R    E    T    I    R    E        E   A   R   L   Y        L    I    F    E    S    T    Y    L    E
~ S  I  N  C  E    1  9  9  1 ~

Financial indices rose, fell, and rose again. Will we have to go back to work? Will our nest egg hold? What is our fiscal tolerance level on this issue? How long will this bear market continue? Just as life has its ups and downs, so do investments. As you can see from the graph of the S&P 500, these were very real and practical questions to be asking:

Money is central to retirement, but we cannot overlook the power of emotional factors to knock us off course. Parents were lost to illness and we watched nieces and nephews leaving the nest. New marriages in our family took place. Creative and personal challenges that could never have been predicted caused us to grow on an individual level, strengthening us as a couple, and refreshed our connection to the sacred.

Sometimes that was exhilarating, other times befuddling. However, not once over the last very satisfying 15 years have we regretted taking the leap. In some respects, retirement has proven to be more exuberant than the life we led while holding down prestigious careers! Who would have known?

As in any time of your life, there are challenges and trade-offs. In our experience, it has not proven useful to recede into fear or exaggerated 'what if' scenarios. The stunning loss of a spouse, or Katrina blasting its way through seeming retirement safety could not have been prevented. These are the times we must look to other sources of riches.

Allowing friends to help us is a transforming experience. Reaching deep inside to find our internal capacity to recover, or make needed changes is not something money can buy. There is no policy we can purchase to guarantee life will cooperate with us.

How will you know if you are ready for retirement? Are there some often-referred-to guidelines you can trust for the answers? Is it only a matter of money or simply a matter of faith?

It is prudent to plan your retirement having financial bases reasonably covered. Newsletters such as The Motley Fool and online financial forums are dedicated to help educate you in this area and can better prepare you for that day when there is no paycheck on Friday. Simultaneously, it is wise to look at other areas in your life that offer wealth. An investment in your personal edification is fertile and will surely be productive. Effort towards strengthening friendships will reward both sides. Know what your city or town offer in terms of community, and entertain the option of volunteering, providing your input or leadership.

Although there are no guarantees in life, there is nothing that can take the place of full engagement in your own retirement. So if markets fall, or unforeseen events rattle your foundation, you will have spent the time fortifying your friendships and vitalizing the link to your own personal creative genius.