Finding a yoga studio was not difficult. There are two within 5 minutes of our Brentwood house and another just a 10 minute drive. One of the studios was primarily a “hot yoga” gym. I didn’t want to start my yoga experience in a high temperature room so I crossed that off the list. The other studio close by offered a variety of classes and programs, 7 days a week. They also had a “new student” special – unlimited classes for a month, all for $39.

Signing up was also easy. You pay for and register for classes online as well. First, I called the studio owner and explained my situation: A 61 year old guy who had never tried yoga before. She recommended their “deep and stretchy” class as being perfect for beginners. Everything is done in moderation, with long poses and slow transitions. Sounded good to me.

The “deep and stretchy” class is offered at least 6 days each week, by different instructors. I had my first class on Wednesday, starting at 11:30 AM.  (This is one of the advantages of having a job where I can mostly work whenever and wherever suits me best. I am very fortunate to be in this situation.)  There were only four of us in the class. This dude plus a woman about my age, a woman who looked to be in her 70′s, and 30-ish woman who appeared to be recovering from cancer therapy (a bald head with fuzzy re-growth.)  The instructor was a woman – maybe in her late 30′s – of Indian heritage.

As I settled in waiting for the class to start – a very strange thing happened. I became very emotional. It took everything I had to not openly shed tears. I think it was a combination of factors – the peaceful room, the quiet music, the vision of calm as my instructor prepared herself to teach, and just knowing why I was there – why we all were there:  To improve our minds and bodies.  It was as if my body was expressing relief in anticipation of what was to come.

What was to come was a real ass-kicking, although in a good way.

In a nutshell, we slowly learned different poses, each providing a different challenge to a body afflicted with years of in-grained inflexibility. The instructor was very helpful to me, as she understood that I was brand new to the practice of yoga. During each pose, she would gently talk about how the pose and our breathing could be used to improve both our minds and bodies. I tried very hard to follow her guidance.

75 minutes later, we were done. Even though every movement was slow and deliberate, I felt as though I had gone through a real workout. On the other hand, there was no residual soreness so apparently I hadn’t pushed myself too hard. Kudos to my yoga instructor for that.

My second class was yesterday morning at 9:30 AM. This was a much larger class, with a different instructor. The class was all female except for me and one other man who was older than me.

Many of the poses were different. Clearly, each instructor has a different approach, with the ultimate goal being the same. I liked her too. We held the poses longer and she talked us through the proper (and optional positions), with plenty of spiritual philosophy included.  I liked every bit of it, including learning again how little flexibility I have. But I am determined to change that.

My third class is tomorrow. I am hoping that my wife will join me. I will miss the first 45 minutes of the Super Bowl but my sons have assured me that I will not lose my man-card for that.

Do any of you have experience with yoga as a baby boomer?

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A blogger named Jacob has for a number of years built up quite a following at his Early Retirement Extreme blog. I haven’t read a lot of his stuff because he takes a more extreme philosophical approach to frugal living (or at least he did) than I care to emulate. In a nutshell, he swore off consumerism, lived in an RV, used a bike for transportation, and saved like crazy so that he could leave the workforce at age 33. He used an extreme lifestyle to retire early.

Until this past week.

Now Jacob is unretiring. If you read his goodbye post, he uses many words to describe his need to solve a complex problem. He is filling that need by becoming a “quant trader/researcher. ”  (I guess he won’t be saving the world with that work but he still has plenty of time for that.)

I could have written that part for him in one brief sentence: “I’m bored.”

Some folks might criticize his decision as hypocrisy. I won’t be so harsh. I think that at age 33, he was not as self-aware as he thought he was.  He thought that retirement – as in no work needed – was the goal. Now he understands better that financial independence is the goal, so that money needs do not dictate other lifestyle choices.

Being bored is no fun, whether you are an old or a young retiree. Being able to afford a non-working lifestyle won’t solve a boredom problem.

Maybe Jacob’s extreme frugality did not give him the financial freedom to explore other interests. Or maybe his interests were most readily available to him in an employment situation.  So he went back to work to kill the boredom. There is nothing wrong with that.

But those choices are not available to everyone. Jacob is still a young man, not subject to the cruelties of age discrimination. He does not suffer from age-related health problems.  Not all baby boomers can decide that they are bored and therefore  just go back to work. There may not be any work for them to do.

