Foreword

I try so hard to get my listeners and viewers to save for a rainy day and save for retirement. You may intend to do both, but life somehow gets in the way. Even if you have a mind to save, most of us find saving money intimidating. It is confusing to know how much to save, where to save it, what kind of investments to have, and who to trust.

I believe that you should start with a map: where are you trying to go? I know a guy who plays the lottery twice per week. He dreams of being the winner of one of those mega jackpots. I asked him what he would do if he won. His answer, “I won’t be at work tomorrow.” Then I asked him what he would do with his life after he stopped working. I was met with a blank stare.

Retirement or not working is fine, but only if you have a plan for doing what you enjoy, how you would spend your days, and what your ideal life would cost. Then you can start to set goals.

My 67-year-old brother Gary is a retired lawyer. He spends his days volunteering, and he and his wife take about a trip a month to see the United States and the world.

Gary and his wife Debra began planning 20 years ago. They hired a fee-only financial planner. The planner did what any great planner will do. He asked what they enjoyed and what their dreams were. He then estimated what that lifestyle would cost and how much they would have to save to make it happen by the time my brother was 65. Debra has decided not to retire yet and is still working full time, which has made my brother’s transition to retirement easier.

But it isn’t just about dollars and cents. Retirement should be a joy. As you read this book, you will learn the keys to having a happy retirement. You might think that happiness is strictly personal. What would make you happy is completely different from what would make me happy. However, you will be surprised and ultimately convinced that certain traits and steps are common if you want real, lasting happiness when your workdays sail into the sunset.

Wes Moss uses his many years of experience as an investment advisor to real-life families to create a must-read for you if you want to retire happy. He has facts and many of the important keys that lead to true happiness as work goes into the rear-view mirror.

Wes unlocks the secrets to a happy retirement.

Clark Howard
Nationally syndicated talk show host,
consumer advocate, and author of
Clark Howard’s Living Large in Lean Times