Pat Strubbe - The Retirement Secret: A Simple Approach to Financial Peace-of-Mind

I was six years old when the words that came out of my mouth shocked my mother. In fact, to this day, she says it was the most embarrassed she has ever been in her entire life!

We were standing in line in the lobby of our YMCA. From my six - year - old perspective, that line was a mile long!

Now, before I finish my story, let me tell you that when I would go to the store with my mom, I would sometimes ask her if I could have something. Mommy, can I have this toy? Mommy, can I have this sugar - coated cereal? My mom had a set answer to this question. Maybe your parents had the same set answer for you. If you have children, maybe you have YOUR set answer for them.

My moms set answer never changed: We cant afford it. Now, could we afford it? Yeah, probably.

But was it worth buying? In my moms eyes, definitely not.

Now back to my story. My mom told me that we were going to the YMCA to sign up for swim lessons. I was BEYOND excited! This was the day I had been waiting for!

I saw that long line and I didnt know if I could wait until we get to the front! Finally, we faced a woman sitting at a folding table collecting payments. She looked up at my mom and said, That will be $3. I panicked, grabbed my moms arm, and said:

MOMMY, CAN WE AFFORD IT?

At that moment, my mom felt like a million eyes were staring at her, and in her mind, she was worrying, Do they think we are broke? Do they think we cant provide even $3 for swimming lessons?

Although I enjoy sharing that story, it reflects the lessons that I learned from my parents about money over the years. Some of these lessons have helped me in life, while others have definitely caused me to struggle.

Growing up, we were a typical middle - class household. My dad worked for a trucking company, and my mom stayed home until my sister and I got older. My parents both grew up on corn farms in southern Indiana. All of my grandparents lived through the Great Depression, and their lessons stuck with my parents:

• Work hard.
• If you dont have enough money right now, then dont buy it.
• And if you dont need it, dont buy it.
• You dont want to borrow money from the bank or from anyone else. If you do, pay it back as fast as you can.

In fact, as an adult, I learned that although we were living on a tight budget when I was small, my parents were busy paying down their mortgage balance as quickly as they could. They learned that from their parents. Here I thought we were just getting by. But in fact, my parents were working hard to get ahead.

When my grandfather returned from serving in World War II, my grandparents bought a house and a small farm. They paid it off as fast as they could.

Then they saved.

Every chance they could, they would buy more farmland. When I was little, I remember my grandpa always seemed happiest when we were just walking around his farm.

But I also watched my parents worry about money: they worried about debt. They worried about having enough. They worried about the future. They never had peace with their finances.

Now that Ive been advising clients on retirement for more than twenty years, Ive seen that my parents arent alone. Money is one of the biggest causes of stress in America.

But Ive learned that it doesnt have to be that way. In fact, Ive learned a secret. Its simple, and yet Ive seen it provide comfort, peace of mind, and understanding regarding topics that many find overwhelming.

Thats why I had to write this book. That secret is described and explained in these pages. It is my hope and prayer that it provides you with comfort and peace as well.