If you’re an amazing writer, readers will flock to your articles and you’ll make a fortune, right? Well, no. Sorry. You probably are an incredibly good writer, but unfortunately, the world will not beat a path to your articles if they don’t know your articles exist.
“Chosen for further distribution” is the understated label that Medium adds to your article if they choose to curate it and promote it throughout the platform. It’s Medium’s way of marketing the quality content it likes. It’s their way of helping the cream rise to the top of over a million articles a month.
Thirty years is a tiny sliver of rings for a two-thousand-year-old Bristlecone Pine, one hundred and twenty lifetimes for Monarch butterflies, and a single solitary generation of humans.
The length of a generation is disputable, but 30 years is a common measure. In my life, generations coincide with miraculous transformations, or metamorphoses: birth, marriage, and retirement (and death perhaps, although I won’t be updating this article with that date).
I stand in awe of the changes I’ve seen in the first two generations of my life and emboldened by the potential of the next.
I emerged from my cocoon long…
Note to my readers: This story is reprinted with permission from Richard Haiduck and Dano Michaud. Richard is an active and engaged retiree who has dedicated much of his time to investigating and documenting the lives of fellow retirees. This article is about Dano and his life.
“Alaska is definitely a good fit for certain people. Some people come up here and just don’t like it. Others just fall in love; you can’t get them to leave.”
Dano Michaud
Dano retired at age 50 from the state of Alaska. His wife Joy had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and given…
Terry told everyone for years how eager he was to retire. He talked about how liberating it would be. Life would be so amazing without the conflicts, demands, and petty games at work. He could do anything he wanted to, and nobody could tell him otherwise.
The day finally came, and he was bursting from the seams. It was over. Like the end of a prison sentence, he walked through the iron gates to a new life, unshackled freedom, and a bottle of fine whisky— a gift from his friends. …
Medicare is a cornerstone of all US retirement plans. Simply put, it is your primary source of health care insurance from age 65 until your death. For many, the program can be complicated and hard to understand, and if you don’t follow the rules and enrollment dates promptly and accurately, you may pay for it for the rest of your life.
This article is a primer on the Medicare program and explains your options in a way that’s easy to understand. It’s essential to your future and you need to know how it works long before you turn 65.
Medicare…
Last year Denise and Sammy Jones lost their service jobs to the pandemic. Tony Niro had to leave his job to comfort his mother through her final days. Liu Kim got t-boned, broke a hip, and her boss wished her well as he hired her replacement. They couldn’t make their car, rent, and mortgage payments. They defaulted on credit cards and student loans. In a matter of months, they slipped into bankruptcy, shame, and the inescapable stigma of financial failure.
It was unexpected, unpredictable, and absolutely not their fault.
But with a different approach to their day-to-day expenses, they could…
Imagine if you knew exactly how much money you’ll need to support yourself in retirement. You would be empowered to save what you needed — and no more. You would know when to retire, how much you could spend, where you could live, and so much more. You would have the confidence to pursue your dreams and the comfort in knowing you won’t run out of money. You would unlock one of the greatest mysteries of your future.
Would you want to know how much?
Well, you can, and here’s how to figure it out:
There are two principles we…
I get a lot of questions about early retirement, investing, finances, planning, benefits, and more. So, I thought it would be a great help to publish a Q & A article.
Most of the questions below are edited, and I’m using fake names to protect privacy. There are far more questions than I could fit into a single article, so I’ll publish more periodically. Follow me and this publication so you won’t miss the next batch.
“I’m 52 and hate my job. Can I retire now?”
-Ronaldo
No, Ronaldo. That’s a bad idea regardless of how much money you have…
No matter your age, you can benefit from a few simple rules — laws, in fact — that will ensure a satisfying life and retirement.
But whose advice should you follow? Which approach is the best, and more importantly, which is the best for you? “Follow the experts” is a good approach, but even they don’t agree on everything. So, I’ve taken the time to comb through the best advice of the experts and distilled it down to four simple rules.
Building a successful future is like building a solid house. You’ll always want to rely on the experts for…
The cost of living in the United States continues to rise, and the average monthly expenditures for a couple exceed $3,500. From college students to retirees, people struggle to afford a fulfilling lifestyle, so many US citizens are flocking to other, less expensive countries to live better lives for less.
Younger workers fear they may never have a chance to retire. Wages are flat while the cost of living is skyrocketing. There needs to be a better way.
Perhaps working remotely or retiring in another country. But which one?
You could pore through data on 200 countries, but don’t bother…
Lover of reading, and writer of oft-curated articles about retirement, life, and adventure. Editor of Medium.com/life-after-work and www.LifeAfterWork.Zone.