“Possibilities do not add up. They multiply.”  ~ Paul Romer

I hope to never quit working, as I enjoy the challenge, opportunity to contribute, and the creative part of the process. I, too, never want to go back to the old “nose to the grindstone”  method. Watching a loved one die over a three year period gave me time for a hard look at my life. I didn’t want to find myself in a hospital bed someday, wondering how things were at the office. 

I summoned my courage and started the process of semi-retirement. Our home, while older, was in good repair and paid for. No car or credit card debt also helped. I needed enough money for us to live. I would still have to work some but could ease off the accelerator. Modest amounts of work combined with various streams of existing passive income would accomplish that, but how about retirement? 

I had a lot of equity, but still had some debt left on a number of  rental houses. That debt would convert into equity over time and help fund retirement. Fortunately, Interest rates had dropped so, I refinanced and locked them in at a low rate and accelerated the payoff at the same time. I can read an amortization table and know that when I’m in my mid 60s, my rentals will be paid off. My retirement is funded and I can enjoy my family, my life, and explore things that really interest me. No, I won’t be traveling in a gulf stream jet when I retire, but I have a life now and I don’t need to travel in a gulfstream. For me, it’s been a great trade-off. Take a few minutes and simply dream. What do you want? How could you get there? Is semi-retirement worth a try?

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” ~ Napoleon Hill