by Joe Hearn | Nov 6, 2021 | Investing, Lifestyle Design, Retirement
Happy weekend! I just posted a few new videos to the Intentional Retirement YouTube channel and wanted to share them with you. They’re just a few minutes each and offer some great insights on how to live an intentional, meaningful retirement.
To watch, just click on the two links below or you can go directly to our channel to see everything available. And please do me a huge favor and click “Subscribe” when you visit our channel. That way you’ll be sure to see the latest content when it’s available and it will help more people find us, because the more that people subscribe and watch, the more YouTube will suggest the videos to others. Thanks a ton. You’re awesome!
YouTube Video #1: Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.
In this video I discuss financial decision making and how making disciplined, hard choices can lead you to a place of financial security and abundant options. If you ever wanted a little motivation to swim against the financial mainstream, this video is for you.
YouTube Video #2: Curate your life.
One of the most important jobs at any museum is the Chief Curator. It’s his or her job to choose what goes in and what stays out. In a similar way, you’re the Chief Curator of your life. Your life (and retirement) will be defined by what you let in and what you keep out. So be a tough curator.
Thanks for reading (and watching).
Be Intentional,
Joe
by Joe Hearn | Oct 20, 2021 | Retirement
I started an Intentional Retirement YouTube channel a few years ago, but haven’t posted anything in a loooong while. Time to change that. There are several new videos on the channel right now and going forward I’ll try to post new content each week covering both money and meaning. I’d love to have you follow along. Just click on the two links below to watch the latest or you can go directly to our channel to see everything available.
And please do me a huge favor and click “Subscribe” when you visit our channel. That way you’ll be sure to see the latest content when it’s available and it will help more people find us, because the more that people subscribe and watch, the more YouTube will suggest the videos to others. Thanks a ton. You’re awesome!
YouTube Video #1: 3 Unexpected Emotions in Retirement
In this video I discuss the unexpected emotions that can crop up soon after retiring and give you some strategies for how to cope with them.
YouTube Video #2: Should you pay off your house before you retire?
Hardly a week goes by that I don’t get asked about paying off a mortgage early. In this video I discuss:
- The things to consider before making a decision
- The pros and cons of paying off your mortgage before retirement
- What I did with my house and why
Thanks for reading (and watching).
Be Intentional,
Joe
by Joe Hearn | Oct 7, 2021 | Health, Lifestyle Design, Retirement
When I say the word “freedom,” what do you think of? Freedom of speech? Self-determination? The freedom to choose your own spouse, friends or career path? Or maybe you envision an open road. Or a favorite pastime. Or winning the lottery. Freedom is not just one thing. There are many different types, states and levels of freedom. When it comes to retirement, I think there are five key types of freedom you should strive for. Those are:
Financial Freedom. Things cost money. If you have enough money to pay for the things you want and need, you have financial freedom. You don’t need to be rich, but you need enough money to fund your ideal lifestyle. Obviously, that’s a different amount for everyone. Find out how much it is for you and get to work. Save more. Be a good steward of your resources. Stop spending on things that aren’t important to you. The more financial freedom you have, the less beholden you are to a job or lender and the more flexible you can be in your life decisions. Of course, money won’t solve all your problems, but it will usually solve your money problems (to paraphrase Naval Ravikant). It’s often the table stakes for the other freedoms we’ll discuss below.
Time Freedom. Think of life as a pie chart that is divided between time you control and time controlled by others. The goal is to gradually shrink the piece of the pie that is controlled by others. The smaller that piece becomes, the more time freedom you have. The more time freedom you have, the more retired you are. Be careful, however. The most common way to achieve the money freedom we discussed earlier is to trade your time freedom for it. That can work while you’re building your nest egg, but it’s not a good long-term trade. The goal is not to be cash rich and time poor. That’s just prison with a fancy zip code. The goal is to have financial freedom while simultaneously controlling your time.
Location Freedom. Location independence is a key theme at Intentional Retirement. Being location independent means that you’re not tied to a specific geographic location for work or other reasons. You are free to move about, explore and experience while still staying on top of work or other obligations. Pre-pandemic, this was a rarely used and somewhat radical concept. Post-pandemic, it has become almost normal. We have the tools and technology to facilitate it and fewer gatekeepers telling us no. Location freedom is important for obvious reasons. If the things you have to do are tied to a specific location, they will prevent you from doing the things you want to do that are not. A caged bird isn’t free.
Health Freedom. Think for a minute about how your health can affect your freedom. For starters, getting sick is expensive. Health issues often sabotage your financial freedom and can force you to continue working, which undermines your time freedom. Even worse, being sick or unhealthy will often get in the way of everything else you want to do. I’m sure many of your plans involve some level of activity. The worse your health is, the less you’ll be able to do. Said another way, your health can act as either captor or emancipator. Better health = More freedom.
