"Go-Go" Years
Carl Landau | April 08, 2025
While we all may be taking a pause right now due to the economic uncertainty, at some point you to need to focus on YOUR own (un)retirement plan.
The fact is I'm spending more money at this stage of life. Specifically, I mean that I am spending more than I probably should according to the target "100% success rate" of my retirement financial plan. My current spending level means that as of today, there is only about a 70% chance I will still have money at age 92. But I still think these are pretty good odds. I want to do all the things in life I've worked hard for and dreamed of while I have the time and energy. Yes, I want to enjoy it all while I'm healthy, which means TODAY. I don't know what my future health situation is going to be.
What about you?
Personally, I'm not spending my money on things. I'm spending my money on experiences. For my wife Diana and me, our passion is travel. We're taking a couple of international trips and many in the U.S. Ideally, we want to experience new countries, new cultures, new experiences all over the world while physically fit. I know that at some point, we're not going to be able to do all this traveling. So, I'm taking full advantage of the opportunity now.
Go figure out what you have a passion for and do it NOW! For you, it can be something totally different from travel, but don't waste this special time of your life. One of the saddest things to watch are these soon to be or retired people depriving themselves of all the fun things they can be doing and instead are fixated on the amount of savings they have. They say, "I'll do all those fun things when I'm older". Really? How much older? Why not have amazing experiences now when you can fully experience your life's bucket list? Plus, then when you really are older, you'll have those memories to savor much longer.
My wife hates when I (occasionally) talk about how long I have to live. To me, it's a good reminder to fully live out my (un)retirement years. I encourage everyone to look at a life expectancy calculator based on your age and your current health. In my case my life expectancy is about age 84 That's 16 years for me! Trust me that I'm doing my best to live a long and healthy life. But that statistic doesn't scare me, it motivates me! And let's get real. Our travel expenses will drop considerably when we're in our 80's and 90's, so that's why I'm spending and doing NOW!
Note: I do have a budget set aside for any future health stuff.
What do you think? What's your plan for your Go-Go years?
50+ Community -- Pro or Con?
Carl Landau | March 11, 2025
I've always been pretty negative about living in a 50+ community. I'm not sure exactly sure why. I think to me it meant that I'm officially old. Why would I want to be surrounded by a bunch of old people?
I think the first time I ever heard about an "active" 50+ community was way back in the late 1990's, when negative headlines about The Villages in Florida came out. It was about all these old people running around having STDs. They drove around in golf carts everywhere. And they had political shouting matches with each other. I remember late night comedians having a field day at these people's expense.
The fact of the matter is that I personally have visited some friends in an active adult community for a grand total of ONE TIME. They seemed really happy with their community. Most recently, a good friend of mine invited me to play pickleball at his brand new 50+ community that just opened. It was incredibly nice! The club house was like like being in a fancy club or spa. The pickleball courts were amazing. My friend told me there's a fun activity on the calendar almost every night. The average age so far for this new community is early 60's. Huh! Half the people living there still work. Every person I met was friendly. There was a real sense of community there.
I checked with my financial advisor, who has a lot of clients in these communities and he said that in general, the properties are a good value. Plus his clients really like living in them. So I wonder why I've been so negative? Did I feel superior because I don't need everything provided for me? I have had my eyes opened and my opinion is now totally turned around. Today's 50+ communities have come a long way since Del Webb started building in the 50's.
I'm not sure if I'll ever live in one of these communities or not. But I learned not to be so judgemental about it all.
What are your thoughts about 50+ communities?
Carl's Top 6 NOT Retirement Tips
Carl Landau | February 13, 2025
1. **Retire earlier than you think you should.**
I've interviewed over 90 guests on "I Used to be Somebody" and almost all say they wished they had ended their careers earlier. This includes me. Honestly, think about your Sunday nights or Monday mornings. Do you have the same enthusiasm to get to work that you used to have? My last 3 or 4 years of work, it felt more like a grind, but I ignored it. I wish I had listened to my "Monday gut" and I would have created an exit strategy earlier.
2. **Stop calling it retirement!**
I hate that "R" word. To me that means "You're done, you have nothing else relevant to contribute to the world." Which is why I call the phase after your primary career (un)retirement. It's a time of brand new possibility and personal reinvention! It's a time to explore new interests and fulfill new dreams.
3. **Figure out the money thing.**
Figuring out if you have enough money to stop working full- time is pretty important. I talked to my financial advisor 5 years in advance. Don't be afraid to start figuring out your new life ahead of time. And although I know you're super-smart and everything, hire a certified pro. Plus, you can go into most financial planners and get an initial financial evaluation for free.
4. **Think about your future.**
If you retire in your 60's and you're in reasonable health, chances are you're going to live for decades more. Give some deep thought in ADVANCE about what you want to do next. Most people spend more time planning a 10-day vacation than how they want to live for the next 20+ years.
5. **Don't jump off a cliff.**
One of the worst things you can do is have this hard-driving career for 25++ years and then just stop one day into the retirement abyss, telling yourself you'll be able to figure it all out when you have more time. DISASTER ALERT! It truly takes some serious commitment to figure out who you are outside of your career. But you're worth it!
