On Thursday, March 22, David Marotta will be teaching through the University of Virginia’s Osher Life-Long Learning (OLLI) a three week class entitled “Success and Significance in Retirement.” The class is from 11 AM to 12:30 PM. Registration is through OLLI (olliuva.org). Here is the description of the class:

Most Americans fail to plan adequately for retirement. As a result, they often miss out on opportunities to enjoy the second half of life. The best financial planning takes place in the context of personal goals. Designed for people from age 50 to 65, this course covers several challenges in life planning that can benefit from action taken before and upon entering retirement. Strategies to cope with financial issues related to making a graceful transition to retirement are discussed, including how to handle investments; set safe spending rates; navigate retirement benefits, healthcare, and Social Security; organize estate planning; and manage generational financial planning. As we approach each financial-planning aspect, we keep the focus on making the shift from full-time work to balancing work and leisure and setting goals during midlife. By the end of the course, students will have developed an effective action plan to achieve their life goals.

On March 13, 2018, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to discuss finding a life you love. Also in this show: what David Marotta thinks about his own life calling! And a discussion of healthcare and insurance in retirement.

Listen to the audio here:

It is natural to dream of retirement as a time of extended inertia. Barbara Sher talks about how “no one does anything hard willingly. … Nature wants us safe and fat.” But inertia is not healthy for us. Bob Veres suggests you must make “a conscious decision to win the lifelong battle against procrastination and laziness. I don’t think there’s a person alive who isn’t afflicted with these two diseases; they are a natural part of the human condition.”

Life planning is important at any age. Health is wealth. People who continue to have significance in retirement live longer. Whether you are just starting in your career, in the middle of one, or in retirement, you deserve to find a life you love.

Like Eric Liddell in the film “Chariots of Fire,” we search for meaning in our lives. He says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” We are looking for a life so completely and richly ours that we feel God’s pleasure. This is our area of genius. This is our calling.

We learn what we love by trying it. Figure out an “it” to try and then pretend for one day that you are really going to do it to see how you like it. Use your time off to “practice” retirement for a week or two to see what might need to change before you stop working. If your list of friends is small, make efforts to develop a network of retirement friends.

Also, look at your spending and find out what your safe spending rate is. It is the most important number for your retirement. It should influence the timing of your retirement, set your retirement lifestyle, and be factored into your asset allocation.

If you enjoy the show, you might like Kinder’s famous “three questions,” which you can read about here:

Life Planning Part 3: Twenty-Four Hours to Go

by David John Marotta on July 19, 2010 with No Comments

Imagine that your doctor shocks you with the news that you only have 24 hours to live. Notice what feelings arise as you confront your very real mortality. Ask yourself: What did you miss? Who did you not get to be? What did you not get to do?

Life Planning Part 2: Just a Few Years Left

by David John Marotta on July 12, 2010 with No Comments

“Imagine that you visit your doctor, who tells you that you have only 5-10 years to live. You won’t ever feel sick, but you will have no notice of the moment of your death. What will you do in the time you have remaining? Will you change your life and how will you do it?”

Life Planning Part 1: Plenty of Money

by David John Marotta on July 5, 2010 with No Comments

Life planning takes a holistic look at what you truly value. And for most people, their life is more important than their money. Only after exploring your life goals can you structure your finances to help you realize your dreams.

Or also Ken Rouse’s 15 values, which you can read about here:

Financially Savvy Kittens on Value Wealth Management

by Megan Russell on December 12, 2012 with No Comments

This kitten aligns her finances with her values. Be more like this kitten.

Aligning Your Money and Your Values

by David John Marotta on May 9, 2011 with No Comments

The old saying is true: Money can’t buy happiness. Families earning $25,000 a year overspend trying to keep up with those making $50,000, who in turn attempt to live like those making $100,000. For many families the lure of consumerism wins out over qualities like foresight and patience that saving requires.

We also recommend the following books:

• “I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was: How to Discover What You Really Want and How to Get It.” by Barbara Sher
• “Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want” by Barbara Sher with Annie Gottlieb
• “Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life” by Marc Freedman
• “The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams….at Any Age You Want” by Mitch Anthony.

I hope you find your garden.

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Life Planning

Photo by Anne-Marie Pronk on Unsplash