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Retirement seems top of mind in almost every financial endeavor in our culture.  It’s this buzzword at the culmination of all your financial pursuits, as if it’s the thing we all must strive for, and the trophy of financial success.  The endpoint.  The goal.  The place where we get when we have finally “arrived.”  Financial success seems to mean being able to retire well. There are retirement plans, retirement savings, retirement communities, and retirement parties.Admittedly, it’s pretty alluring to imagine spending your time relaxing with your feet up, snowbirding, vacationing to tropical destinations, and playing golf.

But what if you are a business owner who’s spent your entire life building a business?  You’ve called upon your inner strength at defining moments, evolved as a human, elevated others through your service, and crafted your legacy. Your business is an extension of you and your best work.

How do you think about retirement if you’re a business owner?  Is retirement good for you?

In today’s conversation, we unpack:

The history of retirement

Why retirement is a limiting end goal

What to do instead of retiring

We’ll show you why you’re better off without retirement and why your whole life will be richer, more fulfilling, and far more enjoyable without retirement. 

You’ll stop measuring, evaluating, comparing, and pacing your financial life against an outdated construct.

With a renewed perspective, you’ll stop feeling frustrated and behind, and able to live more fully.

Even if you’re not a business owner, this conversation will provide the perspective adjustment that can improve the quality of your life.

Table of contentsThe Definition of RetirementWhy Retirement Is Not the Same Thing as Time and Money FreedomWhere Does Retirement Fit into the Cash Flow System?Retirement Is an Outdated ConceptWork Is Inherently ValuableYou are a Producer, Not a ConsumerYour Income Potential Increases with Age and ExperienceRetirement Is Bad for YouRetirement Is a Limiting End GoalHow to Think About Retirement If You’re A Business OwnerStart Building Your Cash Flow System Today

The Definition of Retirement

To have an honest conversation about retirement, we first have to define our terms.  Then we can make sure we’re on the same page with what we mean by the word retirement.

The retirement that we’re discussing today is the idea that, before the age of 65, you’ll work during your prime working years.  Then, at the age of 65, you should be able to end employment and spend the rest of your life living off of what you produced during your previous years.

Why Retirement Is Not the Same Thing as Time and Money Freedom

While retirement may sound equivalent to financial freedom, it’s not.  Retirement is like an imposter of time and money freedom that gets you to veer off course and never end up where you wanted to go. 

Time and money freedom is the point where you’ve created financial freedom by having cash flow from your assets that surpasses your living expenses.  That means that to buoy your lifestyle, you no longer need to work actively. Here, your investments, rather than your personal time, are what provide your income check.

Now, when you reach that point, you get to choose what to do with your time.  Could you “retire” and quit working at that point?  Sure!  But should you retire?  No way!

The real question we’re answering today, is this: should you stop working just because you can?  More literally, should you spend part of your life working to earn the right to not work during the latter part of your life?

Where Does Retirement Fit into the Cash Flow System?

The short answer is, it doesn’t.

In truth, retirement doesn’t fit in the cash flow system.  It’s not a part of creating cash flow.  It’s not the destination.  In fact, if retirement is your why and what you’re lining up everything else to reach,