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Letters

Our Contributing Editor, Paul Rudersdorf, who we affectionately refer to as "Peaceful Paul", has written a letter to all of us about the importance of writing letters. Reader Beware: This article is a tearjerker, but a necessary read for all of us as we begin to live our final act. 

Opinion

Happiness Should Come From Helping Others

Our Contributing Editor, Paul Rudersdorf, who we favor as "Peaceful Paul", has a framed writing of the Dali Lama resting on his end table, which isn't actually Paul's end table, if you know Paul. Unlike The Rolling Stones, who couldn't get no satisfaction, Paul's the opposite. He's got satisfaction and he's on a roll. We're thankful Paul is never more than a stone's throw from some truly wonderful insights. 

Are You Kidding Me; Planning For Retirement?

Our Contributing Editor, Bill Marks, didn't plan for retirement. Even at nearly 72 years old, he has no plans to retire, un-retire, transition, work less, work harder, or coast on the west coast. Maybe his plan is a plan after all. It's just that the "after" might not be at "all."

We Are Prepared, Are Your Kids?

Our Contributing Editor, Mike LaBarbera, has a bit of advice for our children and even our children's children. Money doesn't grow on trees and that's a deeply-rooted fact. Teach them young just as our parents taught us. But hopefully, we won't grow older with a Great Depression hanging over our heads as it did our parents. That was a life-lesson for the ages. 

Accepting Retirement?

Our Contributing Editor, and broadcast Hall-of-Famer, Jim Arnold, has retired three times. He doesn't regret a single retirement decision and has found "peace" in his choices. Why wouldn't he? After all, his legendary broadcasting career began with his radio on-air name, "Sunny Jim Arnold".

The Reformed Retiree

Ken Cook, our Contributing Editor introduces us to his wonderful and captivating story about life with his father. It's a poignant lesson for all of us, and a real life "heads-up" of what can happen without proper retirement planning. 

 

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Be Prepared: More Than Just a Boy Scout Slogan.

Our Contributing Editor, Alan Bergstrom, has some contributions about what you should do when the rug is pulled-out from under you. Particularly when you're inches away from retirement. It's not a position any of us ever want to be in, but Alan walks us through some Plan Bs that he's finding to be essential. 

 

Do I Really Need A New Tuxedo?

It was purported, although never confirmed, that Frank Sinatra owned as many as 100 tuxedos. It was confirmed, however, that Frank did say, "The tuxedo is not a piece of clothing. It's a way of life." The Chairman-of-the-Board also said, with great humility, "I am a thing of beauty." Today, our very own Marc Kadish asks the question, at 81 years old, if he needs a new tux.

OK Retirees; Give Me Your Best Shot

Transitioning into retirement might not be easy for everyone. MJ Simpson gets personal with her challenges. And you have the opportunity to get personal with MJ by lending her a hand, and some of your great advice. 

Transitioning Into Retirement Isn't Always Smooth Sailing

For some, moving into retirement is effortless. For others it takes patience, practice, and even a few swings at the plate. For RJ "Coach" Ley, it took a different sort of pep talk. This time around, the pep talk was delivered to the Coach, by the Coach. Preparation is the key to winning. 

My Retirement Mantra: "Letting Go"

Paul Rudersdorf walks us through the complexities of simplicity; why more isn't, and why less is. Thankfully, we have Paul to help us navigate the maze of owning little, but possessing much. 

Slow Down

Don’t Judge Me By My Book’s Cover

Our burn-the-midnight-oil, nose-to-the grindstone, Contributing Editor, Tom Kermgard, reads books like Joey Chestnut eats hotdogs. In volumes. But like others, he's always wrestled, at least since 2007, with the allure of holding a physical book and the magic of holding a Kindle. He has an answer for us. Read on my friends, read on!

Does The Great American Songbook Include Retirement Reinvention?

Our intrepid Contributing Editor, Dave Slavin, is wondering if reinvention in retirement is applicable to all of us just as the famed musician, and former Beach Boy, Brian Wilson, reinvented himself after the age of 55. Dave went through the reinvention process and highly recommends it. He also highly recommends the music of Brian Wilson!

