Happy Days Are Here Again

Goodbye tension! Hello pension! We hate to use the oft quoted cliché of retirement being the 'golden age'. But if you look at it objectively, it could very well be a thoroughly enjoyable part of your life. Let's say you have touched 60 and your children are well settled and independent. No more stress of getting up every day and trudging along to work. It's time to catch up on your reading and all the stuff you put on hold all these years. And probably enjoy the company of your grandchildren too. The only worry is that since you have stopped earning, your investments must be sufficient to tide you over for the rest of your life. The main challenge is to continue to be financially independent, and that will largely depend upon how well you had gone about your financial planning in the previous four stages. If you were meticulous enough to go about saving and investi

This article was originally published on November 27, 2006.