Part 16: Where We Have Been, Where We Are, Where We Are Going
Long live the semi-retired life
Where we have been: Living, breathing thing it is, the Never Retire newsletter—my partner and I(!)—spent February dispatching from Spain and Italy. So far in March, we have expanded on the Never Retire checklist items we introduced last month.
For access to everything from February and March, which includes the blow-by-blow on where and what we ate (along with food and city porn pictures!), join as or upgrade to a paid subscriber for $5/month, $50/year or choose the founding member option. A one-time tip of at least $100 and you’re set for life.
Where we are: In today’s post, we put the wraps on March by combining the final three Never Retire checklist items because they’re related. Items #19 and #20 come together to help illustrate one iteration of an ideal semi-retired life, which is the focus of item #18.
In a moment, it’s going to go a little something like this:
#19: How Social Security Can Fit Into Your Plan. We’ll discuss the role Social Security can play in your semi-retired life as you enter relative old age alongside the rules around collecting Social Security while you work, a key concern if you know you’ll Never Retire.
#20: The Right Type Of Work. You need work that’s easy on your mind, body and time to live the semi-retired life and live it well. A core element supplemented by the Social Security discussion, nuts and bolts.
#18: Living The Semi-Retired Life: Yes, the numbers are out of order. Because I realized this is the encore. The type of encore Bruce Springsteen does. Where the band doesn’t even leave the stage, then, after a smattering of applause, launches into a one-hour, eight or nine song set. All of the other Never Retire checklist items build to the goal of living your best semi-retired life.
As we approach 200 paid subscribers to the Never Retire newsletter (thank you!), let’s preview…
Where we are going: I’m always thinking about how to evolve the illustration of the themes that anchor this newsletter. So I will continue to update my thoughts, ideas and strategies on key elements of living the semi-retired life, with a focus on those of us who will likely Never Retire.
In the interest of keeping it fresh and expanding the content and dialogue, I will—
Continue to do travel-related installments. Because many of you liked February’s chronicling of the Spain and Italy trip—as well as the travel tips and breakdown of the costs—we’ll continue to include travel content. Makes sense because it is a key component of the semi-retired life. Like me, maybe you want to travel more than somebody who works 40+ hours, 5-6 days a week. But you need to strategize on how to afford it.
Focus on health and well-being. I have always been into exercise and eating well at the same time as maintaining a vice or two. Over the last few months, I have taken how I approach my physical and mental health through eating, resting, laughing and exercising to the next level. Over the last few years, I have gone through somewhat of a transformation physically. We’ll look at this through the lens of resources and strategies I’m currently using, all aimed at having my healthspan match my lifespan. We’ll also discuss my vices!
Review academic research and relevant data and stories from the popular media. We’ll step up the number of posts that look at the latest research, data and broad experiences on the issues that form the foundation of our dual focus: living the semi-retired life, particularly if you know you’ll Never Retire.
Expand our discussions on the psychology of personal finance. To do this, we’ll use something I wrote the other day as a guiding prompt:
However, every time I have removed—or ignored—my emotion as part of a financial equation, I have made a mistake that ended up costing me more money than had I followed my instinct, driven by my psychology. I’ll provide concrete examples of this from my life and relate them to the tasks at hand.
Offer concrete examples of places where you can still secure (relatively) affordable housing. Because moving is likely in the cards for some of us, I will create a map—yes, an actual map—of the world with places where you can live the semi-retired life—and live it well—on less money than you require across much of the United States. So far our focus on this has been admittedly narrow. It’s about to expand in a big way.
Just a capsule of what lies ahead for the Never Retire newsletter in the coming months and years.
So subscribe now and venture with me into relative old age, if you’re not already there! Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon. I turn the big 4-8 in July.
Back to where we are, starting with Social Security.