Never Retire: 500 Posts With A Second Act Still Left To Live

I tend not to keep track of these things, which is probably why I missed that the other day, I published my 500th installment of the Never Retire newsletter.

A Never Retire Review: 5 Reasons Why We're Leaving America And Moving To Spain

First, I want to thank everybody who has been with us from or near the beginning. I personally correspond with more than a few subscribers. And I expect to meet even more of you—someday—in person once we move to Spain. Including at least a couple of our Spanish subscribers.

Second, welcome to everyone who is brand or relatively new. You’ll get the most value out of this newsletter by (1) upgrading to a paid subscription and (2) going with a founding membership. I convert all founding memberships to lifetime subscriptions so—

Pay Today. Never Pay Again.

I started publishing this newsletter shortly after my writing began to focus on the reality that I will Never Retire. The fact is that I will always require at least a little income every month to live the life I want to live now and going forward. Many of you are in the same or a similar situation.

We have dual crises in America: a housing crisis and retirement crisis. Both were a thing even before the cost of living crisis much of the world seems to be facing.

There isn’t a person in politics effectively addressing these massive problems. And the reason is simple: They all subscribe to outdated notions of the American dream.

The fact is you could very easily work your ass off in this country and have very little to show for it. So, instead of working harder, maybe it makes sense to slow down and find a way to require less money every month to live a comfortable life.

Populist promises of prosperity or Democratic cries that they’ll “fight” for the middle class do nothing for nobody! It’s all talk. There’s no action.

You can’t move to a big city today and get started unless you make—minimum—six figures. You can’t buy a house in most of the country unless you make considerably more than $100,000. While I have never believed in home ownership for the sake of home ownership, renting isn’t as good of a deal as it used to be.

In fact, unless you got lucky and secured a low-interest rate mortgage or live under a good rent control ordinance, keeping a roof over your head might be harder than ever. What’s for sure is that heading into the second act of your life with a high housing payment is a recipe for disaster.

As I see it, if you’re not in an all-set housing situation, you have two main options:

• Move to a low cost part of the country and rent until you can afford to buy. Places like Buffalo and Cleveland.

• Leave the country like my wife and I are about to do in a month and a half. We’re headed to Spain where we’re not looking to get more for our money. We’re just looking to live the way we do today—maybe even in a smaller apartment—in a built, social, cultural and political environment better aligned with our preferences.

In this newsletter, we discuss the why and how of making these and related moves.

There’s a good chance that—no matter who you voted for earlier this month—you are sick and tired of, at least, many aspects of this country. It’s time to stop fighting culture wars and yelling about social issues that don’t impact you. Unfortunately, there’s the little issue of the rights and dignity of marginalized groups being trampled, but you still have no choice but to do you. That’s the sad reality of life in America and, really, life in the world.

So—you need a plan. And a plan B.

More than anything, I’d love to know what those plans are for you. Leave them in the comments or reply to this post to land directly in my inbox.

You know how I intend to live out the second act of my life. I’m living and writing about it now. Come 2025, once we start to settle in Spain, that all gets kicked up a notch. But not everyone needs or wants to move. That’s why I want to hear what people are doing, whether what you’re doing involves a small or big move or not.

I want the next 500 posts to be a solid mix of how this move is working out as it relates to my Never Retire vision and how you’re doing it. I will detail as many aspects of my situation as possible—on the ground, from Spain—and you can contribute as many as you feel comfortable contributing. In combination, I think we can continue to create a global community that can support, inspire and learn from one another.

Because the alternative that has played out over the last eight years and will certainly persist over the next four and beyond absolutely isn’t where I want to focus my energy.

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Barcelona’s Poble-Sec district, which is where we’ll be staying during the weekend we arrive in Spain.