I was in Columbia, SC doing legwork with our staff in preparation of this coming week's NARA Conference when I met an older gentleman and struck up a conversation. When the top turned to the NARA Conference, my new acquaintance had some insight into retirement.
He said he had retired years ago in the foothills or "Golden Corner of NW South Carolina and had been looking forward to happiness. It dawned on him after a couple of months of having a "Golfing Saturday" everyday that he was not happy.
My wife literally kicked him out of the house and told him to go back to work. I took a job for the interaction with people more than anything, he said.
I asked him what was most important to him in retirement.
He said that everybody should take an assessment of his/her life - write their obituary - in mid to later life. Then you know what's missing. "What was missing for me was volunteer activities and charitable work."
So, this volunteer set out to "puff up" his obituary and legacy by giving back. He realized this was a goal of his life that he had postponed for a long time.
Self-actualization. The idea of a life having true meaning. It's a powerful refrain, isn't it? We look forward to talking about these and other motivators this coming week in Columbia, SC. We hope to see you there. http://www.retirementlivingnews.com/2010conference.html
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Retirement Annuities are offered by life insurance companies and have very high fees of around 3% a year. These instruments should only be used for retirement investing if the specific features offered are worth the 3% fee.
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