Where I am headed with this is that if you are afraid that for you, retirement = boredom, you may be right. So start solving that problem before you leave the workforce. Experiment, try new things, learn new things, all in an effort to fill your eventual non-working life with challenges that will keep you mentally and emotionally engaged.

That’s what I have been exploring for the past few years. It’s a work in progress but I am getting there.

How about you? What will keep you from becoming a bored retiree?

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After our boat hauling chores were finished, we had lunch and a beer at the local “Fishin’ Hole” restaurant. The talk turned to our sons’ early childhood experiences at my father’s lake home in near Brevard, North Carolina. They loved those weeks with the grandparents. What put a smile on my face was their talk of someday giving their kids a similar experience with us at our lake home. I hope that can happen. First, we need some grandkids!

Here are some articles I read this week that might be of interest to you:

Flexo at Consumerism Commentary wrote about a study showing that while materialistic people may have more money, they are less happy in their marriages.

The Moolanomy blog explains how TIPS provide a guaranteed real return. We are big fans of TIPS and I-Bonds, both of which provide an inflation protection component.

Todd Tresidder wrote an exhaustive piece on the science and myths associates with safe withdrawal rates in retirement.

I participated in two carnivals this week: Carnival of Personal Finance and the Baby Boomers Blog Carnival.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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2. Go To Retirement Now Available on Kindle

First up is a CNN Money piece on bargains to be had in homes purchased for retirement.  The lesson here is that one person’s housing misfortune can be a great deal for someone else. The key is being prepared financially to exploit these opportunities so as not to take excessive risk.

Five Cent Nickel reminds us that it’s not too soon to think about end-of-year tax saving moves.  While you are at it, do not overlook the triple tax-free benefits of using your HSA as a retirement investment.

Dough Roller has an excellent summary of systems and expert opinions discussing the topic of how much money you need to retire. I would stay away from that outdated 4% rule on withdrawal rates. Otherwise, there is not much consensus on the retirement nest egg “accumulation phase.” That’s why liability-based investing is the way to go.

I love stories from people of all ages who leave their “cubicle world” and pursue something that is more important to them. Sometimes it’s a young couple who “retire” toward a more satisfying life.  (Hat tip to J. Money at Budgets are Sexy).  Are you inspired/motivated by these stories also?

Finally, check out this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance at the Boomer and Echo blog and the Baby Boomers Blog Carnival for some articles that may interest you.

Have a great weekend!

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Mrs. P and I drove to the lake yesterday. The weather was beautiful so I enjoyed a sunset and a beer on the deck. This morning I walked to the dock to check on things. The sailboat was dirty so I started cleaning it. Then I stopped, admired the blue sky, the early Autumn leaves, the smooth water, and the gentle breeze. I realized that I should be sailing, not cleaning. So I stopped cleaning and I sailed. It was awesome.

I could easily have chosen to finish cleaning the boat, thinking that I would have time to sail later. But when would “later” be. Today? Next week? Would I have ideal sailing weather “later”? So “later” became “now.”

After my sail I went for a drive with Mrs. P. We were looking at horse trailers to use with our Personal Ponies volunteer work. (I will write more about this later but you can follow the link now if you are curious.) That was fun also, adding to the enjoyment of the day. In the past I probably would have let Mrs. P  go by herself. She is the horse expert while I am the horse know-nothing. But this was a golden opportunity to spend time together, working toward a shared goal that will enrich our future.

Something else influenced my thinking today. The death of Steve Jobs, a slightly younger man than me, has been on my mind. I read his Stanford commencement address. I thought about his reminder that we should try to live each day as if it might be our last.

You should read and consider Jobs’ words yourself. Then, when you have the good fortune to recognize and choose a “golden day” as I did today, maybe you will.

That would be good, don’t you think?

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First, we are burning a lot of gas! We still have our large home near Nashville, now occupied full-time by two sons, a future daughter-in-law, three dogs and a cat. We are there on average 2-3 days each week because of obligations I have to see clients or attend meetings in my “real” office. My wife sometimes joins me or will stay here at the condo with our two dogs until I return.  We also spend time at our lake home in Kentucky that we have now owned for eight years. Our plan is still to sell the “big house” in a year or two when conditions are right. At that time, we will rotate between rural Kentucky and rural Tennessee, with stops in Nashville where we may end up with a small condo or apartment.

