A WORKING RETIREMENT?

A NEW LEARNING
The recession may be making it clear to me that a leisurely retirement is impractical. Some economists say it’s not practical for many people. The majority of baby boomers plan to work in retirement. So say numerous surveys. That is, they want to keep working, even a little. Yet for those who didn’t want to work, the message may now be, ‘Forget Retirement!’ Well I didn’t do that. Retiring seemed a good idea at the time. Knowing what I know now, I might have considered postponing retirement.

The recession isn’t the only factor that compels me to rethink what I will do with some of the years ahead of me. In my mid sixties I don’t want to work full time. But will we have enough resources to fund the next 25 years. My father lived until he was 93. Increased life expectancies must play into my consideration of how I spend these years. And for me it’s not even just about economics. I want to be useful. I have 45-50 years of accumulated wisdom and experience that can benefit emerging leaders, pastors, executives. Whether the experience pays anything now is something I should investigate. Sure I want to paint pictures, but realistically that is not going to garner income to sustain a lifestyle to which we had become accustomed. The fact is, seven months into retirement, we are already realizing many adjustments with a drastically reduced monthly income. We have managed the adjustments well enough. We just bit the bullet.

We have seen some of our hard earned assets disappear in this recession and we will not recover them. Then after our imminent two month international trip which we planned for a long time but which will nonetheless cost us big bucks as the loonie dropped, I may have to come home to new realities. The long touted modern retirement picture of daily rounds at the golf course, buying an RV and spending three months in Arizona, biannual cruises, and luxury condo living will not just be reconsidered, it’s out of the question. The economy of retirement is changing.

Then I suppose there is another consideration. Working is mentally and physically energizing. It stems off dementia I am told. I probably miss the workplace social environment as much as anything.

Freedom 85

A NEW LEARNING
Yea, yea, yea, the world economy sucks and North America’s is becoming suckier as bureaucrats realize the size of the hole we are in. Change champion Barak Obama is now sounding like gloomy gus and he hasn’t even been sworn in. But he did get elected on the theme of change. Harper and Flaherty are trying to prepare us for the new budget with dark warnings of things to come. The national economic crisis comes at the worst time for me. I am retired. I have no idea quite yet how this crisis will affect me but I was certainly under the delusion that things would remain constant when I retired.

I am supposed to be golfing. When I was 55 years old it was apparent to me that Freedom 55 was out of my reach. Then I turned 60 and Freedom 70 seemed a vapory dream. Today I am 66 and retired. So was the retirement a mistake? My reality calculator projects Freedom 85 for me because then my needs will be considerably reduced if existent at all. I probably will have the resources for Freedom 85. Oh it’s not that I didn’t see this coming. One doesn’t work in a not for profit field for forty-five years and still hold out hope of finishing with a residence, a beach house, a chalet, a motor coach and a yacht. Decade after decade there is an overcast prospect of coming to the end of my working life with only the monies that the governments provides and what I have managed to RRSP from meager wages.

We are definitely in a recession. Whether we are in a depression remains to be argued and proven. Economies have generally rebounded from recessions without government intervention because equity prices pick up. A depression is different because it does not self correct and requires help. As we see in the USA, huge monetary help. In Canada Harper and company have already given fiscal assurances. Harper was here in BC this week standing with our Premier to champion a new highway which will provide 7000 jobs. Oh yes and it will cost BC in excess of 700 million dollars while the feds put up 300 million. (Photo is of a Depression bread line)

Christine and I have saved money for a glorious vacation in 2009 with its bleak forecast. Should we sit on that money and wait out the downturn for all its dark possibilities? Nope, we are vacating. We are going to pump our monies into the economy and have a blast. Freedom 66 I call it. When we return I don’t think I will be forced to living on the street. If I have to, I will go back to work. Tim Horton’s is looking for part-time and full-time employees. Seriously. It has to be Horton’s. Starbucks speak is like speaking in tongues to me. Or I can serve pizza at Pizza Hut. Buon appetito.

Recession - Economic and Spiritual

A NEW LEARNING
I subscribe to an art e-zine that comes twice weekly and provides hints to improve my art, my enjoyment and the marketing of it. Most recently the October 7, 2008 topic was “Art in Hard Times.” It is a response to artists’ concerns about the economy. Robert Genn is the author and artist and originator of The Painter’s Keys online newsletter. His comments prompted me to consider other implications. Genn wrote that in his experience, investment and collector art can continue to thrive in bad times. He suggests that “Recessions are blessings. Historically, recessions and depressions have been times when "important" work gets made. Realistically, our financial outlay for equipment and art materials (unless your medium is gold) is relatively minor. In hard times artists need to get themselves as debt free as possible and invest in the joy of their vision.”

Recession! The word sends chills up the businessman's back. Do the evaporation of bank credit, the drop of home values and stock market uncertainties trouble you? The US Congress would not have changed its mind about passing the bailout package if the majority had remained unconvinced of its necessity. The step was taken to stem off economic recession. Some people however, believe the US is already in recession. Technically a recession consists of two consecutive down quarters in the gross national product. That has not yet happened. I have examined the competing opinions of journalists, economists and politicians with regard to the economic position in which the USA particularly and my country of Canada presently find themselves.

Sorry. I can’t help myself. Bill Maher would ridicule me. I was a preacher for so long. I am not any longer but I still see parallels between spiritual and economic observations such as I cited. I am also a follower of Christ, so it’s natural and beneficial for me to examine transferable concepts. New Testament writer of the book of James wrote in his fourth chapter verse 13-17, wrote about spiritual recession. The roots of spiritual recession appear to be similar to the roots of economic recession. One common root of recession can be foolish presumption since the person described in verses 13 and 16 lives as if tomorrow will never come but is motivated by money and greed. Another root of recession whether economic or spiritual is overlooked perspectives since in verse 14 James teaches that life comes with some uncertainties but life also has certainties. The uncertainties are summed up in a question. “What is your life?” Certainties are contained in the expression, “It appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” A third common root to recession whether economic or spiritual is abandoned priorities. In verses 15-17 James is urging readers to get priorities in order because some people have forsaken two things, God’s will and His way.

If it’s natural to revisit a business strategy when market conditions change, it is likely appropriate for me to revisit my relationship with God. If the bedrock to business success is entrepreneurial spirit, substratum to spiritual victory is a blameless spirit.