As we age, it’s normal to become more empathetic toward widows and widowers.  We see friends go through the struggle of losing their spouse and deal with that difficult transition […] The post On Your Own appeared first on The Retirement Manifesto ..read more

None of us want to end up rolling down a nursing home hallway in a wheelchair, right? If that’s how you feel, it raises a question… What are you doing […] The post Longevity Lessons From A 91-Year-Old appeared first on The Retirement Manifesto ..read more

In the words of Harvard University, “Dopamine can provide an intense feeling of reward.” Its purpose is to help us feel pleasure “as part of the brain’s reward system.” Sounds […] The post Beware The Dopamine Cartel appeared first on The Retirement Manifesto ..read more

I officially retired 6 years ago, on July 5, 2018. Before I retired, I was curious about what life would REALLY be like in retirement. Now…I know. I started The Retirement Reality Series to share my journey and lessons from retirement. The series has provided a window into my thoughts as I progressed through my retirement transition. The series is consistent with the goals I established way back in 2015, in my very first post on this blog, as I wrote, “This is the story of my journey, told in the Present before it becomes the Past.”  It’s been 9 years since I wrote that sentence, and this ..read more

When you think of “Wealth,” what comes to mind? If you’re like most people, your first thought is of financial wealth.  Money, houses, possessions, “stuff.” If that was your first thought, today’s post is for you. Yes, Financial Wealth is one of the five types of wealth.  And yet, in our quest to live our best possible lives, is it the most important type of wealth? What are the other types of wealth, and what can we do to become truly “wealthy” in the broader sense of the word? Today, I’m challenging you to become rich, in ways you’ve probably never imagined. If you think of Wealth ..read more

I’ve always loved charts. Done well, they offer a great opportunity to learn a lot in a short amount of time. If you’re a chart-lover like me, you’re going to love today’s post, which highlights some of the best retirement charts I’m aware of. Today, I’m sharing the best retirement charts from J.P. Morgan’s 2024 Guide to Retirement. It’s one of my favorite annual publications, and I appreciate Jesse at Best Interest for making me aware the 2024 report is now available (BTW, Jesse produces some great content. If you’re not already subscribed to his email, I encourage you to do so here – for the ..read more

Next month, I’ll be celebrating my 6th anniversary of retirement.   Even though I’ve settled happily into Phase 4 of retirement, I’ll never stop experimenting. Today, I’m sharing my latest experiment. It doesn’t matter what the experiment is.  The important thing is what I’m learning and the process I’m using to explore a new interest. It’s an easy process and one you can adopt as you seek to live your best life.   I hope that you’ll do exactly that with today’s article. My goal is to encourage you to apply the process to one new thing in your life. Never stop experime ..read more

I kept my promise. Over the past two weeks, we took a vacation and I promised I wouldn’t be active on my blog while I was gone. I’m proud to report that I never touched my blog while traveling.  I only opened my computer once in the past two weeks to catch up on a few emails.  Ah…the luxury of retirement. My mind, however, never stops.  As we were traveling, I thought about what I was learning from the experience, and how you could apply the lessons to improve your retirement. Today, 3 Tips to improve your retirement based on what I learned on our most recent vacation. Today, 3 ..read more

We’re going on vacation! But wait, isn’t retirement, by definition, a vacation? I hate to burst your bubble, but we’ve found that retirement is not, contrary to popular belief, a permanent vacation.  Vacations are as important in our retired life as they were when we were working. Why? Today, I’ll share why vacations are still important after you retire. You’ll also see the plans for our vacation, which starts this weekend. 48 hours from now, we’re hitting the road.   Do people still take vacations in retirement? For us, the answer is yes. Here's why... Click To Tweet We’re Goi ..read more

I’ve been thinking about building blocks recently. The thought originated when I built something a few weeks ago, and I’ve been thinking about building blocks ever since. I’ve realized a few things about building blocks: They aren’t just childhood toys. Building blocks exist throughout our entire lives. We’re never too old to play with them. Used wisely, they can help us live a better life. Today, my thoughts on building blocks, why they’re important, and how we can use them to live a better life. Building blocks aren't just for children. Today, we're exploring how to use them to build a bet ..read more