#117 - How to Break Free and Live a Life True to YOU

Retirement Planning is what this show is about, and I’m glad you’re here to be a part of the conversation. I’m Roger Whitney, The Retirement Answer Man and this is the show where I seek to guide you through my years of experience as a retirement planner into not only planning for the retirement of your dreams but toward living the life of your dreams now. On today’s episode I want to chat a bit about the #1 regret people have when they are coming to the end of their lives - and I want to do it so that you can think about the kind of life you’re living and make course corrections now so that you can be true to yourself.

What does it mean to live a life that is true to yourself?

Many people have dreams and desires when they are young about what they want to do and be through the course of their lives. But things come up - expectations, responsibilities, needs, tragedies, and the course of life gets reshaped over time. On this episode we’re going to look into the question of what it would mean to live a life true to who you are and discover some ways that you could be living to please others instead of living out the purpose for which you are on the planet. Sounds a bit deep, but trust me - it is a conversation that could reshape the way you think about retirement planning.

Life is meant to be lived, not tiptoed through.

It is vitally important in life to care about people. You might even say it’s the reason we’re on the planet in the first place. But sometimes caring out what people think of us and the things we are doing in life can lead us down a path of “people pleasing” instead of doing what we are meant to do. On this episode I’m going to dig into some of the expectations that are placed on us during the seasons of our lives and how each of them could prevent us from living out our true calling, if we’re not careful. I think you’ll have some great food for thought from this episode.

Retirement Planning is all about positioning yourself to truly live.

Many people approach retirement planning as a sort of exercise in fear-avoidance. They plan ahead to avoid the pitfalls and fears that could happen during the retirement years. That’s great, and well worth doing - but you’re being underserved if all you’re being advised to do is stockpile things so that you can be comfortable during your retirement years. I think it’s wise to approach retirement planning with a view to what you want to be doing in the later years of your life that will allow you to continue being a blessing and contributor to the world. When you have that kind of larger view, a world of possibilities open up. Do what you can to make some time to listen to this episode. You’ll be glad you did.

Maybe, just maybe the economy is on the rise.

Many companies are beginning to post their earnings right here after the first quarter of 2016, and 74% of them are posting gains. That’s good news for the American economy overall, but there are some very interesting things within those numbers that give a bit of concern. For example, for the first time in 9 years, Apple computer posted a loss for the first quarter with iPhone sales being down significantly. What does it mean for the economy? I’ve got some thoughts about it (as you might have guessed) and I’m going to share them with you on this episode of the podcast.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

[0:24] Roger’s introduction to this episode and what you can get from “Six Shot Saturday.”

THE “BE HAPPY” SEGMENT

[2:43] The biggest regrets of those about to die: a summary.
[4:35] Many people say, “I wish I’d lived true to myself, not what others expected.”
[9:34] What are the expectations YOU are trying to live up to?
[12:32] How retirement planning enables you to be true to yourself and the life you are meant to live.
[14:50] The courage to let others be disappointed in us.

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

[15:41] What are you doing based on others’ expectations?
[16:32] How can you extract yourself from those things?

HOT TOPIC SEGMENT

[16:54] 74% of companies are showing earnings higher than expectations.
[18:00] Apple Computer is down for the first time in 9 years.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SEGMENT

[19:14] What is a benchmark?
[21:00] Why benchmarks can be misleading and a bad source for good decisions.

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

[23:28] John asks about creditor protection when rolling over funds.
[24:47] A recent Supreme Court ruling regarding IRA protection against creditors.
[25:23] How do widower benefits for Social Security work?
[26:45] A young listener asks about his investment strategy.