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A Difficult Phrase to Say: “Enough Already, I’m Retiring”

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When a client of mine called it quits from a successful career working for start-up companies in California, he was young enough to keep working, but old enough to realize the cost was too high.

He was stressed out, out of shape, out of the country at times, and plain old tired of the endless hours it takes to get a company off the ground.

But not having something to do every day can be terrifying and not having a steady paycheck even more so. Sometimes it’s hard to say, “enough already, I’m retiring.”

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But he did it. He retired.

We talked about part-time work and nothing came of it.

There was a health crisis in the family.

And, after a while, he got a job.

He’s working at a big box retailer putting online orders together to be picked-up later at the store. He’s putting in 40-hours a week and is tracking his steps to see how far he walks each shift.

“E.J.,” he said, “I’m walking 14,000 to 17,000 steps a shift, I’ve lost 10 lbs., and when my shift is over it’s over.”

He’s happy.

He’s replaced walking on a treadmill while watching cable news with a front row seat to the retail/tech revolution and has fun interacting with his co-workers.

Sounds like a nice gig to me.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.
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