How Much Money To Retire?

How much money to retire is a question many ask…I propose it is the wrong question to be asking.

It should be how much longer can I wait before retiring. The longer you wait to retire the less time you will be retired. Do the math, time does not stop while we acquire more wealth.

When focused on nothing but money, retirement planning overlooks a fact we are all aware of. As we age we are less able to physically do what we could do when we were younger…no surprise to anyone.

I am not talking solely about sex either. As you age do you develop more or less aches, pains, ailments, etc? I thought so…as you age you are slowing down. Aging should be given more weight in retirement planning.

As an example let’s say you want to play a lot of golf when you retire. Great, sounds like a plan. Now ask yourself how much further do you hit the ball now, than 10 years ago…equipment improvements aside? See what I mean?

If golf, or any activity you enjoy, is your reason for wanting to retire…why wait while you age and can enjoy it less?

How much money to retire? I heard that a lot from friends who were skeptical when I announced my retirement 15 years ago at age 49. The ones that posed that question are all still working, have more money than I do, and are mostly in poor health.

The question how much to retire is different for everyone, there is no one correct answer. When we retired in 1994 we retired to a Jimmy Buffett lifestyle on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Boat work is a fact of life. But I am not so sure I would be as eager to go up the mast…52 feet off the deck…I am 64 now.

After 2008 many have seen their nest egg shrink…mine sure did. It is not the end of the world. It is time however to examine retirement lifestyles that are cheaper, and more fun, than the retirement you had in mind. The key is do not wait…retire now while you can enjoy yourselves. Want to know how to do it on less?

Here is how we answered how much money to retire? If you would like information on the different frugal retirement living lifestyles we have experienced for 15 years. Do not quit on retirement, go to this site. Visit the Uber Article Directory to get a totally unique version of this article for reprint.