You may die tomorrow. You may get sick. There's no way to predict it and there's nothing you can do about it. Yeah, It sucks, I know. I've got the same deal. As important as planning for retirement is, its just as important...no, more important....you make the most of the only life you have. The one that's happening right now!

The frailty of life is so easy to forget. We're so busy planning, worrying and doing we can miss enjoying the here and now. Lately, I've had lots of reminders of how important enjoying today is. Last year, my sister passed and aunt passed away, my grandmother (age 96) is in hospice and a old neighbor was just diagnosed with MS. I think of events like these as taps on the shoulder. God reminding me, that I was created to live NOW.

Don't just plan a great retirement. Not at the expense of living today. To create a great life, you need to find that balance between living well today AND planning for tomorrow. I know, it's a hard balance to achieve. It might be impossible. You still need to try though. And don't wait, as many do, for a health issue to force your hand. Start today to:

Dream up, plan out and begin living an amazing life.

In this week's episode, we here Amy's journey to retirement and how health issues helped bring into focus the need to find better balance between living today and planning for retirement? Lessons Learned From Amy's Story 

• Don’t postpone living. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Health issues can hit at any time.
• Resist the urge to inflate your lifestyle as your income rises. Society has trained us to be consumers and it can rob us of our financial security.
• Even after financial ruin, you can have a great life.

Who is Amy? 

• 46 married 15 years
• Two children, 19 and 20
• Owned our own business, CPA
• Teaches part time at a local university
• Shares the same financial philosophy as her spouse
• Very debt adverse

What Does Retirement Means to You?   
“I enjoy working. I consider being a professor being retired from being a CPA.”
“I don’t see us every not doing anything.”
“We envision traveling and work camping to help pay expenses.”
“I am disabled and my mobility has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older.”
 What Are You Most Excited About Retirement? 
“Not having to worry about the money”
“Being able to travel”
“Retirement means being able to go do what I want to do.”
 What Are You Most Worried About Retirement? 
“My health.”
“It (health issues) kinda opens your eyes that you’re not promised tomorrow.”
 How Do You Think You’re Doing? 
“My grandparents were always a good role model.”
“Being a CPA and seeing a lot of people struggle. I didn’t want to structure.”
 What’s the Worst Financial Decision You’ve Ever Made? 
“One thing we both regret, as the careers were lifting off…you always think you’re supposed to have that next big thing. The Cars the boats, the house…So we traded in this really nice house for this big mammoth..house. We got into it thinking that is what we were supposed to have.”
 What has been the Hardest Thing to Deal with Personally in Managing Your Finances? 
“I think telling myself that we have enough….because we had nothing and I never we want to go back there.”
“For the past 40 years we’ve been accumulating and accumulating. It’s hard now to decompress and flip that switch.”
 What Resources Have Had the Most Impact in Your Life? 
 

• It comes from your multitude of experiences.
• Mr. Money Mustache
• Financial blogs

How Do You Want to Be Remembered?
“Just a good mother, wife and someone that gave back.”
“I just want to be happy and for my family to be happy. That’s how I want to be remembered.”
 I Need Your Help
Many of you have asked questions about Social Security benefits.  Smart move. Your Social Security benefit may be the most important retirement assets you have. I'm in the process of creating educational materials on how to maximize your Social Security benefits. What are the 3 things you'd like to learn about taking your Social Security benefit?
Click here and let me know.