Living for today. I can't tell you how many people continually tell me that they live for today. Therefore, they aren't going to worry about finances and their retirement. On the other end of the stick I have clients who are so worried about their retirements that they get analysis paralysis. They are so busy worrying about retirement that they forget to live for today. And their nonstop phone calls can become obnoxious.
For crying out loud, isn't there a happy medium? Isn't there a way to set up your retirement and not worry about it? Isn't there a way to live for today and a way to have tomorrow taken care of and not drive your financial advisor up the wall?
We are given the questionable gift of knowing that we will grow old and that we will die. Most creatures don't have this gift. Or do they?
The squirrel knows how to gather nuts without instruction, the ant knows how to work without instruction, the bee knows how to work without instruction, and so do we. We have an innate desire to survive. But we cover it up. Let's move this to the retirement arena before you get bored and stop reading.
Each of us has that special instinct to preserve. It starts when you don't drink the whole tasty beverage in one gulp. Instead, you sip. Our money is the key to tomorrow. Let's learn to let that gift flow. Let's retrain our thinking and forget about our nest egg. The squirrel has no flipping idea how the tree makes nuts, but it knows when they are ripe and where to get them.
Here are the steps for survival:
| Squirrel | Human |
| To have food for the winter | To have money for retirement |
| 1. Live in a hollow tree near trees with nuts. | 1. Buy a house; use the excess equity for investments. |
| 2. Make sure you know which trees provide the most nuts and are the easiest to get to. | 2. Find a group of people you call counselors and obtain investment advice. This group should include one business owner, one financial advisor, one CPA, one attorney, and one trusted friend. These folks are your true key to success. Remember, you don’t have to know all the specifics; you just need to know that it is safe and it works. |
| 3. Establish a route to the trees that you always use. It has to be safe, and you don’t have to cross hell and high water before reaching your destination. | 3. Define your goals and begin contributing—no matter how little and no matter what curve ball life throws you. |
| 4. Every time you come back with nuts, take a moment to appreciate how far you have come and motivate yourself to continue to make the pile grow. | 4. As you see your money grow, take a moment to appreciate how far you have come. Commit to yourself that you will make your money grow even more. |
| 5. It’s getting cold and you see snowflakes falling. Pace yourself. Don’t overindulge, but enjoy your beautiful pile. | 5. The snow is in your hair. You are slowing down. Pace yourself. Don’t overindulge, but enjoy life! |
You can always live for today without ever having to worry about tomorrow. Get the right pillars in place, and you won't have to worry every time you are inside that the building will fall down. In fact, you will stop thinking about it and begin to take it for granted.
That, my friend, is the key to retirement! You can enjoy today and tomorrow, so go do it.
