NEWS ALERT - RETIREMENT IS A BIG DEAL
Not just financially, but retirement is a major change in your life. You go from a teacher, plumber, accountant, or truck driver to “I used to be a teacher, plumber, accountant, or truck driver”
Your life was driven by an alarm clock, commute, and all sorts of routines. Now, every day is Saturday. At first, it’s wonderful. You say “I’m doing nothing for 3 months”. There are no plans, no commitments, and no worries.
But after a while, if you’re not careful, no worries become much boredom.
Whether you are newly retired, almost retired, or have been retired for a while, you need an action plan. You need to know how you are going to spend your time, and it can’t revolve around Netflix.
CORE PURSUITS
I’ve studied the work of financial planner Wes Moss. He did research on what was the difference between happy and unhappy retirees. The secret was found in what Moss calls “Core Pursuits”. He found that the happiest retirees had on average 3.6 core pursuits, while the unhappy group averaged 1.9 or fewer core pursuits. Moss defines core pursuits as a passionate hobby, something that gives you a sense of fulfillment. This is a link to Moss’s website if you want to do more digging. Wes Moss Website.
This is a list of core pursuits he identified when he surveyed the people at Capital Investment Advisors
My core pursuits, which have evolved over the last few years are:
Writing this newsletter along with my silly cartoons
Being the president of our condominium association.
Focusing on my health and fitness, including a solid workouts routine.
Sitting on our town’s Broadband Committee.
WHAT ARE YOUR CORE PURSUITS?
While it’s best to be planning your core pursuits before you retire, you can figure them out no matter where on the retirement spectrum you fall. The key is to be deliberate and realistic in choosing them. You also need to be flexible. Things and conditions change. What was once a good idea may no longer work. In fact, after serious consideration, I recently abandoned my plans to join Cirque du Soleil.
What are your core pursuits?
What makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning?
What could you do that makes you wish there was more time in the day?
YOUR MONEY MATTERS
What Is Your Personal Inflation Rate?
When the government issues their latest bit of depressing inflation news the rate we see is a national number. The inflation rate varies by region, state and even down to each individual. Regionally, the Northeast is lower than the Southwest right now due to energy demands.
Personally, it depends on what each of us is spending money on. If you just bought a house or car, your personal rate is higher than someone who is not in that position because of how the cost of those has risen compared to other items. This link takes you to a CNBC article that walks you through the process of calculating your personal inflation rate.
Calculate Your Personal Inflation Rate
A BIT OF HUMOR
FITNESS, HEALTH, VIGOR, AND VERVE
You Are Only Over The Hill If That’s Where You Want To Be
Aging is an attitude, a frame of mind. Here’s a blog post from “Follow Phyllis…” that expands on that. Explore her website for all sorts of great info.
WHAT I’M READING, WATCHING, LISTENING TO, OR JUST PERUSING
The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
These are fun to read. They are a series of short stories that Conan Doyle wrote for The Strand Magazine in Britain. Each story leads you down a path where you think you know what’s going on and in the end “Surprise!” An interesting fact is that Conan Doyle wrote the stories primarily because he failed writing other things. He hated the hold that Sherlock had on him and even tried to quit writing these stories a couple times. But in the end, he needed the money and came to accept his fate and let Holmes and Watson continue their investigations.
Amazon Link To The Book (I'm not an affiliate or reap any rewards from Amazon)
A BIT OF FUN AND FRIVOLITY
The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time
I have a love-hate relationship with these lists. When I go through them I can’t understand why some songs are on the list or even rated as high as they are, while other songs, like most of the songs by Yes, didn’t make the cut. But, in the end I swallow my pride and accept them. How did your favorite songs make out?
Rolling Stones - 500 Greatest Songs
A QUOTE TO CHEW OVER
“Work nourishes the noble mind.” Seneca via the Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday