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Podcast 2015
| This is the third in a series concerning retirement and finances. In this episode I give a little more detailed breakdown of an example of managing money month to month. It might help you clarify how you manage money on a more immediate basis. | |
| Living within your means is easier said than done. But is key to retiring without having to worry about money. This basic truism must be followed both before and after retirement. That and good luck will provide. | |
| How much money will I need to retire? What a difficult question; when you are working and when you retire. No one knows what will happen in your life or in your greater community. There are no guarantees. What to do? | |
| We all die. The question that is troubling is the suffering that many times accompanies the end. That is what the medically assisted end of life issue is all about. "You Don't Know Jack" is a movie that deals with the issue. Here are some thoughts after a late night viewing. | |
| Learning something new has a way of lifting us up. We gain a new view on a part of the world. Our curiosity leads us to new understanding. It is something we can do every day. It just takes a little imagination and a little effort. | |
| Friends sometimes change when we retire. We move; others move; things change. Friends don't always just blow in with a fresh breeze. We may need to make an effort to establish new relationships. | |
| Political elections demand courage. Our choices don't always win. Sometimes it seems like they never win. How do we maintain faith or hope? | |
| When you live next door to poverty it isn't very pleasant. It's unsightly; it smells and it can be dangerous. We like to live in nice neighborhoods. "Location, location, location". We all have a stake in eliminating or limiting poverty. | |
| I like to lighten the load of what material possessions are in my domain. It seems like the lighter the load the higher I rise in the water. Some retires throw everything away. I have never heard one of them say they regret it. | |
| Is there a difference between retiring with a partner or spouse and retiring solo? There has to be. Time to give it some thought. Something I have never done before. | |
| Dogs and people go together like nothing else. It is like they become one. For bonding, comforting and unconditional love one would have to look long and hard to find better. | |
| Retirement gives us a chance to exercise personal preferences in many ways. Dealing with alarm clocks and the daily news have received some of my attention. Habits have to be developed with care. Otherwise... | |
| What is your retirement dream place to live? Do you have one? Have you thought about it? Like everything else you can just let it happen or you can do something to make it happen. Your choice. | |
| Most of the time there is a definite connection between age and retirement. All of the time there is a definite connection between age and health issues. As we get older our bodies change. How carefully do we have to listen? | |
| Traveling by plane is not like it use to be. There are so many examples of the changes and only one I can think of that is an improvement. More people can afford to fly. Then there are all the negatives: crowding, cramping, and comfort among them. Now there is the damage to the environment that is being hidden from us all. What next? | |
| Guilt sometimes ruins everything we have ever dreamed. Retirement offers us time to sleep in, take long lunches and long walks. It affords us time to be rather than time to be up and doing. Guilt sometimes makes this rare treat into something bad. It shouldn't. | |
| Sound has a particularly magical place in our mind. Those of us raised on radio are perhaps more sensitive to it's mystical powers. Today's Internet offers us a new and expanding format in which to indulge. Retirement offers us the time to close our eyes and expand our mind. What a joy. | |
| Finding meaning in one's life is not easy. There are many advisors and paths to guide us or misguide us. One thing about it: we can make our own choices if we are strong and persistent in our quest. "He who has eyes let him see". Regardless of who said it I believe it. | |
| For some reason working with the hands offers rewards that are unique. For some of us those rewards are beyond words. They offer us a key to a satisfying retirement. (Text disappeared with a failed computer. Sorry.) | |
| I keep thinking of how much I loved my IBM Selective typewriter and then I was convinced I'd be better off with a computer. It has changed my life. Are the technological innovations that appear today as appealing or effective? What to do? (Text disappeared with a failed computer. Sorry.) | |
| However you think you may die you will most probably be wrong. I remember reading that somewhere. I believe it. We sometimes worry about things over which we have little to no control. Cause of our own death is one of them. |
| "All men are created equal" has become an American axiom. It doesn't mean we all know as much as the next guy. Science has a way of requiring certain abilities and efforts that escape many of us. Can we trust science? Or are we better off trusting our politicians or our opinionated neighbor concerning scientific matters? |
| We live in a fast paced world and moving slowly seems to be foreign to us. We are tempted to take speed with us even when we vacation or travel. It is the opposite of what we really need when we are trying to recreate. Do we see more when we speed up or slow down? |
| Retirement comes later in life as do accumulating health problems. We start to fade. What to do when we develop health problems that require professional attention? Sometimes we get a diagnosis that just doesn't feel right. What to do? |
| Retiring at the same time as your spouse or partner can be a challenge. I've heard complaints. My wife and I retired on the same day. I have experience. Here's the story. |
| Retirement brings lots of new opportunities our way. One is that we are more free than ever to relocate our residence. We can move to the big city, the desert, the mountains; the west, the east, the north or the south. Or Mexico or Thailand. There is a new alternative. |