Redefining Retirement: More Than Just an End

Our resident Management Consultant and Contributing Editor, Phyllis Johnson Smith, has been reflecting lately. And when Phyllis reflects you can bet we're in for a few lessons learned, and a heap of knowledge we can carry with us for our lifetime. Her transition into retirement, not that it's actually happened yet, has had some twists and turns, but it's a path worth reading about. 

Don't Surround Yourself With Yourself!

Our Contributing Editor, Dave Slavin, says yes to YES, one of his favorite bands of all time. But bandmate, Jon Anderson, has been on his own for two decades and according to Dave, his music has never been better. In fact, there's one song that reminds Dave of his wife, Montie Slavin, and that makes Dave happy all the time. 

Introduction To The Pathways For The Peaceful Retiree

Pathways for the Peaceful Retiree are regularly contributed articles from the team at Isthmus Partners, LLC, an investment management and advisory firm that serves clients across the globe. Keep your eyes peeled for their regular contributions and insights. Each Pathways article will be worth your time; each will be a good solid read. And that's of significant importance because we want you to find peace in your retirement. 

Yes, You Can Go Back!

Tom Kermgard takes us back. Way back. And yes, we can go home again, particularly to big hair (when we had it), rock star apparel (when we could fit in it), and to the songs that bring back the memories that we'll never forget (assuming we're still not forgetting anything).

I’ll Have Some Marmalade With That Song

We all know how a song can take us back to a place where the memories are poignant, even if it’s 55 years ago. But no matter. Our accomplished Contributing Editor, Dave Slavin, has a message (or maybe it's a song) for all of us: There's nothing wrong with spending time reflecting; in fact, it's probably a great idea. 

Why Retirees Should Write A Book

Writing in retirement, in any format, is splendid for mental acuity, kick-starting your imagination, and sharing your wisdom with generations who are looking forward to reading your insights. 

Speed Up

My Name Is Bob

Our Contributing Editor, Bob DeBroux, has been doing a lot of thinking lately. Actually, since he was born. Or quite possibly, even before he was born as in the Zen koan sort of story, dialog, question, statement type of thing: "Show me your original face before you were born." In any event, and Bob's had a lot of events in his 70+ years of life, he's on a path to finding things out about finding things out. We love it, and you will, too!

My Semi-Retirement Life

Our Contributing Editor, Jim Carlson, has been planning his retirement since he was 37 (maybe even before that age). He has it figured-out, which allows him to travel the globe, work wherever he finds himself, and still play and record the music he cares about as a professional singer-songwriter. From our standpoint, he's fine-tuned everything about semi-retirement including the tunes he writes. 

"Building Relationships of Trust"

Dr. Scott Mickelesen writes to us about trust. More specifically about the importance of trust in relationships. And it's not just workplace relationships in order to maximize engagement and productivity. Scott's advice transcends any specific segment in our lives and applies everywhere, and anywhere. It's solid advice from the most solid of all humans. 

High in Retirement

From carefree, to careful, to not a care-in-the-world. Mike LaBarbera walks us through; um excuse us, runs us through his active lifestyle like a kid in a candy store. 

Living with My Transitions After 60

Marvin Smith has lived a full life. But certain "Health Signals" have got him thinking and using his brain more than ever. And thinking is something Marvin does extremely well. In spite of the need for some caregiving and paying closer attention to his body, his aspirations of driving sports cars, listening to jazz music, traveling, and spending time with family and friends is never far from his active mind. It's just that some of the internal messaging is changing. 

Remote-Remote Control

Does back to work mean back to the office? For some, it does not. And will not. For our peaceful Contributing Editor, Mr. Kurt Huber, he has a clear direction and conviction of how he wants to play the game. 

Be Included

The Jolly Boys - Winners or Losers?

Our valiant Contributing Editor, Jim Arnold, is taking ROMEOs to an entirely new level (Retired Old Men Eating Out) and introducing us to his Friday morning coffee group. And introducing us to the difference between winners and losers, which, apparently, is only a coin-flip away. 

Giving Back Is My Personal High!

Mike LaBarbera is a "giver." He has been for decades and he will be for as long as he's fit-as-a-fiddle, which is part of his routine so he can stay healthy to keep on giving. To his community, to youth, his family, to Veterans, and probably to anyone or any cause that makes sense. It's one of the most excellent approaches to life, in retirement or otherwise. Thank you Mike for taking the time to give, when you have the time and when you didn't. 

