Gary Sirak - How to Retire and Not Die: The 3 Ps That Will Keep You Young

Copyright 2021 Gary Sirak with Max Sirak

All rights reserved.

How to Retire and Not Die:

The 3 Ps That Will Keep You Young

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-5445-2374-3

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5445-2372-9

eBook ISBN: 978-1-5445-2373-6

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-5445-2247-0

This book is dedicated to anyone

approaching retirement, or who is retired,

and trying to figure this out.

The stories youre about to read are true. And, like I learned from Sergeant Joe Friday when I was a kid, I changed names to protect the innocent.

Contents

Introduction

W elcome to my world!

My name is Gary Sirak and Ive spent forty years working as a financial advisor helping my clients prepare for retirement. And, for the last ten years, Ive been writing books. This is my third.

My first book, If Your Money Talked What Secrets Would it Tell, is my spin on personal finance. Its about how money works and how to manage it. The American Dream Revisited is my second. Its about how people worked hard, sought help, and achieved their dreams. You can find these and more at garysirak.com.

Before going any further, you and I need to get crystal clear. This book, How To Retire and Not Die: The 3 Ps That Will Keep You Young , is NOT about how to accumulate money for retirement or how to manage your assets if youre already retired. Nope. This book is all about how to find happiness and success during your retirement years.

Unfortunately, very few people Ive worked with are truly prepared for retirement. They assume money is the only thing that matters and stop there. Almost no one has good answers to the questions, What are you going to do with your time? How are you going to spend the rest of your life?

Think about it. Lets say you retire at age 65. Im no actuary, but most of my personal clients have lived well into their 80s. That means youre going to be on the hook for filling some serious time.

Retirement isnt a sprint. Retirement is a marathon. A marathon you climbed a mountain in order to get to. Let me explain.

The Mountain and the Marathon

When I was in my twenties, I had the pleasure of spending a month hiking in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The scenery was spectacular. The stars in the night sky even more so. And the sense of accomplishment that came from getting to the top of those peaks and enjoying the breath-taking vistas was life-changing.

But getting there? That was a very different story. Descriptive words like brutal, daunting, exhausting, and blistering come to mind.

Make no mistake, the views were worth it. I wouldnt trade them for the world, but they were also earned step by sometimes excruciating step. And that doesnt even count the way-too-close-for-comfort encounter with a family of bears, or the run-in with the moose that was bigger than the car we drove across the country.

So, how does my time in the Tetons relate? There is a similarity between my experience getting to the top of the mountains and your experience getting to retirement. Both were climbs. Though, hopefully, only one of ours involved bears and a moose.

Neither of us moved in a straight line. For my climb in the mountains, this was due to steepness. For you, getting to retirement, the twists and turns of life, family, and careers had you zigzagging to the top.

We both had to earn it. You through blood, sweat, and tears. Me, mostly through blisters, sweat, and fears. Have I mentioned I dont much like heights?

And, just like me, you made it. Thats no small feat. Just finishing the climb to retirement is one hell of an accomplishment. I mean it. Congratulations are in order.

Now, heres where our stories diverge. Because for me, after I made it to the top of my mountain, I had it easy. All I had to do was take a load off, take a breather, take in the view, and take my time getting back down to camp.

You, on the other hand, have it much tougher. All your hard work and effort to make it to the top of your mountain, retirement, has a different rewarda marathon.

Thats right. Your climb to get to retirement was just the first part of your journey. And, as soon as you get there, its time to start the second partyour marathon.

Its not a marathon you have to run. Its the one you get to live.

Why do I call the rest of your life after you a retire a marathon? Simple math. Say you retire at 65 and live longer than my average client, to age 91. Thats 26 years of life after work, the same number of miles in a marathon.

Who This Book is For

This book is a guide for people who are, or are about to, start living their marathon. Its for the people who have already made it to the top of the mountain and now find themselves lacing up their shoes to take the first steps of the rest of their lives.

Who This Book Isnt For

People climbing the mountain. If you want a book telling you how to get to the marathon, you, my friend, are in the wrong place.

This might not come as a shock, but in my experience, the first words out of anyones mouth when talking about retirement are about dollars and cents. Do I have enough? How can I make sure it lasts? Will I still get to take vacations or buy my dream car? Etc.

Its not that money questions arent important. They are. But you wont find the answers to those questions in this book.

Just to be clear, if its the money aspect of retirement youre focused on, Ive got news for you. Youre going to be severely disappointed. Do us both a favor and put this book right back where you found it. Itll save you some time and me some bad reviews.

Instead, find yourself a trusted financial advisor, or read one of the other countless books that discuss getting to retirement. Then, when you find yourself at, or near the top of the mountain, by all means, pick this book up again.

How to Use This Book

Ive done my best to put everything Ive learned about retiring and not dying into a system that makes sense, is easy to use, and fun to read. At least, thats my hope.

The book is broken up into three parts. Part 1 lays the foundation. Part 2 introduces you to the exercises and Tools. Part 3 walks you through building the right retirement for you.

I encourage you to take your time with the parts of this book that ask you to do a bit of self-reflection, or navel gazing, as an old professor of mine used to say. Youll know these parts when you see them. Because while Ive cataloged the general similarities between the different, happy retired people Ive met, the specifics range wildly. And its those specifics, unique to each person and their lives, that make all the difference.

Building the right retirement for you means knowing yourself. I say right for you because retirement isnt one-size fits all. Its more made to order and tailored to fit.

Getting to know yourself is the only shot you have at getting retirement right.

Why Did I Write This? And Why Should You Read This?

Ah, yes. Turn the page. There are some stories Id like to share to answer these two important questions

Chapter 1

The Whys

W hy did I write this book?

That Ill answer with two stories.

Getting It Wrong

Early in my career, I sat in on an appointment with my father, Stan, who founded Sirak Financial Services in 1957. To say this appointment was memorable doesnt begin to scratch the surface. Its where the seed for this book was first planted.