I want to retire in 16 years. Yes, I figured out when my husband and I will be done with the need to work, and can relax. Yes, we know exactly where we want to live, and what we want to do. Yes, we will be attaining this dream life well before the age of 65. How? Well, it’s all about a plan.
When Ramsey Solutions contacted me about partnering with them so I could read Chris Hogan’s new book Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age, It’s A Financial Number, and share my thoughts with you, I jumped at the chance. Chris Hogan is a retirement expert and financial coach. You may have heard him on The Dave Ramsey Show podcast, or seen him on the show.
We’ve been a “Ramsey family” for quite a while, and retirement has been our most challenging baby step. Being in our early 30s, the idea of retirement was hard to wrap our brains around. Isn’t retirement for “old” people? We have 30 years before we need to worry about that, right? Shouldn’t we be thinking about other things, like college savings for the kids or paying a mortgage? NOPE.
In Retire Inspired, Chris emphasizes that retirement isn’t an “old person thing. It’s a smart person thing.” He touches on why this is an essential part of building your wealth, and why an age shouldn’t be associated with this goal. Retirement is about dreaming big, then making steps to attain that dream. Whoa.
When Chris shared some of the stories within the book, I immediately pictured my husband and I in each situation. Would we be 50, just thinking about retirement, and realizing that it may not be in the cards for us since we didn’t start early? Or will we be the couple that starts with a clear dream, and ends up retiring way earlier than we ever though possible? I’m thinking the latter.
I have to admit, I had to read this 10 chapter book twice. The first time I read it, I was entranced by the true stories that were shared. I took notes of what NOT to do, and what to do aggressively. When you read this, you will get lost in the stories. That’s a good thing. Chris makes a point of having us learn from the mistakes and triumphs of others. The second time I read it, I took to heart every single step that Chris explains. I transformed them into our own personalized steps, especially the dreaming part. The dreams are the most important part!
If you are already a fan of The Baby Steps by Dave Ramsey, this will be a more detailed account of Baby Step 4. Investing has been a big issue for me, as I find it overwhelming. After reading chapters 5 and 6, I felt as if I had been taught a full class about investing, and was given the steps our family needed to start that journey. Spoiler alert: this is how the whole book feels.
Are you just starting out on your financial journey, and retirement is down the line for you? You still need to read this book. Financially successful people always operate with the end in mind. Retirement is one of the last steps of your financial journey, so learning from Chris will only benefit you at the beginning of your journey. Retire Inspired is available for purchase right now, on the the Chris Hogan website (as a hard cover, ebook, or audiobook). It’s also available at your local book store, and even on Amazon. Grab a copy today!
What are your current retirement plans? Have you thought about what your dreams are, and when you would like to retire?
A big thank you to Ramsey Solutions for partnering with me to start this conversation.
We are one of the few that can say we CAN retire early ! BUT health insurance.. Who wants to pay $1000.00 or more for a monthly premium? Its something you have to have but it really eats up a chunk of your monthly budget…. I’m still looking for that perfect insurance.. And one that won’t increase every year !!