When you retire, the feeling that you need to always be doing something will be there. It’s important to remember you’ve earned the luxury to “Take it Easy.” David Ekerdt writes: Instead, I believe that the mantra should be: Let retirement be retirement. Studies of people who pass from work to retirement consistently find that they prize sovereignty over time—freedom—as the great gift of their new stage of life. This should include the freedom to shrug off any pressure to conform to a busy standard. Our society has a sufficient number of retirees who feel driven to pass their later years … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Stay on Beat
One of my favorite drummers is the Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts, known for keeping it simple, keeping the beat, and playing to the song. He doesn’t look for something that’s not there. There’s a story about how Watts could play a song in the studio then have the volume turned off, with everyone leaving the room, continue playing in silence, and when they came back in and turned the music back on he was still on beat. Think about that for a moment. Let it sink in as you consider what’s going on today. There’s a lot of noise out there. Imagine turning it off. Would you stop what you’re … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Survival is Your Friend
“I was married for thirty years, with three children and a house to manage and doing lots of charity work. Then came the divorce…” a reader wrote to me. I called her up this week and we talked. Our conversation wasn’t about her divorce. In fact it only came up once. We talked more about the success of her family and the financial independence they have achieved. But as she tells it, when she talks with them about their childhood they tell her it wasn’t always the best. I asked her what she meant by that. She said, "We didn’t have a lot of extra money for expensive vacations.” She explained, … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Sage Advice on How to Get Ahead
You don’t have to start your own business to be an entrepreneur. That was some key advice I recall from the late Tom Stemberg, founder of Staples, when he spoke at Babson College—known for its entrepreneurship programs. Stemberg felt that the best way to continue a business education was by working for a company that was already established—a leader in their field. His idea was to absorb as much as possible, and then, after seeing how the sausage was made, determine if you had the stomach to really do something on your own. I was reminded of this sage advice from Stemberg during a recent … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Will Your Family Survive the Money Crisis?
“So where have we retired? The local airport is our retirement home and will be for the next 10-years,” wrote my new friend Nancy in response to my “Your Retirement Life” series. “My husband just retired at 70 from pastoring a local small church for 35 years. For many years it was full time work, on a part time salary. I still work part time as a nurse locally and we homeschooled 6 of the 7 children K-12. We now have 23 grandchildren in 4 far away states. Ideally we’d ALL like to live closer…but those jobs!!!!” I emailed Nancy, to thank her for sharing her story, and asked if she would have a … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: My Latest Advice on Amazon Stock
Lately, I've been obsessed with everything Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. I'd love to own his stock, but not at these prices. Does that mean the stock is going down? Hardly! I just don't see the margin of safety—a term coined by the late, great Benjamin Graham who taught Warren Buffett a thing or two about investing. You won't be surprised by this, but Mr. Graham paid particularly close attention to one word: Dividends. Bezos' Amazon doesn't pay a dividend. But it does deliver. Sometimes the foyer at my house feels like a fulfillment center with all the boxes. Everything Bezos touches, like an … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Porsche Heads into the Fire!
Your Retirement Life is my brand-new series featuring stories from you. I want to know what you’re up to. [inlinetweet prefix="" tweeter="" suffix=""]We can only learn from each other.[/inlinetweet] Please share Your Retirement Life by emailing me at: ejsmith@youngresearch.com I received this great email yesterday: "EJ, Our Porsche is a 1986 911 Turbo which I purchased new 30 years ago. It’s in great condition and we love taking it on the terrific driving roads in the Rocky Mountain West. This past weekend a neighbor couple, in their 360 Ferrari, joined my wife and me for a driving … [Read more...]
How to Buy a Boat Part VI
A lot of great stuff happens when you’re on the water. It’s usually the things that you don’t plan which end up being the best memories. Like the time when I was shark fishing as a kid with my cousins, my uncle Ron, and my dad. My dad had a brand new pole. At one point he went down below to get some sandwiches and Uncle Ron began shouting, “Randy you’ve got a fish on your line!” Within seconds the pole was overboard. After lunch, Uncle Ron hooked onto to a sand shark and yelled, “Randy I’ve got something.” As it came into sight my dad said, “Ron! He’s got my pole!” The fish got away. But we … [Read more...]
How to Buy a Boat Part V
“If you’re going to buy a boat that is mass produced, make sure you don’t buy the one that was put together on a Friday afternoon,” Skip Helme, Owner Brewer Street Boatworks. Well Skip and I made our offer, it was accepted and we needed to get it surveyed. Skip said he knew just the guy: Steve Maddock. Turns out our boat was built on a Friday afternoon. Steve Maddock is one of those guys that’s so good at what he does you’re just happy he’s on your side. He’s not afraid to ruffle feathers and tell people what he thinks of the boat they’re trying to sell. So, Skip and I planned … [Read more...]
How to Buy a Boat Part IV
Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a boat. So with that in mind, Skip and I planned out our road (and sea) trip to Long Island. We chose Long Island because there were about five to ten boats of the specific make and model we were targeting for sale at various boatyards and dealerships there. Also, Skip summered on Shelter Island, NY and knew the area well. After looking at the first couple of boats, Skip suggested we come up with a back-of-the napkin scoring sheet. We graded each boat based on overall condition, hours on the engines, and an assortment of other factors. For … [Read more...]