What is your specific number {calculator below}? All you need are three things:
- A desire: What you want life to look like when you retire…
- Then pick a monthly income you want, or need.
- What age you want to retire at.
Calculate and wallah! You are empowered to live your dreams. No matter your age, you can start skipping and whistling towards your best future, today!
What I Learned from Chris Hogan at the Smart Conference 2015 with Dave Ramsey’s Team
Chris Hogan! He sounds like James Earl Jones and the All-State voice. Yet, he’s not. He’s a family man with a heart to see you and I succeed in the years to come! The highlight of my time with Chris Hogan at the Smart Conference 2015 was when I stole a “sorta-selfie” with him. Robert had gone to grab us a snack and I had split off to purchase Chris Hogan’s new book “Retire Inspired.” Since Robert wasn’t there to keep me couth. I jumped at the opportunity to speed passed those book-signing wait lines and grabbed a selfie with him! Thanks a million, Mr. Hogan!
Problem: But getting a sorta-selfie with Chris Hogan isn’t the problem in my future plans:
- The problem is that 7 out of 10 homes (70%) of people live from paycheck to paycheck.
- Very few have no retirement savings.
- There is no future financial plan other than social security.
Chris says that people say they’ll just work for the rest of their lives. But the truth is that sometimes our bodies don’t keep up with our minds. What results? An inability to fund our future by working for the rest of our lives. That’s a problem. Chris is calling us for a “wake-up!”
Who is he? “A popular and dynamic speaker on the topics fo personal finance, retirement, and leadership, Chris Hogan helps people across the country develop successful strategies to manage their money, both in their homes and businesses. His new book, Retire Inspired: It’s Not an Age: It’s a Financial Number, releases in January 2016. For more than a decade, Hogan has served on Dave Ramsey’s team as a trusted financial coach and advisor, and a sought-after speaker.”
What did I learn? I learned the very thing.
“Retirement is NOT an age; it’s a financial number!”
Did that open my mind up or what!? Does that mean that we could retire at 45? Sure! If we are financially there! Does that mean that we would never be able to retire? Whoops. The truth is yes. If we are NOT financially there.
Why did this message stick? This message stuck because I don’t want an age to define what God has for our lives. I want the freedom to not be under payments but be under the leadership of God. I want us to go where He would dream for us to go. But if we aren’t living below our means, finishing getting out of debt, and investing for retirement, we will not get there! It’s simple.
Chris told the story of a couple in denial of financial help. They were in denial until the day they learned that their aunt was surviving on canned dog food. No one knew her poverty level. In fact, this couple thought she had money because she always gave money away. She did until the day she didn’t.
This was a heart-wrenching story that stuck.
Why does this message mean something to me?
This message meant something to me because I don’t want to end up at the end of life with big dreams but no finances to support that dream. I have a very distinct dream of where Robert and I will be at our 50th wedding anniversary! Read about my dream here. But unless we do the following:
- live on less than we make
- get completely out of debt (no payments to anyone)
- pay off our mortgage
- invest for retirement
…then we will not get there. We must do the previous four things in order to get there.
The beauty is that, it is NEVER too late to begin living on less than you make and investing your money!
In fact, have a little fun with the resources below. Chris has great a great FREE resource that will tell you how much you will need according to the age you want to retire. It will ask you what you need each month for money, when you want to retire, and how much you need to start saving a month now in order to get there. It’s simple, realistic and fun! Go be inspired to retire!! 🙂
Resources
Jamye Sack 
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