| Some of us don't know what to do; when we retire and some before we retire. We seem to be at a loss for what might make us happier in our life. We find it eludes us after we seemingly find success. What to do? |
| My wife focuses down and sees the details of life. But I have a hard time seeing the nose on my face. I'm a scanner. I guess we need both. Retirement is a good time to consider just what it is we want to see before it is to late. |
| Some of us like to work off of lists. They can help keep us on track whenever impulses try to influence our lives. We need something perhaps not in concrete but none-the-less pretty permanent to steer through turbulent times. |
| Dreams keep us going. We have them when we are young. Sometime along the line they seem to fade away. We live day by day. Retirement is a time for resurrection. We need to make an effort to recreate the ability to dream. |
| Picking a fight can be a good thing. It depends on what your fighting for. Sometimes it is a good thing to stand up, be aggressive and bark. Saying something and doing something sometimes requires aggression. |
| Being retired doesn't mean we are always on vacation. We do establish routines to some extent. We have a residency, regular hours- sort of - and local businesses we patronize. Some times we throw it all aside and do something different with our lives. We call those vacations. They are important. |
| If we knew how long we were going to live we plan a bit better financially for our retirement. But we don't. And that is probably a good thing. We will just need to make some good decisions - and be lucky. |
| When should I retire? Or can I afford to retire? We find these questions first and foremost as we age. Does work just become accepted as a way of life that can't be changed? We might want to give these questions some thought - serious thought. |
| Friends give value to each day. The problem is hanging on to them. They tend to come and go over a lifetime. We face a new challenge when we retire or they retire. Friendship requires duration and that is sometimes hard to find in today's world. |
| Stumbling on a secret to living well is one of life's pure pleasures. Here is the story of an experience I had with K. Eileen Allen that certainly made me take notice. She was ninety when we met and she had learned a lot in her long life. |
| How many choices do we have? It is sometimes hard to know which of the many options would be best. We pause to think. The important thing is to not stop. We need to make a choice and then move on it. |
| It is easy to fall into a life of doing very little when we retire. It is easy to do the same old thing everyday. Risk is something that may take us into a new stage. We need to keep in mind the joy of doing something different, learning something new or seeing something we have never seen. |
| Sliding into a world of silence is a danger of retirement and old age. No one seems to want to listen to us or we find our hearing starting to fail. We are difficult to talk to. Is there a solution? It would seem to be that there is, or soon will be. |
| Some of us tend to look ahead in our daily lives and some tend to look back. It seems like one or the other dominate. Do we want to spend our time anticipating or reflecting? Or is there a happy place right in between? Or do we just sort of drift along? |
| Weather is one of the elements we talk about all our life. It takes on a bit of different meaning when we retire. Sometimes this is the only factor that seems to matter. People are sure they want to live in the sun. |
| We have expectations placed on us all of our life. Some are placed on us by others and some are assumed by our own desires. We plan and work towards fulfillment of these expectations. Retirement is a phase of our life where expectations are need as much as any time. |
| Some of us plan for retirement and the plan works. Not always but sometimes. This week we hear from a listener who did plan and has been very happy with the results. It required some thought and effort. Surely we could all give it a go. |
| We like to think we can always change. Some of us do. And some of us don't. What makes for the difference? Two old friends of mine faced that challenge a few years ago and had very different results. Maybe we can learn something from their stories. |
| We retired people are part of the population who have lived longest. We have experienced much. We can use our experience to share stories with others. We have an opportunity to become the true Elders of our society. |
| Just when we thought we had enough problems screen apnea appears. It seems looking at an electronic screen can result in hours of sleeplessness. I have enough problems sleeping without adding something else. |
| One can sit in a rocking chair only so long. Rocking or drifting all day can satisfy only so long. Then a strange force seems to take over and propel us back into life. We have to get up and get going. |
| One reason we can retire is because we have been around for a while. We have had lots of experiences. We have learned much on our path through life. We have earned the right to question - everyone and everything. We might want to enjoy this right - while we still can. |
| How we look at the world and how we arrive our own truth changes over the years. As children we look at the world the way it is taught to us by our parents and local customs. As we grow to be adults our sources of information broadens and become more universal. At least we hope that is the way it works. |
| Politics can be a divisive topic. We sometimes are wise to steer clear. On the other hand it might be wise to talk things out in a civil manner. We could use more clarification and understanding on almost all issues. We retired folks should have learned that by now. |
| Holidays are suppose to be days to celebrate. Sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. They can be very depressing. We may be able to limit the bad moments and thoughts with a bit of foresight. We need to make plans. |
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from. A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops. Copyright 2010 RetirementTalk.org |
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