Summary: Ask anyone and they’ll most likely say they want to have a great retirement. But looking at the day-to-day financial decisions of most people might tell a different story.<br> “What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.”<br> Ralph Waldo Emerson<br> It’s not enough to want a great retirement. You need to decide what it will look like, create a plan to work towards it and execute your plan day by day. In short, you need to live an intentional life.<br> This was the message I heard loud and clear from this week’s listener’s story.<br> Favorite Quote From This Week’s Story<br> [Tweet “”To this day, when I want something, I think through it and make sure I want it.””]<br> Lessons Learned From Ken, Jr.<br> <br> * Intentional decision making helps you think ahead and avoid rash decisions.<br> * Don’t over think investing. Patience is a key to success.<br> * Parent’s play a big role in shaping how kids think about money.<br> * Not letting your lifestyle creep up as your income grows is essential to wealth creation.<br> <br> Who is Ken Jr.?<br> <br> * Ken, Jr. was a Corporate computer guy for almost 20 years.<br> * Married 20 years<br> * No kids<br> * Average age of late 40s<br> * Both retired<br> <br> What Does Retirement Mean to You? <br> “I think mostly the freedom to set my own schedule. To enjoy anything I want to do.”<br> “I do computer consulting on the side.”<br> “I do volunteer presentations at senior centers on technology.”<br> “I loved my day job, it’s just I wanted all of my own schedule.”<br> “The truth is, I feel much busier now that I can’t catch up with all the things I saved up wanting to do.”<br> What Are You Most Excited About Retirement?<br> “Actually, part of it is the challenge of planning money over time.”<br> “I just like doing whatever we want to do that week we’ve planned.”<br> What Are You Most Worried About Retirement?<br> “The usual three things: investment return income, expenses and inflation and longevity.”<br> Who Do You Use in Your Life to Help Make Smart Financial Decisions? <br> “It’s been on my list to do. I planned aggressively for retirement 8 years before I retired.”<br> “I need to…to give me a checkpoint, an alternative view and to help me check in every year or two.”<br> “Mine wasn’t how to get to retire, it’s how to manage the puzzle into the future.”<br> What Has Been Your Worst Financial Decision?<br> “Was not knowing about Total Market Indexes, 20 years ago.”<br> What has been the Hardest Thing to Deal with Personally in Managing Your Finances?<br> “It has been the fine tuning and optimizing…”<br> What Resources Have Had the Most Impact in Your Life?<br> ”My parents led by example. They lived below their means. They lived on one salary. They tracked their spending every day.”<br> “My parents taught me patience.”<br> “Clarke Howard.”<br> How Do You Want to Be Remembered?<br> “As a whole, I just want to be a good, helpful person.” <br>
