The icons in my life are starting to pass away like Lou Reed, James Gandolfini, and one of my most beloved High School teachers, Ron Shoemaker.  These men taught me through their art and skill to walk on the wild side, to be tough, yet vulnerable, and to love unconditionally.  Still, death – famous or not – brings with it a wake up call.  A realization that your life doesn’t extend forever and you can’t take ‘it’ with you.  My friends ‘it’ is your nest egg, if you have built one.

I’ve been saving money since my Uncle Allen taught me at 19 my most important financial lesson of all, pay yourself first.  I’ve been doing that ever since.  And now decades later as I approach the final decade of my working life, I’ve built a nice financial situation for my wife and I which should enable us to live a comfortable final phase of our lives.  As long as we continue to be healthy, our retirement should be fun filled and worry free.  Just the way I wanted.

I don’t often wax philosophical about getting to be about that age where I’m glad I saved enough for retirement, that I won’t have to rely on Social Security checks to survive, that I didn’t spend more than I made when I was young, middle aged, or past middle aged.  It hasn’t been without some luck along the way but also years of incredible financial discipline to get to this stage of my life and I’m proud of what I’ve done.  Anyone in my situation would be.

But, here’s the thing, if you aren’t taking care of yourself, if you aren’t planning for the future, you’re guaranteed to be eating cat food out of a can when your time finally comes.  It’s OK to be a little crazy, to have fun, to be tough, but fair, and to love unconditionally, but there are also times when you have to be disciplined.  When you have to recognize what do I want my future self, my grey haired self, to be like?

I’ve always believed your life is lived in three phases.  The first phase is all about your education, the second phase is about building a family and career, and the third and final phase retirement.  No one knows when you’ll make your final exit, but it is worthwhile to plan for your final phase so that in the end it will feel like it’s all been for the best.