Retirement: Planning Ahead

 "Retirement is only when I die." Great words said by the one and only Kris Jenner. I look up to this woman. See if you think you work hard, Kris Jenner works harder. And if you don't agree with me, argue with the wall.

The idea of planning ahead scares me. The choices I make define my path; you know, it's a forever kind of thing, so I avoid thinking about it altogether. This is a lie, honestly. I stress about university every minute of my day. I like to gaslight myself into thinking I don't care about university. And a friend of mine is who I wish to be at this point, she doesn't think about going to uni at all, she's so happy and jolly, and I'm here curled up in a corner, stressing about going to university.

I was talking to my grandparents the other day, and suddenly the conversation shifted from dinner to retirement. That's when I realised I never thought about retirement or a ten-year plan. I always assumed that when I have a great amount of money, I can just move to an island and sip pina coladas and do nothing all day. But I was too naive to think so, no amount is ever enough, and I'm no trust fund baby. But something that shocked me was when my grandfather said he never wants to stop working, he said doing nothing is not all rainbows and unicorns, as I assume, and that it is inevitable to feel bored. I asked "why?", he simply said you tend to feel lost when you're ripped of the schedule you've been bound to for years. That made so much sense to me. Soon I'll be out of school, and I won't have to wake up early in the morning, complain about taking the bus, or mentally sleep through math class. And that honestly makes me feel so lost. Sure, I would enjoy a month, maybe two, but after that? I'd have an existential crisis.

I personally think living in the present is only for trust fund babies. Since I'm not one, I might need to start working on my 10-year plan. But this is the thing with Gen Z, we don't think of the consequences, we all act like we have a trust fund to be inherited, for us today is all that matters, we feed off of whim and impulse, we make decisions on whim and impulse. If today I decide to drop out of school and work at McDonald's, I might just do it. So in a way, Gen Z is like Kris Jenner: "Retirement is only when I die." But we changed it a little for us: "Retirement is only if I survive."

But what about the older generation? What is retirement to them? Is it economically draining? How?          

The older generation has mixed opinions about retirement; some say they can't depend on anyone and that they have to work to support themselves until they can, some think retirement is bliss after working so hard for years, some think they'll be lost if they don't have a schedule, and other fear the thought of old age homes. I think the emotions that attack our minds as soon as retirement comes up are fear and anxiety. fear of abandonment, the fear of growing old, fear of being dependent and anxiety about what happens next. On the other hand, retirement's economic feasibility depends on personal savings, financial stance, expectations, and lifestyle. Some economic factors are investments (regularly monitor the interest rates and returns on your investments), Health care costs (Health care is the most important in old age, so planning accordingly is required to ensure a smooth transition), and taxes ( there are taxes on your retirement savings and investments). These are a few economic factors to consider while planning your retirement.

BRB, working on my 10-year plan.