the best way to spend what time we have left. I have wondered the same thing and feel that even though I am in the “second half” of life, I still have a lot to offer and a lot to do. I have a little while to retirement yet, but as time continues to fly by, I have begun to wonder how best to spend my time on things that are significant. Regardless of whether you are retired, many of us want to be engaged in something that we feel strongly about so that we remain productive citizens. Our sense of self can come from our productivity. We talk a lot in our public workshops about what inspires us to action. Faith, family and our work keep us motivated to get up each morning and get back at it. Recently, I read a book by Bob Buford called “Halftime.” The author had successfully established himself in his career and began a quest to go from success to significance. He wanted to spend way more time on what he considered significant, which in his case turned out to be his faith in God and the idea of helping and serving others. His book has been widely read and has given many people direction on how to figure it out.
How about you? Have you figured it out yet? If not, maybe you should start to think about it. Time short, so get moving. As always, The Retirement Guys wish you the best.
For more information about The Retirement Guys, tune in at 1 p.m. Saturdays on 1370 WSPD or visit www.retirementguysradio.com. Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered through NEXT Financial Group Inc., member FINR/SIPC. NEXT Financial Group Inc. does not provide tax or legal advice. The Retirement Guys are not an affiliate of NEXT Financial Group. The office is at 1700 Woodlands Dr., Suite 100, Maumee OH, 43537. (419) 842-0550.
Tags: Mark Clair, Nolan Baker, retirement questions, The Retirement Guys, Toledo Business Link
