BROADCASTS.com

Here's a sneak peak at the interview that Kathe did on Hillbilly Nerd Talk.\xa0 Hank and Petra talked to me about their own retirement.\xa0 During the interview, we wondered if stuff and retirement don't go together.\xa0 And, is \u201cRetirement\u201d even the right word? Many Baby Boomers are redefining what they want to do in their later years.\xa0 They can be more care free than the generations that came before.\xa0 That is, if they have prepared Financially.\nWe talked about the fact that there are two types of Baby Boomer Retirements:\xa0 Those who planned financially and those who didn\u2019t.\xa0 For those who have the financial resources, their retirement is more like a teenager\u2019s life, but with the ability to do more.\nEven though the show, Rock Your Retirement, doesn\u2019t specifically discuss finances, it is true that if you are completely financially strapped, you\u2019ll be thinking about putting food on the table and a roof over your head.\xa0 We assume that the listeners to Rock Your Retirement have already done some financial planning and that they are looking for different information. We have discussed Stuff and Retirement in the past.\xa0 Check out the episode on Downsizing.\nStuff and Retirement:\nWe Americans are tied to our STUFF.\xa0 We talked about Wendy Holt (episode 9) who moved to Costa Rica.\xa0 She gave up all her stuff, along with the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles.\nSpeaking of stuff…Hank and Petra DO live differently than most of their peers.\xa0 Hank drives Elmer, a twelve year old pickup truck.\xa0 At ages 47 and 44 they could have \u201cretired\u201d earlier.\xa0 Living a less extravagant lifestyle gives you freedom.\xa0 Hank said that objects tie us down.\xa0 Petra said that they are invigorated by the next phase of their life.\nEvery town in America has storage facilities where we have to store extra stuff. People keep their stuff in their garage, and their cars on the street. Petra brought up that people could probably clear out a bedroom to keep extra stuff in, but we just have so much!\nFrank brought up \u201cFirst World Problems\u201d.\nImagine trying to explain to a person in Africa or Nigeria how we have a problem in America where we have too much stuff, and we have to rent extra boxes to store it all. \xa0\xa0Petra also talked about how you can rent shipping crates to store your stuff in your yard.\nJust think:\xa0 If you die and haven\u2019t gotten rid of it, someone else will have to go through your stuff.\xa0 Your stuff will wind up in an Estate Sale.\xa0 Frank said that you can retire earlier if you didn\u2019t have so much stuff as you went along.\xa0 Again, Stuff and Retirement don't go together. Your STUFF can impede your retirement, and your life!\nHank brought up the Maslow theory, that once you reach a basic level of survival, more stuff has zero effect of being happy.\xa0 Petra said that when you get to a certain point, there is nothing to strive for.\xa0 It even might impede your happiness.\xa0 We all agreed that more stuff actually causes less happiness, not more.\nHe also said to be proactive, not only with what to do with your money, but also with what to do with your time.\xa0 Hank brought up the fact that he cannot podcast 10 hours a day (although they have a great show, check it out).\nIf you like the Rock Your Retirement show, please tell a friend! That\u2019s the only way we grow, one listener at a time.\nListen to Hank and Petra's show, Hillbilly Nerd Talk, HERE.