From Retirement Now Newsletter 2-10-2022
I was jogging a couple of days ago with one of my kids.
When an old (well just from the 90’s) movie’s inspirational scene popped into my head.
Over 20 years ago a somewhat artsy fartsy with a sci-fi twist movie came out called Gattica. I don’t remember much about it now, not sure I’d even still like it if I saw it again, but I liked it at the time.
If you don’t recognize it consider yourself normal. It bombed at the box office.
But it had this scene that stuck with me these past few decades. And it’s where the two brothers, one is genetically enhanced and the other is natural born, are swimming into the ocean to see who could go the furthest.
The genetically enhanced brother has to stop and turn around and asks his natural brother how he is able to beat him, and how he’s able to do all the things he’s been able to achieve while competing against genetically modified supposedly superior people.
And his reply to how he’s beating his brother in the swim out into the ocean?
(Paraphrased as best as my memory can recall):
“How am I doing it? How have I done everything? This is my secret: I never saved anything for the swim back.”
I know when I die I won’t be able to say that. But sure do hope I can get closer to living it over time.
And all this got me thinking about how that relates to retirement… yes, retirement… a time when you shouldn’t have to work hard and “never hold anything back.”
Because it’s not necessarily about working hard like the brother in the movie, but doing something with purpose that brings fulfillment to your life.
I don’t remember where I read it, but I once read that men are more likely to suffer depression in retirement than woman. And the conclusion the writer was drawing from that discovery is that when men quit work they are more likely to feel like they have no purpose in life, since they are not producing something anymore.
Who knows, women are probably susceptible to that as well.
Regardless if you’re male or female, it’s important to think about what you want to do in retirement. The thing to keep you busy or give you purpose.
And then do that thing that will make you happy while you’re still able to.
Anywho… I don’t know if that inspires anyone out there. But I do know that whatever your retirement dreams are, they will be a heck of a lot easier to realize if you are financially prepared for retirement. This means having a plan that helps you reach those dreams and goals, one that accounts for how you will invest your portfolio, how you can most efficiently generate income from it that will last the rest of your life, how to ethically and legally minimize tax, and how to make sure your wealth passes on to the next generation in a way that blesses them.
