I think a lot about retirement, or more specifically, whether or not I will be able to do so. You know those ads they show on TV asking people how much they think they will need for retirement and invariably it is way more than they think? That's me. I am 48, I tried to save, I really did, but a combination of bad luck and bad timing really set me back. To wit, I was diligently withholding 10 percent of my salary and putting it in a retirement account right up until I got divorced, when, (joke is on me!) my ex-wife got half of it. To add insult to injury, this all happened in 2010 - a *great* time to invest at precisely the time I also had to start paying alimony (truly, the gift that keeps on giving).
So, I missed out on investing during one of the great bull markets in history. Now that alimony is done and I've recouped some of my losses, the market is running out of steam. Why do we expect something that is basically lightly regulated gambling to fund for our retirement? Anyway, I once had dreams of retiring before I was 60, now I am not so sure. I do not want to be like my parents - my dad worked until the day he died (literally, he stroked out at 53) and my mom worked well into her 70s. I saw how miserable they were, how little planning they had done (neither one was "good with money") and always said to myself, "that will not be me." Now, I am not so sure.
Follow me on Twitter - @scarylawyerguy
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