Please tread carefully. I have, through my job, had the unique vantage point of helping people as they think and plan for their retirement. The greatest trouble I have is with people who want to retire early, and who haven't thought things through. It is often hard for people who currently have "too much to do, too little time" to fully appreciate how heavily time sits on your shoulders when you have "too little to do, too much time." And finances are important but not the most important thing. Much more important is to figure out how you are going to fill your days.
1) Volunteering vs. charity - Organizations are happy to take your money, but usually have issues with volunteers, especially know-it-all volunteers who want to make a "significant impact" to the organizations they associate with. Both sides get frustrated real fast. 2) Spending time with family - Think about the amount of time you currently spend with your family, immediate and extended. Honestly, what do you think is the appetite among them for X to become 10X? or even 2X? You will never fully realize how grown up and independent your children and grandchildren are. 3) Longevity - If you were to live a 100 years, and remember, it is not really in your hands, for how many years will you be retired? Are you okay with that? 4) Health - an idle mind is a devil's workshop (read hypochondriac.) People who are mentally active tend to be significantly healthier that the rest. So if someone is not only willing to have you around, but also pay you for that privilege, walk away from that real slow. And sorry, but I should have started by introducing myself. Shyam Sunder, Palghat Iyer, grew up in Chennai, spent ten years sailing oil tankers, then ten years as a strategy consultant, and now ten years as a financial planner. Waited for some time now for emails about Silk Smitha before it dawned on me that perhaps was not the thrust of this group. And for those who don't know who Silk Smitha was, your life is a little poorer as a result. Warm regards Shyam -----Original Message----- From: silklist [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sandhya aka Sandy Sent: 22 September 2014 15:03 To: [email protected] Subject: [silk] To retire or not - that is the Q. Hello Folks At the brink of yet another huge restructure in my company, I'm beginning to tire of it. Just a wee bit. Quite a lot, actually. While I no longer look for logic in the actions of a big company, these restructures and their ensuing impact are really getting old. And perhaps, so am I. :) So I had a long hard look at my financials and by overhauling my world, retiring from corporate life is in the realm of possibility. Not retiring from productive life - there are a million, zillion things I'd like to do and I can probably consult as well. What do you think? Those who've been there, done that. Those who're considering it and haven't yet taken the plunge. Those with feet planted firmly on the ground. And any others in between. Thoughts, advice, comments? I may be a dreamer but I'm not the only one Sandhya ------------------------ Powered by BigRock.com
