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Retirement Strategies and Avocations
Begin early to plan for retirement, because if you live
long enough, you will surely retire. In planning
retirement, ask yourself practical questions: In what
kind of house would I like to live? How much income
will I need to sustain me? In what kind of activities
would I like to engage? Don't plan to loaf! That will
bore you to death. Don't plan to move too far away
from family and friends. Good friends are hard to come
by in old age. Don't become too remote from medical
services; they usually are more needed in old age.
There is nothing magic about retiring. It requires
saving, diversification of investments, and persistence.
All of this requires "that wisdom which is from above,
which comes only through prayer."
The most rewarding avocations are those in which
we invest our time and resources in the welfare of
others. Recreation for self is important, but to center
one's avocation around it will surely lead to
disappointment. God has created us in such away that
self-satisfaction comes through selflessness. That is a
great secret paradox we need to learn early in life and
follow it all the way through.
--
Paul Easley, San Antonio, Texas
Plan retirement when you are first married. Put
money and energy aside each month. Discuss with
spouse and children health issues, and options for
possible decisions that need to be decided regarding
failing health before or after retirement. Discuss with
s_pouse and kids "advanced directives," so issues
regarding death and dying don't come up with guilt. Be
supportive emotionally as a family with aging parents.
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