Are you ready to retire? Today’s financial advertisements promise that, if you make the right choices, you will be able to live a life of leisure. Leaving the drudgery of an eight to five job should be the promise of a better life—shouldn’t it? The truth is, this message is playing on our desires to …more
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The rainy season has come to a close bringing with it the hot and humid air. The past few days in Yokohama had been almost unbearable. I had to cut my daily walking in half and even in the early morning my clothes were soaked within the first few minutes. The temperature is now exceeding …more
Back in 2003, while still on an expatriate assignment in Frankfurt, Germany, we bought a penthouse in Cyprus. Living a nomadic life as my wife and our two daughters have been doing for 21 years, we felt the need to establish some sort of base to go back to on a regular basis and maybe …more
I’ve never believed in the idea of sacrificing now to plan ahead so I could retire. I thought I would just work until the day I died. I’ve always practiced “live for today,” while Alan (my mate) did some of that, but he, a stockbroker, practiced what he preached, and prepared for retirement. Alan is …more
In sharing my story let me tell you from the start: Retirement from the business world is possible but retirement from life does not exist unless you want it to. No, it is not possible for every retiree to do as I have done but every retiree can be involved in a worthwhile project that …more
The road was a familiar one. The highway leading out of town had a slight bend in it as it curved south. Approaching the well-known curve, I eased on the brake and slowed our car down to a near stop before turning right. I was heading home, or at least it felt like it. As …more
Several years ago my old high school buddy, Al (Class of ’58 – yeah, I mean old!), drove down from Oregon to go fishing with me. Our plans included a visit to the Delta for a couple of days to get him onto a big ol’ sturgeon. We towed the boat with the motorhome and …more
Let’s go back to the beginning of 2015. I’m watching financial consultants on television advising viewers to fund their 401(k) to the maximum. The purpose is to defer the tax on that income and cause the funds to be deemed “tax-qualified.” The advisors are so convincing that it must be the best thing to do, …more
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