Lifestyle freedom. Having the first four types of freedom enable you to achieve freedom number five: Lifestyle freedom. This freedom comes from deciding what you really want out of life and having the time, money, independence and health to pursue those things and make them a reality.
How are you doing so far? Any particular area that still needs work? You can do it. Just keep in mind that freedom can be tricky. When you look at the list above, it’s easy to see how acquiring one freedom can cost you another. That’s less than ideal, obviously. Figure out all five and you’ll be well on your way to a remarkable retirement (and life).
Be Intentional,
Joe
by Joe Hearn | Jun 25, 2021 | Retirement
Quick review. At Intentional Retirement, we believe that retirement is an intentional way of living that prioritizes freedom, fulfillment, purpose and relationships. It starts today and is an incremental process of aligning your lifestyle and actions with your highest priorities.
Gone are the days (or at least they should be) when retirement was about how old you are or whether you punch a time clock. That just puts you on the deferred life plan where you push your dreams off until “Someday” rather than living life to the full now. Not only that, but it doesn’t give you much time. If you retire at 65 and stay healthy and active until 75 (a stretch for many) then you’ve got 10 years to do everything you’ve been putting off for the last 40. Ten years is not enough.
With all that in mind, here are three essential ingredients of an ideal retirement (and life).
Optimal Health. Here’s an obvious statement: Most of the things you want to do in life require you to be alive. And not just alive, but healthy and fit. The healthier you are, the more you’ll be able to do. So start taking your health seriously. Ask yourself, “What actions can I take today that will put me on a path to improving my health?” A few big areas to focus on are what you eat, your vitals (weight, blood pressure, etc.), how much you sleep, how active you are and how good your relationships are. Pick an area and start working on it. Once you have that dialed in, add something else.
Financial Freedom. Here’s another obvious statement: Things cost money. You don’t need to be rich, but you need enough money to fund your ideal lifestyle. Obviously, that’s a different amount for everyone. Find out how much it is for you and get to work. Save more. Be a good steward of your resources. Stop spending on things that aren’t important to you. The more financial independence you have, the less beholden you are to a job or lender and the more flexible you can be in your life decisions. The goal is to control more of your time. The more time you control, the more retired you are.
Purpose. Neurologist, psychiatrist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl said that striving to find meaning in one’s life is the primary, most powerful motivating and driving force in humans. In other words, we’re hard wired to want purpose and meaning. But it doesn’t just happen. You need to work at it. You need to decide what you really want out of life and start taking those plans seriously.
Obviously, I’ve written about these things before, but it’s always a good idea to review your core beliefs and recalibrate to true north so your plans will stay on track. I’ll put a few links below for further reading.
Be Intentional,
Joe
by Joe Hearn | Aug 7, 2020 | Debt, Insurance, Retirement, Saving
Well, we just past the halfway point of 2020. Five months to go. Time for a mid-year financial checkup. I’m a big proponent of doing an annual review each January, but this year has been a bit…unusual…so I encourage you to look things over now and make sure that your retirement plans are still on track. Here are a few things to focus on as well as a free Financial Checkup Checklist to help.
Investments. If you’ve been afraid to open your statements or log in to your accounts, it’s time. Look at where you are, but more importantly, look at where you’ve been. Markets plunged and then rallied, so you’ll see volatility for sure. But if it’s more than you can stomach (or more than your plan can handle), it’s time to rethink your risk and allocation.
Work. If you lost your job or changed jobs due to the pandemic, you need to re-run your retirement plan and make sure that it still works. A new job means a different income, different benefits and a different 401k. Those are all variables in your plan. If they change, your timeline for retirement might change.
Savings. It’s natural to get defensive in the face of uncertainty. When markets are plunging and the economy looks shaky, it’s easy to quit saving and investing. I see it all the time. It’s one thing if you lost your job or your income shrank considerably. But if you’re still working and you just quit saving out of fear, turn those automatic investments back on.
Budget. Did your spending change during the lockdown? Mine sure did. When you have no idea how bad a downturn will get or how long it will last, it’s natural to reevaluate your spending and reconsider your wants vs. needs. Ultimately, that’s a good thing. Nothing impacts your ability to retire quite as much as your retirement budget. The leaner you can make it, while still doing the things that are important to you, the better off you’ll be. Cut the fat and optimize your spending for the lifestyle you want. Here’s a budget worksheet to help.
Debt. Divide your total debt by your income. That ratio should get smaller over time. According to research by Charles Farrell, your Debt/Income ratio should be around 1.0 by age 45 and zero by age 65. How are you doing? What would your finances look like if you were debt free? How would you feel? What would you do with the extra money? How soon could you retire? Make a list of your debts and put together a plan to pay them off. And if you have a mortgage, consider refinancing while rates are at historic lows.
