I can suggest dozens of questions that when answered, will define your retirement.

And I can suggest more questions that when answered, will re-define your retirement.

While money and having enough is important, there are other things to consider if you want your retired years to end with few regrets. For example, how will you decide how much money is enough?

Most headlines and messages about retirement are attempts to persuade you it’s all about money and how to have more if you’ll just follow their advice. None of us want to discover, after years of working hard, that our pile of money is simply too small. That makes it hard to get up every morning.

Fundamental #1 is to accept there is no magic bullet or pill to swallow that leads to many years of fulfillment and happiness. That’s the goal, but it’s not going to happen without effort, and even with effort, there are no guarantees.

Fundamental #2 is to have an awareness that life never moves in a straight line. Changes to your best laid plans are going to happen. It’s how you respond to those changes that matters. The world around you is going to change, which means you have to be prepared to change. Remember when I mentioned having to re-define your retirement? Being able to shift gears and adapt will go a long way toward promoting happiness and satisfaction with your decisions.

Fundamental #3 is to define in advance your strategic goals, how you want your life to play out so that when you get to the other end, you haven’t second guessed yourself every inch of the way. Too many people fail to understand the difference between strategic decisions and tactical decisions.

Those messages and headlines I referenced earlier are almost always efforts to persuade you to make tactical decisions. They may turn out to be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but unless they serve to move you toward your already defined strategic goals, they may cost you dearly.

My writing and posting these thoughts about retirement fundamentals is me attempting to persuade you to focus on these three before you get too far down the road. I’ve created two online courses to help you get your arms around all this. It’s the outcome you’re looking for when you understand Fundamental #1 above.

Just don’t forget to check out my online school, Successful Retirement Secrets, where you’ll find both a FREE course and two for a small fee, that teach you a new way to think about and plan your retirement.

Tony Kendzior \ June 17, 2019