Our horse is here, of course. Very soon, we expect to bring two miniature horses to the Long Branch Lakes property as part of our involvement in the Personal Ponies program.  This non-profit will eventually become a significant occupier of my wife’s time and, when I retire, my time. Our expectation is that other homeowners in our community will become volunteers as well.

I have nice office set up here at the condo. The photo below shows the view from my desk, looking out the rear of the condo building.

This view is one of the main reasons we selected this particular unit. You can see the small lake through the tree line. This lake winds around the “island” on which the condos are built and is suitable for fishing, swimming, and canoeing/kayaking.

On the other side of the lake is a separate wooded area.  That property is also owned by the developers but is in the process of becoming subject to a conservation easement.  This means that it cannot be developed, i.e., this view will not change.

Note the headset hanging from my desktop monitor in the first photo above.  Almost two years ago I began using Google Voice as my primary mode of telephone communication. That headset plugs into the speaker and microphone jacks on my PC. This allows me to place and receive phone calls from my PC, using the Google Voice technology. I can use the speakers if I want but for client calls, the headset is better.   We also have a land-line in the condo, which we were forced to get as a condition of obtaining high speed Internet and TV service.

I still have my Straight Talk “dumb” cell phone which runs on the Verizon network. It works great except inside the condo, where no carrier’s signal is reliable.  Since I went on the Straight Talk service in 2010, my wife, two of our sons, and our daughter-in-law to be have all converted as well. Why? Try $30/month for 1000 minutes, 1000 texts, and 30 MB of data with no contract!

Our deck has a similar view as seen below:

Our condo is on the second floor of a three story building. You can see in the photos above that the rear is elevated so that all of our windows and our deck are a full story off the ground.  This makes it more secure and provides better views of the lake. However, our front door, storage room and garage are at ground level. No stairs to walk – ever!

I brought my comfort bike up here recently and now ride it around the community for exercise. (At 5000 acres, there is a lot of room to ride!) Most of the roads up here are still gravel so I have to be careful and sometimes have to walk the hills. Hopefully, the roads will be paved by this time next year.  You can see the bike in the photo of our deck below:

I want to briefly mention the two chairs you see on the deck. Our deck is quite wide but not deep. We wanted chairs to lounge in but that did not take up much floor surface area. After a bit of searching, I discovered that LazyBoy made outdoor recliners! When you lean back, those chairs will go into two different reclining positions, with the foot rest (vertically positioned in the photo) extending out and into a horizontal position.  They are very comfortable so if you desire a low-profile lounging chair for your deck or patio, give these some thought. I do not believe that LazyBoy sells them direct. You have to buy them from a big box retailer.  Surprisingly, we found ours at K-Mart!

In the corner of the deck you can see our grill. In most condos, only electric grills can be used for fire safety reasons. That grill is a George Foreman indoor/outdoor grill that I recently found online for $75.  The grill unit itself can be lifted from the stand and moved into your kitchen. I have used it to grill chicken and tuna steaks. So far I am very pleased with its performance.

I am able to get a lot of work done while in my remote offices here and at the lake. Other folks I know struggle to stay focused on work.  I think one key is managing competing interests and senses of urgency. If you have a second home that you use only occasionally, there is a natural tendency to concentrate on the recreational aspects of being there, and shove your work obligations to the background. On the other hand, if you make a point to live in that second home on a regular basis, it is much easier to balance recreational living with your work obligations. That is what I am finding, anyway. Of course, having the right technology is also important.  As rural as this condo is, our internet service is blazing fast and extremely reliable.

Our telecom provider uses an advanced fiber-optic network for voice, TV, and data – but does not provide any HD channels! Go figure! Fortunately, because the data download speeds are so high, we can get streaming HD content using our SlingBox and home theater PC.

So that is a bunch of random thoughts about our condo living experience so far. Any questions or comments?

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The AARP is sponsoring and promoting a “Drive to End Hunger.” This program targets the 6 million seniors in the U.S. who struggle to get enough to eat.

