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How Much Do You Need To Retire?
Dreams don’t die because you get old
I have a friend who started painting in her 60s.
She’d always wanted to do it, but it wasn’t until after she retired that she was able to make it happen.
She is now almost 80 and makes enough from her art to pay her bills. She doesn’t make a ton of money, but she is doing something she loves. She also has plugged into local artists’ networks and these offer her a very fulfilling social life — she often meets with fellow creatives for drinks.
She lives independently in a small apartment that is large enough for her to host her many friends. She has an active, happy retirement.
I have another friend who was able to save for retirement as a wilderness guide. In the summer, she worked with a white water rafting company, guiding tourists through rapids. In the winter, she worked with ski resorts as a ski instructor. She also organized camping trips in the autumn. Springtime was her free time.
She never made much money, but she lived very frugally —just her, a dog, and sometimes a boyfriend, in a trailer that was paid for. She moved it based on her work location.
She also set aside a percentage of her earnings into a retirement account. She was religious about this. She has been able…
