Let’s welcome in the New Year of 2012 with a fresh perspective on life in 2012 and beyond. I am starting to hear a lot of people my age and younger talking about “working retirement” and saying things like retirement is not an option for me and I will be unable to afford to retire completely the way I want and on it goes. You know what, they are right, with the cost of raising a family, reduced medical coverage, skyrocketing costs of secondary education, lack of pensions and disruptions of employment due to economic conditions the reality of a full retirement for most middle class level Americans is a fleeting dream. Like most Americans I was completely stressed about funding a retirement and retirement calculators and income projections to the point of making myself sick to death worrying about retiring. There was a better chance of my wife cashing in on my life insurance policy than of me cashing in my IRA’s at 59 1/2.
I came to a simple conclusion over a beer with a good friend who gave me 2 simple words of advice after hearing me fret about retirement and money over and over again and those 2 words have resonated with me everyday since our conversation. DON’T RETIRE.
Benefits of ” The Don’t Retire Retirement System”
1.Steady stream of income
2.Income that you should you still continue to save for retirement can be used for emergencies and special events instead of buying groceries and medications.
3.Working provides a feeling of usefulness, and besides don’t most people croak a month after they retire anyway?
What I’m trying to say is live life now, don’t stress over the life you may or may not be able to live 30 years from now. If golf is what makes you happy, you will live longer, your kids will be happy, your wife will be happy because you won’t be at the house forcing her to coupon so you can take that around the world trip in 30 years if your still alive.
Live life now while you can, plan for the future but not to the point where it paralyzes you tommorow. And really if you have to cut corners on things, aren’t there other things you can do besides cut out golf? Do you really need a daily $5 double latte bomb from Starbucks? No. Did you really need the monster SUV and the $100 a week gas bill that goes with it, probably not. Check out the archives on this blog and see “How to Play More Golf in a Down Economy”
And while your at it, why have you cut out the Annual Pilgrimage to Myrtle Beach? These are the life experiences that make life worth living. Look I understand that if it is the difference between putting groceries on the table or golf, golf will never replace the necessities of life, but for most of you on this website that is probably not the case. So get back out there and go play golf! It’s not hard just do it! You will live a longer, healthier life surrounded by good friends who cant’ wait for you to hit it O.B. on #18 when the match is on the line and their drinking their post round beer on you. But who cares payday is Friday!
Cheers!
Bob Seganti,PGA