5 Retirement Planning Tips You Can Learn From Your Dog
A few weeks ago, BNET blogger Mark Jaffe published a great post entitled Things You Can Learn From a Dog That Will Help Your Career. As I pondered the canine career wisdom from that post, it dawned on me that Rover could help with retirement as well. So here are five retirement planning tips that our furry friends offer by their fine examples.
Tip #1: Live within your means. Dogs are content with whatever living circumstances they have, and they don't complain if they don't have as much now compared to prior years. Dogs are good at balancing the magic formula for retirement security: I > E, or income greater than expenses.
Tip # 2: Phased retirement or downshifting is a more natural life transition. Dogs don't work hard right up to an artificial milestone, then pack it in and retire to the doghouse, lying around all day long, and wasting their later years. They continue to get as much activity as their aging bodies allow; they gradually decrease their activities and dog duties in their later years. Humans should consider phased retirement or downshifting as well, for a whole host of reasons including financial well-being and improved health and longevity.
Tip #3: Get daily exercise, preferably with a walk. Dogs appreciate a daily walk and thrive on getting out and stretching their legs. Rusty understands that regular exercise is critical to maintaining your health and to reducing the odds of the expensive, chronic diseases in your later years. And walking 30 to 45 minutes every day is one of the best forms of exercise.
Tip #4: Remain cheery and optimistic, don't hold grudges, and be forgiving. These are common characteristics of dogs; if dogs were human, we'd say they have a "positive mental attitude" which, by the way, can improve your physical health and longevity. Studies of centenarians have shown that consistent personal characteristics are resiliency and resourcefulness.
Tip #5: Maintain good contacts with family and friends. Dogs are always happy to see you -- they wag their tail and dance around a little to greet you. As a result, you're more than happy to take care of their needs. In our later years, we may become increasingly reliant on family and friends to help with day-to-day household tasks and maybe even long-term care. So we'll need to think about how we can wag our tails and dance a little -- figuratively speaking -- whenever we see our family and friends.
Dogs' retirement planning usefulness doesn't stop with these five tips. They also provide several good examples of what not to do. For instance, they usually eat whatever's put in front of them, and they've been known to drink from toilets. We humans need to be very discriminating regarding what we eat and drink in order to maintain our best possible health.
One last thought: Many people may want to work in their retirement years to make ends meet and to stay engaged with life. If you're considering this possibility, you might want to review Mark's post on how your pup can promote your retirement career.
Image from Vernon family album
More on MoneyWatch:
- Things You Can Learn From a Dog That Can Help Your Career
- The Magic Formula for Retirement Security
- Do the Downshift to Survive Your Retirement Years
- How to Slow Aging and Save Money Through Exercise
- Is Work the Future of Retirement?
- Thanksgiving Blessings: Another Look at Family "Burdens"
View all articles by Steve Vernon on CBS MoneyWatch»
Steve Vernon helped large employers design and manage their retirement programs for more than 35 years as a consulting actuary. Now he's a research scholar for the Stanford Center on Longevity, where he helps collect, direct and disseminate research that will improve the financial security of seniors. He's also president of Rest-of-Life Communications, delivers retirement planning workshops
and authored Retirement Game-Changers: Strategies for a Healthy, Financially Secure and Fulfilling Long Life and Money for Life: Turn Your IRA and 401(k) Into a Lifetime Retirement Paycheck.
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