The Reality Of Half Retirement

The Reality of Half Retirement

I’m a big fan of proof of concept. It is easy for content producers to spout off all sorts of numbers and advice, but they have to back it up with some data. Maybe that has to do with sharing numbers. Maybe investment strategies. Today I would like to do something different. I would like to help you understand the reality of half retirement.

I thought I would share with you today’s schedule. Monday and Friday are my favorite days because I have most of the day to do as I please. Although Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are also low stress, I have a number of work meetings that keep me occupied for a portion of the time.

Morning

The reality of half retirement is that I still get up early. About 4:45 am most mornings. I turn on the tea kettle, plop down on the couch, catch up with social media, make sure my blog posted correctly, and read for a few minutes. I am currently reading Blood Of The Fold by Terry Goodkind. I read predominantly science fiction, and work my way through about one book a week. I prefer multi book series if possible. The more the better.

AT 5:45 am my wife wakes up, and she does an exercise video while I work out on the step machine for 30 minutes. Then it is breakfast and a shower. This morning my son was sleeping in, but my daughter started camp. I helped her with her lunch, did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and by 8:00 am my daughter and I were walking towards camp.

Her camp is about 3/4 of a mile away. After dropping her off, I walked home and listened to a few minutes of one of my favorite podcasts. I arrived home in just enough time to read for thirty minutes before hopping on a phone meeting with the organizer of a future personal finance conference.

We chatted for almost an hour and a half. I ate a quick snack, and then it was back outside to enjoy the weather and walk to the bank.

Noonish

By 11:00 am I was on my way to the bank. I could have driven, but it was such a beautiful morning, I couldn’t resist. Add in another 1.5-2.0 miles worth of steps to the tally. By the time I arrived home at noon I was up to almost 14K steps.

I gobbled down lunch and spent the next hour mentally preparing for a number of keynote talks I will be giving in the future. Some could call this work, but for me it’s more about passion. I take on these gigs and prepare extensively not for the cash, but for the pure joy of telling my stories to an audience. Whether about personal finance or medicine, there is something magical about giving a talk in front of a big audience.

Afternoon/Work Time?

Every weekday should include at least some traditional work. Although my hospice meetings start tomorrow, I like to do an hour of prep activities for my upcoming meetings. I do this every Monday. It takes about an hour, and is mostly mindless computer work. It is neither joyful nor abysmal. It just is.

By 2pm, I am ready to sit down and write this blog post. It will probably take me in the range of thirty to forty five minutes. I will just get a quick rough draft down first, and then spend another fifteen minutes editing later in the day.

The reality of half retirement is that nothing I do has to be particularly stressful. Only if I want it to be.

As I finish up this post, I’ll be running out to pick my daughter back up from camp. She finishes at 3:15 pm. We tend to meander a little, but will probably crash through the front doors sometime around 3:45 pm.

I might read, hang out with the kids, or start cooking dinner. My wife is the true chef. I do as much of the prep work as possible to be ready for the heavy cooking that starts when she gets off of work at 5 pm.

I might crack a beer.

Evening

After dinner, my wife and I like to take a few mile walk alone. We always invite the kids, but they never want to come. We wander down by the University campus and east towards the trail on the lake. We talk. Worry about the kids, and usually have a pretty good sweat worked up by the time we get home.

I can’t believe that it is 7:00 PM already. We turn on the TV and watch a show with the kids, or read, or maybe play a board game.

Before I know it, it is 10:00 pm and I am making my way upstairs to go to bed.

Final Thoughts

There you have it. The reality of half retirement. Lots of reading and walking. Time with my wife and kids. Projects that I choose for myself whether I will make money or not. A little bit of bonafide work here and there.

And that’s it.