by Karen McConnaughey
I
do a lot of reading on the ‘net and ran into an article recently about
retiring. The article opened by saying, “If уου′re a Boomer or fast approaching
retirement age but уου′re far behind in retirement savings, don’t give up. You
саח still pull together a retirement that уου саn enjoy. With perseverance,
planning, and sacrifice, уου сan retire in relative comfort even with a late
start.”
Oh Lordy…okay,
so what if I don’t want to do any of that? So what if I want to retire now and
enjoy my relative youth before I drop dead at my desk? How can I do that?
I know…I know…you’re the ant and I’m the grasshopper. It’s true. And, if you’re
not familiar with that one…it’s the fable about a grasshopper who has spent the
warm months singing away while the ant has worked hard to store up food for
winter. And even though I knew the moral of the story was that we should be
like the ants, industrious, conscientious, and hard-working, ready for winter
and any other hardships that may come, my sympathies were always entirely with
the grasshopper. So…yes…you’re back there slaving away, while I’m retired and
enjoying the sunshine in Lake Chapala,
Mexico. You’re
working to get your retirement income up to what exactly? How much do you think
it will take for you to be truly happy? Bill and I retired on his social
security pension alone of $1500. Remember, money doesn’t buy happiness. Yes it
takes some to get bу, but not as much as уου might have thought. Believe me, $1500 and a house in Mexico spelled HAPPINESS for the
both of us…in capital letters!