6. **Try the gentle slope idea.**
If you're in the corporate world, maybe discuss with management about working into a part-time or consulting position. If you're an entrepreneur, go ahead and start off-loading responsibilities to staff. Or hire a consultant to figure out what part of your operation is more profitable and get rid of the part of the company that isn't successful. Do more mentoring and less "working."
I know my tips probably seem like added work when you're contemplating retirement. It's a big decision to end a career you've had for a long time. It might even feel kinda scary. But these tips are inspired by my discussions with over 90 successful people who have taken the time to do (un)retirement right!
Who Am I Now? Or Weirdly, Strangely Delights You Discover in (Un)retirement
Carl Landau | February 29, 2024
It's been a few years now since I ended my full-time career and (un)retired. I have had more time for myself and everything else in general with not so many stressful demands on my time. I've noticed my perspective about some things has changed. Am I a weirdo or do you notice it in (un)retirement too?
In my full-time career, I felt like my schedule was always at warp speed, even bringing my laptop on vacation. (Ok, I still do that.) But I'm actually enjoying becoming sort of "Zen-like" about very ordinary things that I either hated to do or rushed through to do.
I'm a different guy now! Here's what I mean:
Trash/Recycle Guy: Once a week, we need to put out the trash can at the curb and every-other-week the recycling. I find that now I'm somehow in some sort of a contest with my next- door neighbor, Norman, who can get the cans out faster than anyone on the street. (Full exposure, I'm sure my neighbor has no idea about this supposed contest.) And when I take a walk around the neighborhood now, I'm even picking up the knocked over empty trash cans that are laying in the street. I'm this guy now?
Laundry/Football Guy: I hate doing laundry. Yet somehow I'm now looking forward to doing laundry and folding clothes while I watch football/basketball/baseball. (Did you know there is actually only 18 minutes of live action during a typical NFL game?) My wife appreciates this new laundry guy very much.
Stretch/Meditate Guy: I am an A-personality type guy that never allowed down time for anything. Now I find myself every morning spending at least 15-20 minutes of mindful stretching on a yoga mat and meditating to some music. My 17-year old cat, Felix, joins in on the yoga-mat-fun and "stretches" with me. He thinks this is his new daily routine too. (Imagine him waving his tale in my face, jumping over me and generally bothering me to the beat of the tunes.) So even the cat likes this guy.
Breakfast Tea Guy: I drank glasses of Diet Coke every morning for 45 years. A month ago, I decided to stop. I feel so much better now! I really can't believe the difference. Since I don't care for coffee, I am now a cup or two, tea-drinker with honey and a little-spoon to go with it. Yep, that's me now. I start the day relaxed and calm, vs. hyped up on diet coke. Everyone likes this guy.
Feelings Guy: I don't end any phone call or visit with my daughters without saying "I love you so much." I'm telling my college friend and roommate from 45 years ago that I love him. What in the hell is happening to me? But I think I like this empathetic, Kumbaya guy.
I sure hope this continues. I wonder what changes will happen next. What about you?
My 6 Best (Un)Retirement Decisions
Carl Landau | February 10, 2024
I'm currently starting my 4th year of what we call (Un)Retirement. And maybe I've learned a thing or two I can share to help you...
Actually do it and retire! I thought about it many times. Exactly when should I cut the cord and stop working the crazy hours and dealing with the pressure of running my own business for 40+ years? The best advice I give people about (Un)Retirement is do it sooner rather than later. I wish I had sold/quit 5 years earlier. The last couple of work years were a drag on my mind, body and spirit. And I didn't realize it until I stopped.
Hire a pro to create a financial plan. The reason I felt comfortable in stopping the job/career is that I had been working with a great financial planner for several years in anticipation of the change. That person is Ian Castille at Capital Advantage and I consider him a good friend at this point.
I talk to so many people that have/had successful careers and have created wealth that they manage themselves. Or at least they try. This is crazy. What do you truly know about the financial market? I'd rather pay someone that studies the market all day to make my decisions. I sleep so much better at night because of this.
Avoid the temptation to go back! You are an expert with experience and it's so tempting to go back. I was in the live event biz for the past 20 years. I know that business back and forth and have seen so many opportunities to return. But, every time I return to my senses (also with the wise counsel of my wife Diana who had to put up with my totally-consumed-working-self for many years). Now I focus on where I'm going!
Do something new. Use the skills you already have, except in a new way. After working for decades, we all have developed incredible insights into organization, management, writing or whatever. Just use that toolbox in some new and cool endeavor.
Hire someone to do the shit you don't like to do or aren't good at. When I first was launching our podcast and newsletter I was going to hire an assistant. But my friend Bekah said I should consider hiring a virtual assistant company. I did that 3+ years ago. I hired a company Monkey Creative. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. No employees for me to worry about and I only pay for what I need done. I get to do the writing and they handle the graphics, e-marketing and all the other stuff I don't want to do/not good at.
Just start and see what happens. I didn't have a plan beyond starting the I Used to be Somebody podcast and newsletter. Then I took a leap of faith. Perhaps it would lead to something else? It lead to me interviewing 80 incredible people that I would never have met in a million years. Many I now consider my friends. The podcast and some pickleball talk led to Diana and I co-authoring (with our instructor and friends Mo and Reine) the Amazon best-seller, Pickleball for dummies. Most recently, my new path has led to leading vacation tours around the world for our podcast audience. You never know...
