I cannot wait for my retirement! I have so many goals and interactions to look forward to that it is almost insane to think about it. Work is holding my life back from its highest potential. However, it is prudent to stick around in the workforce until a stable retirement is guaranteed. So I wait and look forward to the day I can say “Family all day, every day.”
How about you? Are you ready for retirement? Do you have any vacations or trips to look forward to in the future? Do you have personal and relationship goals to look forward to developing?
I got the idea for this article because I am watching many people around me retire. They have no idea what they want to do. The people who finish their 20 years in military service go straight into another job. They seem to have the life drained out of their soul. They are mindlessly working for no higher purpose.
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My wife also works with a ton of retirees on base. They seem to be going through the motions of life. A job is all they know, and they have no plans to branch out and create, innovate, or assist others in their pursuits—just paychecks and vacations.
Now is the time to start deciding who you want to be once you retire. What you do and who you do it with needs to be planned as far in advance as possible.
I also see plenty of people who do not value relationships. Whether that is with spouses, friends, kids, or parents, these are the people with whom you will be spending most of your time during retirement, at least ideally.
Now, I want to review who I look forward to spending time with the most in my upcoming retirement. I encourage you to make a similar list. If you don’t have much on your list, then start putting things in motion to get one built.
My Spouse, Kristina. My wife and I have spent at least seven years of our 15 years of marriage separated due to my military job. It’s all good because once I retire, I never have to leave her side again. She is the reason I work as hard as I do, and she deserves all the good things that we will accomplish together.
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My Kids, Dan and Andrew. These are my little men. They are going to lead extraordinary lives. The best part is that I am in a position of knowledge and status to assist them throughout life. I will not just kick them out at 18 and say, “Figure it out”.
My Family. I have been away from my parents and Kris’ parents for too long. It is time to settle down and spend time with my elders. I look forward to telling war stories about the workforce and chatting about former bosses and fake stress.
Travel. Kris’s family lives in Turkey. My family lives in Arizona. My wife and I live in Florida. We will own homes in all these places so that we can travel freely between them. I want to be in a remote location and have my retirement income, dividends, interest, rental income, royalties, and business income coming in passively. That is the dream we are putting into motion today!
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Retirement Income. Staying up-to-date with the events of retirement will be very interesting. Spending time checking expenses, planning travel, and maximizing the use of income will keep us occupied.
Investments. Waking up, monitoring, and reading about dividends is super fun and something I genuinely enjoy doing. The plan is to wake up, grab coffee with the wife, and then spend 1-2 hours checking up on the stock market.
Rental Income. We will have to stay on top of our properties and look for new real estate opportunities. There are almost too many to list. Please read Real Estate 102 for more ideas inside the world of real estate.
Royalties. Royalties could be the time-sink I am most excited about. I love writing and plan on doing it for a very long time. It has become somewhat of a passion for me. And being fully retired will allow me the chance to write even more. I think everyone wants to see inside the life of a successfully retired person, and I will open up our life to everyone.
Business Income. Starting a business is a must. However, this is something I want to do with my kids. Together we will set the world on fire. They have the strength and youth going for them. They need mentorship (and funding). I can’t wait to see what we can build.
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I have a lot going for me. But I put myself in a position to have these things. You can do the same. Figure out your dream retirement and start working on getting there. I think that we can all agree- we don’t want to work for “the man.” If you need something to do to stay busy, there are many ways to do this without stress.
How did your list look? Do you need to add some more ideas or dreams to it? When you have a lot of free time, do you get bored? These are clues that you need to start getting involved with family, the community and creating content. There is a vast world out there, but we have to make a conscious effort to get involved.
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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