Retirement Insights

In his book, Retirement Reformation , Bruce Bruinsma, poses a number of crucial questions to consider for retirement planning purposes. Here are some of them to think through.  What are you going to do?   Potentially you will have 10, 20, or even 30 years of retirement. Will you design a new lifestyle, establish a new routine, set new goals?  Where are you going to do it?   Many retirees downsize.  Others move closer to family. Some move to a retirement community. Some sell everything and travel in an RV or move to Mexico. Who are you going to do it with? You need other people in your life. The author maintains that "As we grow older, our world shrinks. Friends die, move away or become incapacitated.  Expanding our community, not shrinking it, is a priority for aging." How are you going to finance it? The author notes that "Surveys show that 75% of people in retirement age are anxious about money.  Some are anxious about not having enough.  Othe...

  The obvious: Pray/seek God's guidance.  While some Scripture passages speak well of old age, there is no retirement plan like one reads about in Kiplingers or Money magazine. King David died in a palace (but with a bit of strife within his family).  Moses died somewhere in Moab (not the Promised Land).  Mary (mother of Jesus) was given to the care of the disciple Jesus loved (probably John).  The Apostle John may have died in Patmos (maybe in a cave). Paul and Peter did not have a Kiplingers' retirement.  Enoch's last days sound a bit more appealing.  If you like hot rods or roller coasters - Elijah.  I suspect that, back in Biblical times, there were more conventional ways for people to live their senior years, and for most of us, our retirements will be reasonably traditional within our times.  But, with God, there's an element of faith. More secular thoughts: -           If possible, ...

One big question retirees face is should you remain in your current home. Options include downsizing or moving to a different part of the the country or world to save money or be closer to family and friends. Here are some questions to consider in making a decision. 1.     Is there a good church at your new location? Theologically aligned? 2.     Consider the financial implications 1.     real estate and closing costs, both locations 2.     is comparable real estate really cheaper? 3.     understand the real cost of living at your new location (income tax, property/real estate taxes, etc.) 4.     moving costs 5.     tax implications if don’t reinvest the entire equity of existing home 3.     Loss of relationships at the existing location - count the costs 4.     How readily do you make friends (at the new location) and build relationships...