RETIREMENT PLAN OPTIONS

If you have read any of my other blogs you will remember that I talk a lot about goals for your retirement or investment plan.  I believe that most if not all successful plans start with goals that move you personally and create the motivation to tackle all the other “stuff” that life throws at you. If you have looked at our Planning Play Book you will see that we talk about some goals being things that you want to do that actually cost you time and money and a lot of hard work, but they are worth it to you.  I like this quote by Sam Levinson, “As you grow older you discover you have two hands, one for helping yourself and one for helping others.” The weekend of September 7th and 8th, I got a chance to help others again in Santa Barbara.  My wife is a breast cancer survivor so we have been “giving back” as crew members now for over 10 years.  It’s very hard work for 3 days and we actually have to pay to be a volunteer and pay all our expenses but it is one of the most rewarding things we do.  As a matter of fact we are already signed up for next year. So, why do I mention this when talking about a retirement plan?  I do it so I can point out that having a retirement plan isn’t just about making a lot of money.  Or, making a plan so that you can buy all the things that you can’t afford right now but you would really like to have.  Life has taught me that most of those material possessions lose their appeal soon after you possess them.   But, doing something to help another person; build a home like Habit For Humanity does, donate money to a favorite charity, or work an event like Avon to help find a cure, are many times far more rewarding than that “stuff” that you want but really don’t need. I’ll leave you with another one:  “How will you give something beautiful to the world?” Remember, you will probably never get to realize your dreams unless you actually put them down in writing in a plan! Marty Stone