Quote:
Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14
I have family members that are a cautionary tale for not enjoying life before old age hits. My Dad retired early due to a lifelong health condition that, while serious, isn’t immediately life threatening. He had also saved up the money in order to live a nice retirement and sacrificed somewhat during his healthy years to do so.
Fast forward to year 8 of his retirement and through some secondary health issues he is almost unable to walk. Golf is done for him, any sports or high intensity activity is impossible. Anything that requires balance on your feet cannot be done.
My advice to anyone who’s worried about saving enough for retirement is that if you’re going to invest financially into your retirement, you should also be investing physically into it as well. You don’t need to be the strongest or fastest or bendiest, but regular cardio, moderate weighted exercise and regular stretching will make your last years much better than my dads.
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For me personally, this kind of thing has had an enormous impact on me. I’ve seen a fair number of clients work hard, save really well and retire only to get sick and pass away. It’s really hard. For me that meant a few changes. I tried to start doing things that I know I want to do “one day”. I took a few trips and have a few more on the docket that I want to do. I started to try to use my leisure time for activities I like and not just wasting time. Things I can do today that I enjoy whereas when I’m say 75 I won’t be able to.
Above all, I’ve worked to make myself strike more of a balance between saving and not spending and enjoying things today. For me, that’s not always easy because I’m not a spender.
I’ve also changed my thoughts on how long I’ll work, and I’m planning on working longer. I know that might sound counterintuitive, but I know myself well enough to realize that I probably need a reason to get out of bed each day and something to keep me going. That probably means work in a reduced capacity for more years.