You read that right: 6 million hungry senior citizens, in our own backyards!

So what can you do?

First, educate yourself about the problem. A good place to start is the senior hunger resource section of the AARP website. You will learn how many of our older Americans must choose between taking essential prescription medicines and eating.

What kind of choice is that?

Second, please support the AARP Foundation’s Drive to End Hunger initiative. You can donate money. Just text HUNGER to 50555 to donate $10. That will take you about 15 seconds. How easy is that?

You can volunteer. Find abundant volunteer opportunities here.

Better yet, you can do both.

Want to have fun while helping? Attend one of the races where NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon will be driving his No. 24 “Drive to End Hunger” Chevrolet.

Our own Tennessee Chapter of the AARP is going all-in with featured Drive to End Hunger race activities at Bristol. A full calendar of events is planned, culminating in the big cup race on August 27. For more details about tickets and activities, visit the AARP Tennessee site.

Many folks believe that government does too much. Others believe that it doesn’t do enough. It doesn’t matter what camp you are in. We all must own the problem of senior hunger. We have to fix it.

Will you help?

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The Tennessee Chapter is piloting a way for volunteers and staff to interact and share information online to facilitate advocacy and other programs. They are using Google Sites for this purpose. I think it will work well.

More to come …..

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1. Driving Hunger Away from Our Senior Citizens

On most of my “vacations”, I end up checking email, talking to folks in my office, and generally getting a little work done. That happened again this year but to a far lesser degree. I had one transaction hanging that required me to edit a document on Tuesday then have one conversation with a colleague on Friday. That’s it. I did not speak to my assistant even once, which was a first.

This caused me to think about how difficult it is for many folks to mentally and emotionally retire. I learned that I am not as important as I thought I was. Things can and will get done without me. This sense of not being an essential cog in the work machine can be hard to accept for some. On the other hand, I tried to embrace it. It helps realign the work-life balance. More important, it helps me understand that work should fit into life, not the other way around.  Living for the weekends and for planned vacations is not satisfying when everything else revolves around working for money. The transitions between our working life and our “other life” should not be so abrupt or artificial.

This was sort of a breakthrough experience for me.  I am leaving the lake today. I will be in a real “office” tomorrow for the first time in ten days. I will find interesting work to do and interesting colleagues and clients to work with. But I won’t let that change my mindset about the rest of my life as I plan for and then ease into retirement mode.

How about you? Do you look at “vacations” differently as you age and see the retirement goal line approaching?

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This will be the third trip I have taken in the past 6 weeks in which my only luggage is a backpack. I not using a hiking, camping, or other large backpack. Rather, it is typical of what you might see on a college campus. Eddie Bauer makes it so it is rugged but not particularly roomy.

Nevertheless, this is what I have packed inside the backpack for this trip: A suit, dress shoes, one dress shirt, tie, one casual shirt, two pair of socks, two pair of underwear, netbook computer with case and charger, iPad with case and charger, cell phone and charger, noise-reduction headphones, small flashlight, shaving kit with toiletries, pen and notepad, USB reading light, and USB memory stick.

This may sound crazy to most but here are my reasons for wanting this to work:

1. Packing small forces you to pack light which I believe has merit as a goal by itself.

2. I can “carry” my luggage while keeping both hands free. This provides excellent freedom of movement.

3. A backpack will fit in any overhead compartment, even on small commuter jets, and will also fit under the seat without a problem.

4. A backpack has a variety of small and large separate storage areas that are easily accessible from the outside.

There are negatives of course. First, I will probably have to do some touch up ironing on my suit and dress shirt. Second, traveling light means having fewer options for different dress occasions and/or weather conditions. That’s not an issue this trip.

So far I am very pleased with my experiences as a “backpack only” traveler. I have noticed a few others who also appear to be traveling only with a backpack. Some of them are wearing a somewhat larger backpack. I plan on investigating upsizing mine. I can easily carry more weight. Adding another 10-20% in carry volume will be a big help for longer trips. It would be great to find a backpack that is specifically designed for airline travel and that includes some clever internal structure for minimizing wrinkles on nicer clothes.

Have any of you moved to a “traveling light” mode? Have you considered using a backpack as your “luggage”? Do you have any suggestions for a better backpack for me?

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