Maynard

This past Saturday we lay to rest my neighbor’s father. He was a famer, rancher, cowboy, gentleman, and a friend to all. He died doing what he loved doing best, checking on his cows and spraying fences. He was teaching this 50 something city boy professor how to become a farmer and I kind of think he enjoyed seeing an old dog try to learn some new tricks; a desk jockey work a field and get cow sh*t on him.

His untimely death got me thinking about balance and how we live our lives each day. Personal finance is about planning and saving for the future, but it is also about living for today. How do you find balance in your personal finance life? Do you save every penny so you can retire like my roommate from college who just retired after 30 years of teaching? Do you plan on working until you are 70+ and therefore not need so much in retirement to still afford your lifestyle? What do you plan to leave to your heirs? Someone said you lived your life right when the check to the undertaker bounces, meaning you just outlived your savings. Do you agree or disagree?

I hope you all find your passion and that you are able to do what you love to do; that you find balance in your finance goals to support that passion. Personal financial success is your definitions of success, whether it is to retire when you are 53 or never retire. The important thing is to have a plan and be proactive at that plan.

I hope we all find that balance.

- From a green farmer who is happy learning how to work cattle and smell like a famer after a hard day’s work