The end of physical existence is a guaranteed thing (science says: Heat Death … yeh that) but civilization will likely collapse long before that … methinks Armageddon as prophesied in the Bible but you do you.
That being said, Christ Jesus tells us {Matt. 24:36} the coming end of time is known only to the Father [kinda pretty much shoots down all those false messiahs … pun intended] so in the meantime before the endtimes might as well be productive.
Thus, retirement. Ugh. Everyday? YES
So! where to begin. At the beginning.
Realistically, at the current rate of inflation (umpty-wat per … each … cent) if children are a decision the responsible parent should start planning for the kid’s retirement prior to conception. But that’s just me, still a bit bitter moving on
Conventional wisdom suggests getting started with first job, putting away a little something with each paycheck, whether part-time at 16 or full-time post-grad (hopefully no later than 22? 23? the 28YO senior is so not the hot) … personal experience: wizened 20YO visited my 9th grade classroom and told the students to put away half of everything … 50% of every dollar earned. Period. Automatic. Unthinking. Just do it. Start with the first job and never quit.
Tried it, worked for a while, then life interluded. Such a pesky bish. Oh look, a car …. Hey, there’s college …. I was supposed to do that, right? And I have to spend for special clothes? to work?
Slight mention: the guy looked … nomadic, as if living on 50% of income was actually quite difficult, if a certain consumeristic standard of living is sought to be maintained …
… but that’s the problem, isn’t it? The expectation. Don’t really need running water … dip a jug. Got sunlight, what’dya need electricity for? Sew(so?) those clothes, got plenty of rags and fishing line make it happen.
The reality is a certain liestyle (yehahseddit) has been sold to the masses to maintain that monkey … propaganda is powerful, and isn’t just used in war.
Or is it? Masters of mankind, indeed.
Bernays said that control the opinions and habits of the masses and control society, à la “engineered consent” … debt is a societal habit engineered by the liestyle go figure … anyway point and back to retirement is a nice idea, achievable for some, most will die in poverty so there’s that.
BUT! Important to mention: don’t have to.
Right now, current money (from work) is going to old debt (from past stuff) so cannot spend new money for future stuff … yehwatOK
Which is what retirement is … the ability to get stuff and not work. Use old money to make a little new money to buy new stuff, maintain old stuff, pay for the inevitable DID YOU KNOW A FUNERAL IS TEN GRAND AND CASKET RENTAL IS A THING and annuities and life insurance and pensions and 401Ks and yehwatno …
It’s an interesting topic, actually took a class once, but I plan to die at my desk – that’s what I got the degree for/duh – and have no concrete plans for retirement. If not death by desk then in a hospice bed oblivious and pumped full of the very best, highest quality, chemically-pure pharmaceutical drugs on earth.
How morbid / how excellent moving on
So it is important to plan for some sort of future, but we/me/I/us have life insurance up the wah-zoo (where is the wah-zoo located, exactly?) and long-term care coverage in case death is pro-looonnnged … but kicking back? Rushing home to catch mah show? Traveling in the har-VEE? Or better yet, quarantined on a plagueship?
I don’t need to travel the world. There’s got pitchuhs. And vid-yos.
Ergo / to wit: a vision of the future of one’s non-working self is in order before can even decide how much retirement is enough. And then, it probably won’t be (see above: poverty) but it is certainly worth the effort.
Some professional help (financial planner, retirement consultant) but they all want money for what’s in their heads – compensation is key but value ≠ cost – and Bernie Madoff … made off HA! notfunny/hedead … with billions.
The financial markets (stocks, bonds, dividends, derivatives, etc., ad nauseum) are the biggest racket in the history of human value exchange, it is propped up with money = math = magic, those selfsame financial experts predict the entire market system is doomed to fail, and the alternative is what
Masters of mankind, indeed.
I prefer prayer. Prayer works. Because even in the face of a declining, spiraling, immoral, corrupted world, I know this and my faith is unshaken … God has everything under control.
So there.
But think about retirement anyway … something about lamps & oil?