My First Love

Kathy Marks belongs outside. Paddling whitewater in Patagonia, rock climbing in Arizona, hiking in Colorado, kayaking the Fjords, and volunteering at Tohono Chul in Tucson. She writes about her life coming full-circle from her first love, the outdoors, to finding her first love again, the outdoors, as she approaches retirement. 

We're Waiting to Hear From You

OK everyone. We're waiting to hear from you. Send us your articles and we'll do our best to include you in The Peaceful Retiree. That's because we're the first Digital Retirement Collective™, which means we count on our readers to join the efforts of our 26 Contributing Editors to make our Collective the best in the world. Seems pretty easy to us.

This Old Veteran

He became the ultimate volunteer at age 19. He’s still volunteering today. And it's our guess, Contributing Editor, Mike LaBarbera, will still be volunteering tomorrow, and next year, and the year after. 

Bob Weirauch’s Reflections

Reflections: On Old, Abandoned Houses

Gone but not forgotten, at least in the eyes (and mind) of Bob Weirauch. If you ever come across an old, abandoned house, give it some thought. There might not be anyone living there, but it's probably alive with stories, some good, perhaps some not so good. Let your imagination run because that's something that should never be abandoned. 

Reflections: A Conversation With Hannah

And what an interesting conversation it must have been. If we could have just been an antique lamp shade near the wall, we'd know a lot more about the ins and outs of that conversation. But hey, that's not our place in a convo between father and daughter. Or is it? Read on. 

Reflections: The Run (For Dani)

Poet-in-Residence, Bob Weirauch, wrote about his daughter's running efforts. Those efforts might have been a long time ago, but obviously he never forgot Dani's commitment and dedication to the path she ran on and the path she followed throughout her life. 

Winter Is Coming

Our Contributing Editor and Poet-in-Residence, Bob Weirauch, is reflecting about winter. A Wisconsin guy through and through, the stiff winds of North Central Wisconsin are piercing Bob's sweater and other layers, through and through. Winter is coming and that's a fact. 

Reflections: On Being A "Young Man"

Bob Weirauch, our Contributing Editor and Poet-in-Residence, is at it again. This time it's in a diner near his home. For the record, Bob isn't exactly an old man, but he sure the hell isn't a young man either. And that, despite his age, is a real problem. 

Christmas in Scottsdale

Our Contributing Editor, Poet-in-Residence, and apparently Grump-in-Chief, Bob Weirauch, is at least his honest self when writing about Christmas. He's socializing this holiday season, perhaps only with himself, but socializing nevertheless. 

Truth is, he's really not that grumpy, or frumpy, or stumpy. In fact, he's pretty spunky, funky, but, quite possibly, after all of his holiday feasts, he could get a little chunky. 

Lord of the Rings

Our Contributing Editor, Bob Weirauch, doesn't wear a lot of jewelry. Never did, never will (sort of). But he has worn some wedding rings, and then he loses them, and miraculously (and we do mean miraculously) he finds them. But he doesn't always find them, sometimes they find him. Actually, in his retirement, he's learning a valuable lesson: Perhaps it's best if he retires them, too. It's time to read a short story from Bob.

Me Mother Was Irish You Know

Our Contributing Editor, Bob Weirauch, traveled to Ireland to learn some truths about his family. Truths that were a wee bit difficult to come by. That's because Bob's mother, Mary Alice, had a knack for telling stories with a few malapropisms. Nothing quite so travel-related like Mike Tyson's famous malaprop (now that he just lost a fight to a non-fighter): "I might just fade into Bolivian", but one person who will not fade is Bob; his stories about stories are just too good. 

Sycamore Wind Songs

Our Contributing Editor and Poet-in-Residence, Bob Weirauch, teaches us that if we listen closely to the songs of the old Sycamore tree, perhaps we'll learn a lesson or two. If we become better listeners, to the sounds of the world around us, we can become better humans. It's worth a try. Maybe we need more than the cliche that instructs us to stop and smell the roses. We might be better served if we stopped and listened to the voices of nature, it might bring us closer together. 

The Monthly Peaceful Interview