As I write this blog, I am aware that many baby boomers may be contemplating retirement.
Last week I attended a seminar hosted by the National Speakers Association. Dr. Alan Zimmerman, who presented the seminar, shared statistics regarding death after retirement. I am sure many of you have heard that it is not uncommon for death to follow fairly closely after retirement, especially in men.
How many times have you heard the story of some person who worked most of his life, then retired and died within a few months? I don’t want that to be me.
To be honest with you, I don’t even think about retirement. It’s not that I don’t want free time; it’s that I think I would be bored to death. If I don’t have something to do, I think I will go bonkers! And I think that’s what happens — people get bored. Unfortunately for many the only thing that they have to do is work.
That’s why I don’t think of retiring. I often think about how I can earn more money and secure my finances as I get older. To be honest, securing your finances (keeping what you saved) is directly correlated to your health.
In my opinion, retirement is more difficult for males. Most men are defined by their work. They feel valued by “bringing home the bacon.” And when work is over (retirement), they feel less valuable and this feeling of lack leads or contributes to their decline.
What is one to do?
If you retire, retire into your passion. Retire into what you love. Start discovering and creating your passion now so that if and when you decide to retire, you will have something to do. Hopefully your passion will require being surrounded by people. Many studies demonstrate that people live longer when they are surrounded by others.
As boomers think about retirement, it is important to prepare by staying healthy. Stay healthy to feel and look better. Stay healthy to enjoy and keep your wealth. Stay healthy to find your passion.
Dr. Michael Kaye
www.drmichaelkaye.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Investing in You
Over the weekend I was sitting around with a bunch of my friends at a picnic.
When I am at a party, at least one of my friends usually pulls me aside.
“Hey, Mike, I was wondering if you can take a look at something for me. I hurt my shoulder about a week ago and the pain won’t go away.”
“Did you do anything about it?” I asked.
“I took some Advil, but it really didn’t help”, he said.
I evaluated his shoulder and arrived at a working diagnosis of a rotator cuff tear. I told my friend that he would most likely need to have treatment for two to four weeks and that he should determine which provider and what facility are covered by his insurance.
He complained that his co-pay is $40 for every visit and he questioned why there isn’t a pill he can take to fix his problem. I told him there is medicine to block the pain, but the medicine won’t fix the problem.
He is in the contracting business. He works with his body every day. If he doesn’t get his shoulder repaired, he may do further damage and, more importantly, may not even be able to do the type of work he does.
“Okay”, I say. “Let’s put it this way. At $40 per visit with a typical treatment parameter of 6 to 12 visits, you can expect to pay out $240 to $480. How much are you worth? “
He replied, “That’s a lot of money.” I reminded him that if he can’t return to work or if he loses his job, he would be out way more than $480. Fortunately, he listened and invested his money in some treatment. He lucked out as he felt much better after only eight visits.
So my question to you is: How much are you willing to invest in yourself?
Are you willing to purchase healthier foods, go to the doctor when necessary, pay for a gym membership, or purchase a new piece of exercise equipment?
Investing is not just about money.
Are you willing to invest in your education, possibly returning to school to get a degree or a certificate?
Are you willing to invest in motivational seminars and materials?
Are you willing to invest in working with a wellness coach or a personal trainer?
Are you willing to invest in your time and learn a new hobby?
As a society we have a tendency to spend money on products or things that provide immediate gratification as opposed to investing our time or finances in something that will produce a great return on that investment.
Think of it this way. You are willing to save money each week or each paycheck towards your savings /retirement (or at least I hope you are). What are you willing to invest in yourself each week?
The greatest investment is YOU!
To Your Health, Wealth & Happiness!
Dr. Michael J. Kaye
Knowledge, Action, Results
To learn more about my e-book please log onto http://tinyurl.com/2hqf44
When I am at a party, at least one of my friends usually pulls me aside.
“Hey, Mike, I was wondering if you can take a look at something for me. I hurt my shoulder about a week ago and the pain won’t go away.”
“Did you do anything about it?” I asked.
“I took some Advil, but it really didn’t help”, he said.
I evaluated his shoulder and arrived at a working diagnosis of a rotator cuff tear. I told my friend that he would most likely need to have treatment for two to four weeks and that he should determine which provider and what facility are covered by his insurance.
He complained that his co-pay is $40 for every visit and he questioned why there isn’t a pill he can take to fix his problem. I told him there is medicine to block the pain, but the medicine won’t fix the problem.
He is in the contracting business. He works with his body every day. If he doesn’t get his shoulder repaired, he may do further damage and, more importantly, may not even be able to do the type of work he does.
“Okay”, I say. “Let’s put it this way. At $40 per visit with a typical treatment parameter of 6 to 12 visits, you can expect to pay out $240 to $480. How much are you worth? “
He replied, “That’s a lot of money.” I reminded him that if he can’t return to work or if he loses his job, he would be out way more than $480. Fortunately, he listened and invested his money in some treatment. He lucked out as he felt much better after only eight visits.
So my question to you is: How much are you willing to invest in yourself?
Are you willing to purchase healthier foods, go to the doctor when necessary, pay for a gym membership, or purchase a new piece of exercise equipment?
Investing is not just about money.
Are you willing to invest in your education, possibly returning to school to get a degree or a certificate?
Are you willing to invest in motivational seminars and materials?
Are you willing to invest in working with a wellness coach or a personal trainer?
Are you willing to invest in your time and learn a new hobby?
As a society we have a tendency to spend money on products or things that provide immediate gratification as opposed to investing our time or finances in something that will produce a great return on that investment.
Think of it this way. You are willing to save money each week or each paycheck towards your savings /retirement (or at least I hope you are). What are you willing to invest in yourself each week?
The greatest investment is YOU!
To Your Health, Wealth & Happiness!
Dr. Michael J. Kaye
Knowledge, Action, Results
To learn more about my e-book please log onto http://tinyurl.com/2hqf44
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)