Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Billy and
Akaisha's Three Lessons on Retirement
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Over three decades of
retirement and we still have a great time on a boat ride across Lake Atitlan
Retirement is a
great achievement, but it's not static. It's not like once you arrive you can
forget about it and put it on auto-pilot. It's an interactive manner of living
that continues to respond to our input, the new skills we learn and how our
goals modify. Hopefully we continue to grow and change, making our retirement
sustainable and sweeter to live.
Below you will find three of
our most effective lessons on retirement that will enrich you and increase your
enjoyment along your path in financial freedom.
Control housing costs and you
can live anywhere
This is a well-kept
secret of retirement. The cost of housing is one of the largest financial
outlays in anyone's household no matter what age you are, and if you modify the
price you pay for your residence, you have the financial freedom to virtually
afford living anywhere in the world.
In other words, if you
could save tens of thousands of dollars a year on mortgage payments or rent,
insurance, maintenance and repairs, how would that affect your life? What if you
could live in Paris or on a Caribbean island for free? You can do that, if you
house sit.
Fortunately, these days
the number of housing
options are vast. Depending on the style of retirement you would like to
enjoy, you can live on a boat or snowbird to warmer climates for a season or
two. Airbnb offers rooms or cottages for rent or you might downsize and live in an apartment or condo
to lessen your monthly outlay for housing.
You
could be here...
We often negotiate with
a hotel for a monthly rate and enjoy great discounts. This allows us to stay in
foreign countries at a reasonable price and still have all the amenities that
hotels offer: maid service, Cable TV, WiFi, and convenient locations. And we
don't have to worry about repairing the swimming pool, the water pump or the
roof.
Shared housing with
others, living in community, or renting out a room or section of your own home
are also opportunities to contain costs. RVing or living in an
Active Adult
Community or utilizing Workampers to allay the price you pay per month for
lodging are enjoyable alternatives too.
Satisfying housing
selections have never been more exciting and creative as they are are today.
Don't box yourself in! Enjoy the world, meet new people, take a leave of absence
from your neighborhood, the familiar and your routine!
It’s
a lifestyle not a vacation
Keep things simple. Life
has a way of becoming complicated.
Once retired, you no longer
need to live your life like a
two week
millionaire. You know, the way you might have lived while on vacation,
picking out the best hotel rooms, eating at the best tourist restaurants, trying
to pack years of adventure into a two week period before you return home, and
purchasing tons of souvenirs for your friends and family.
Retirement is now a lifestyle and there is no push or rush to get it done by
the end of the week and go back to work. Relax!
Retirement is a work in progress, and you’re in charge.
While you may have done your homework on the retirement front, there’s still the
chance that your dream lifestyle might need some tweaking. If you find that this
is the case, it doesn't mean you are a failure. You are the captain of your ship and can
decide what to shift if something might fit better. Life is not motionless. Leave
room for some serendipity.
Don’t
take life so seriously, have fun with it! It’s
later than you think! No matter where you
are on the continuum of life, it’s later than you think. We can’t tell you how
many friends we have lost over the years – those seemingly so young with lots of
living yet to do! If you focus only on the future without a moment to enjoy the
present, life can be unfulfilling.
Think outside the box
Traveling doesn’t have to
cost and arm and a leg. Cruises are great but for the price of the cruise you
could stay a month or more in one of your bucket list locations. When
rambling around, learn to use the Dollar’s strength to your advantage. If you have
never been to Mexico
it is still a bargain. Australia,
Vietnam, Canada,
the Philippines,
Eastern Europe, Panama and
Thailand offer great values as well, so
watch the exchange rates and plan accordingly.
In
general, go slow and let events unfold
and come to you. Sit in
cafes and chat with locals to learn about the area and
get suggestions on restaurants and rip-offs. It takes time to absorb a new
culture so relax and let it happen. You will be rewarded for this.
Mexico
is a GREAT Value
Another
way to save money that you can use for fun and adventure, is to eat
one meal a day in your
hotel room, and we are not talking about room service. We prefer to eat a simple
protein-filled breakfast as we
like to leisurely move through the morning. Then we pack some water in our day
bags and perhaps a healthy snack and then we hit the streets of the town we are
visiting, take a bus, or
even a
boat to check out what's going on.
Arrange to volunteer.
This is one of the most rewarding things a retiree can do in their new life.
People everywhere need
mentors, or perhaps they need the skill you can provide, whether it's
dentistry, teaching English, helping in an orphanage or local prison, teaching
math or science. Utilize your time helping with clean water projects in
developing countries, or use your musical skill to bring live music to the
bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. Work at a food bank or rescue
animals, help our veterans with PTSD or join the
Peace Corps.
Now is the time to
re-describe who you are, what you want to accomplish, and what you want to do
with your next decades. You have so much to give, so many skills that you have
honed over the years. People everywhere will benefit from you just being you and
giving of what you know. The fact that you now have the time, the money and the
ability to be creative with your life is a powerful combination.
The future is
yours! Make the most of it!
For more on
Retirement Topics,
click here and
here
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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