Richard Branson says we shouldn't retire (marriage, place, average, honest)
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I'm not understanding why people feel Branson an extremely wealthy person can't have a good message applicable to all incomes. Why is having wealth deemed to be bad?
He in an interview, made some good points, seems that point isn't targeted to people already retired, but this point is good to know, maybe we retired people can admire the perspective, imparting this concept to children and grandchildren.
Reading through this thread is sad, why do people feel it okay to castigate a rich person, substitute the term poor into the comments, people making the comments might be appalled.
An angry, bitter person's time is better spent examining and changing their attitude, seeking fulfillment and finding the contentment that is available to them.
My own take on Richard Branson's advice to seek happiness instead of merely retiring with no vision of what that entails, beyond stopping work, suggests that Richard "knows" something, and that the majority doesn't. We are never going to read about Joe the plumbers views on anything, and that is, as it should be.
Why does the media think that a person of fame and riches have some special insight for those who are anonymous and not wealthy. Personally, I don't care what Richard Branson has to say, and I strongly suspect that this is typical, not of Branson, nor his ideals, but moreover, the media's attention to celebrity.
I am a 59 year old attorney. As recently as when I was at 56 (and after that we merged into a firm with a full-time techie) I was the go-to person for technical help, for 28 year olds. And many firms are indeed trying to diversity to a younger age. I lost my job because of that.
But don't coiunt on the younger ones always being early for work or in good condition.
I get it, younger folks today do not like supporting older workers. The turnovers for helpdesk at law firms are pretty high. Lately ipads are all the rage, every retired partner wants their iPad setup with firm emails so they can still follow events at the firm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Siegel
Send them a bill for the Geeksquad work. They know stuff that young lawyers don't.
They are allowed a certain amount annually worth of services and equipment but some big shots always want more like have the firm pay for their MIFI, cable service, iPads, iPhones you name it. The problem is that IT typically get forced to do more with less. The senior partners rather use the IT budget to pay for stuff then have pay for staff wages. So people leave and they can only hire temps and consultants to fulfill duties.
I probably wouldn't retire either if I was making millions of dollars per year doing something I got a real kick out of and was admired all over the world for.
That just simply isn't reality for most people. Your average office worker, factory worker, or whatever puts up with a lot of crap from demanding bosses, doing something tedious for not so much money, constantly worrying about getting fired. That isn't fun at all.
Another example of the media's misinformed opinion that we actually care or consider important what celebrities or billionaires say.
I care. I like Buddhist philosophy and agree with a lot of that thought process, so I think it's a good article. It has no bearing on anything whether he is rich or not. All he is saying is find your happiness all along your journey and don't count on retirement being some sort of panacea which will bring instant happiness....that many of us kill ourselves along the way to achieve some illusion that retirement will bring peace and happiness, and miss our lives along the way. What does being rich have to do with it? I know rich but unhappy lawyers and middle class but happy maintenance men.
Just judging by many of the responses here, there do seem to be some retirees who are more bitter than happy, so maybe he has a point.
He says retirement shouldn't be the goal, instead happiness should be. That is absolutely correct, but he ignores how many people are unhappy grinding away in their jobs where retirement is what they consider a chance at happiness. Retirement can mean freedom and opportunity to pursue interests/happiness that couldn't happen when so much time had to be dedicated to putting bread on the table.
Eventually the infirmities of old age will catch up with you. So you should make plans for retiring at some point.
Because whether you are happy or not, whether happiness is your goal or not, your body will age/wear out.
BTW, if Branson is 66, he is still relatively young. So perhaps this harsh aspect of the human condition hasn't quite sunk in?
I'm 59, and I already have arthritis in my knees. I worry about getting arthritis in other joints. And I plan on working till I'm 70, out of necessity.
Last edited by Tim Randal Walker; 09-16-2016 at 10:53 AM..
When I was a contractor working for this law firm, they have a list of retiring partners who are supposed to be retired but still working part-time for the firm. They are a resource hog for the firm, I understand they've made some great contribution to the firm but most of them have been out of the loop with technology so they use the firm's services like their own personal Geeksquad. It puts a huge constraint on the support staff having to support both workers and retired partners who are more difficult to support.
I know it's not common in many firms but this is an example that when it's time to retire like in sports team you have to retire to not hold back the team or company. Even if you were once the great contributer.
But doesn't partnership status imply ownership. If so don't owners decide on profit and resource sharing of owners? Did someone buyout their share?
"Why does the media think that a person of fame and riches have some special insight for those who are anonymous and not wealthy. Personally, I don't care what Richard Branson has to say, and I strongly suspect that this is typical, not of Branson, nor his ideals, but moreover, the media's attention to celebrity."
To spark discussion, I would think.
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