Insurance. Review all your coverages, but pay particular attention to your life insurance. The pandemic is a good reminder that unexpected things happen. If your family is depending on your income, then you need to have a plan to replace that income if you die. A general rule of thumb is to have 7 to 10 times your annual income in life insurance, but you should meet with a trusted adviser to discuss the specifics of your situation.
Legal affairs. Again, the pandemic is a good reminder that unexpected things happen. Make sure that your will, powers of attorney and estate plan are accurate, up-to-date and reflect your current wishes.
One more thing before I go. Don’t just focus on your finances or legal affairs. One of the most important ingredients to a successful retirement is to decide what you really want out of life and to start taking those things very seriously. COVID-19, while terrible, has likely helped you in that regard by forcing you to reexamine your habits, routines, priorities, purpose, relationships, finances, lifestyle, career and any number of other things. What have you learned about yourself? Don’t just ignore those lessons and slowly ease back into your pre-pandemic rut. Design a lifestyle—home, work, leisure—that reflects your priorities and is faithful to what you want out of life. You still have plenty of time to do that before the end of the year. Redeem 2020 by turning the disasters and difficulties into a better, more secure, more fulfilling life.
Be Intentional,
Joe
by Joe Hearn | May 1, 2020 | Asset Allocation, Debt, Happiness, Lifestyle Design, Retirement
“It’s an ill wind that doesn’t blow some good.” – Pa Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie
COVID-19 has been a tragedy. There’s no disputing that. Thousands dead. Millions sick. Millions more jobless. It’s hard to overstate the negative impacts of the pandemic. And yet, to paraphrase Pa Ingalls, even terrible situations can produce some good. As difficult as this time has been, I can’t help but think that many of us will look back on it as one of the best things to happen to us. Not in a “I just won the lottery!” sort of way, but in a “Painful, but positive” sort of way. Keep reading to see what I mean and to see how you can make sure that this “ill wind” blows some good for your retirement.
It forces us out of routine. It’s easy to get in a rut. Easy to put life on autopilot and live the same day over and over. Even if we don’t like the rut we’re in, we’ll often stay there because it feels safe. Human nature is such that we will often choose being unhappy over being uncertain. One thing this virus has done in spades is forced us all to live life in a different way. It grabbed the steering wheel and yanked us out of the rut. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it’s almost certainly a good thing. It gives us a fresh perspective. It helps time pass more slowly (because routine is the enemy of time). It opens us up to new experiences and new ways of thinking about things. It presents new opportunities. Yes, it brings uncertainty, but hiding in all that uncertainty is opportunity. Look for it.
It forces us to reexamine our priorities. Priorities are the things in life that are most important to us. They are the people, activities or things that we really care about and that bring us meaning. When life is going along swimmingly and we’re healthy and have plenty of time and money, we tend to get lazy. We allow things in that clutter or confuse our priorities. When life gets hard, however, and one or more of our priorities are threatened, it refocuses our mind on what’s important. Hard times force us to cut and say “no.” They force us to get back to the basics. That means a life less cluttered with filler and more focused on the things that bring you joy and meaning. That’s a good thing.
It forces us to think differently about debt. When the economy is strong and interest rates are low, it’s tempting to add debt. You almost feel foolish if you don’t. “One percent interest? Why wouldn’t I buy a $60,000 car?” But when hard times hit, servicing that debt becomes difficult if not impossible. Debt increases risk and reduces cash flow. It adds stress. It can derail your plans and dreams. It weakens your financial “immune system.” The pandemic is a good reminder to use debt sparingly.
It shows the fallacy of “appearances.” On a sunny day, a house built on the sand doesn’t look any different than a house built on rock. But when the storms come, the difference is pretty clear. It’s easy to get caught up in appearances. It’s tempting to keep up with the Jones’s. But even in the best of times, that strategy can be stressful and unfulfilling. In bad times it can be catastrophic. Machiavelli once wrote “The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities.” Don’t be one of those people. Build a life that is happy, secure and fulfilling, not one that only looks good on Instagram.
It exposes our weaknesses. Warren Buffett once said “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked.” There’s nothing like a combination global pandemic + financial crisis to help expose your weaknesses. Too much risk in your investments? Too much debt? No rainy day fund? Strained relationship with your spouse? Underlying health issues you’ve been ignoring? Settling for a life that isn’t what you want? If the tide went out and you find yourself a bit overexposed, maybe it’s time to go shopping for a swimsuit.
One of the most important ingredients to a successful retirement is to decide what you really want out of life and to start taking those things very seriously. COVID-19, while terrible, has likely helped you in that regard by forcing you to reexamine your habits, routines, priorities, purpose, relationships, finances, lifestyle and any number of other things. Embrace that process and you’ll likely come out the other side a stronger, more resilient, more self-aware person.
What are some practical ways to apply all this? I’ll put a few ideas below along with links to articles and resources at Intentional Retirement.
Be Intentional,
Joe
