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Rocking Retirement: A Gen X Call to Arms

Hey Gen X — yeah, you. The original rockstars. The latchkey kids. The mixtape curators. The ones who grew up on grit, sarcasm, and MTV when it actually played music.

I’m starting this blog because I’m tired of hearing how our generation is “screwed” when it comes to retirement. I’m not buying it. And if you’re reading this, maybe you’re not either. This is a space for us — the Gen Xers — to swap ideas, share some laughs, trade some strategies, and figure out how to rock the hell out of retirement.

I am taking to you

• If you’ve hit your 50s and are still not ready to “adult”

• If Madonna would envy the reinventions you survived

• If you still have dreams you had to postpone

We’re going to redefine retirement — just like we’ve redefined everything else we’ve touched.

Gen X Retirement: The Problem

Let me tell you what I found when I Googled “Gen X + Retirement”. Here’s a sampling:

“The Forgotten Generation”

“Woefully Unprepared for Retirement”

“The Lost-Retirement Generation”

“A Grim Retirement Outlook Awaits”

Sound familiar? Depressing? Sure. But also incomplete.

We can’t ignore the facts:

1. Health – Our health is not what it used to be — and we didn’t exactly treat our bodies like temples back in the day,

2. Economy – The economy has not done us many favors. We came into adulthood with student loans, got hit with recessions, raised kids, helped aging parents, and somehow never got that six-figure retirement plan off the ground.

3. Trauma – Many of us are still navigating old trauma that never got therapy and self-doubt that got reinforced instead of reassured.

Still here? Good. Because this next part is important.

Remember Who the Hell We Are

We’re the DIY generation. We were left alone with microwaves and Nintendo and turned out just fine. We made mixtapes. We learned how to fix things. We figured out life with no map and no GPS. We made something out of nothing — over and over. We are resilient. We are resourceful.

And we are not done. It’s really just a matter of choice. Here’s the real question: What do YOU want your retirement to look like? Do you want to coast? Survive? Or actually live? Because here’s the truth: No one’s coming to save us. So we do what we’ve always done — we make it happen. We don’t just age. We evolve. We don’t just retire. We redefine.

So, what’s it gonna be? As for me, I want a fresh start. A life that’s lighter, more intentional, maybe even FUN again.

Imagine this:

* Going back to school just because you want to learn again

* Traveling the places you only saw in old National Geographics

* Living in a beachy retirement villa with Wi-Fi, good food, and even better neighbors

* Actually having time to BREATHE and BE

Hell, YEAH.

I’m not waiting for someone else to plan it for me. I’m building the blueprint myself.

Here’s where the magic happens — WE DO THIS TOGETHER.

For my part, I will provide this arena for us to gather and create the blueprint for this rockstar retirement. I will also research and provide useful (hopefully) information for our endeavor, including, but certainly not limited to:

-A running database of cool, affordable places to live or retire,

-Housing prices, travel costs, healthcare hotspots,

-Resources for adult education, hobbies, teaching gigs,

-Retirement budgeting that doesn’t feel like punishment, and

-Additional relevant topics that the group requests.

I will document my personal retirement journey along the way, and endeavor to keep the fun flowing.

Now, here’s where YOU come in:

* What do YOU want to see in this blog?

* Got a topic you want me to research? A place to check out?

* Shoot me a message. Let’s crowdsource this future.

The Challenge

Let’s flip the narrative. Let’s make retirement something to look forward to, not dread. Start small:

* Set up an automatic savings transfer

* Research one new hobby

* Talk to someone about a place you’d like to live someday.

In the comments, please tell me if you were able to set up the savings transfer, however small. I am having $5.00 per week transferred, as a start. Also, share a hobby of yours. Finally, name a place you would like to live or go visit some day. But most of all, tell me what your concerns are regarding our retirement. What plans do you have? Have you began preparing and if so, how? Any ideas? I am very eager to hear from you!

We’re in this together. We’ve been underestimated before. Let’s prove them wrong. Again. They won’t see us coming. Gen X will quietly — and fiercely — create a new model for what retirement looks like.

And they’ll be talking about it long after we’ve left the office behind.

Final Word

My dad used to say, *“They only tell you what you can’t do when they’re afraid you’ll actually do it.”*

Well, guess what?

I call BULLSHIT-

Until next time,

Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo!

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