Single Mom Reveals How She Retired At 54 | Retirement Reality

Jennifer shares how she retired early at 54 and her struggles with purpose.

Jennifer shares what it was like being a single mom, twice divorced, and after finding joy with real estate, Jenifer is now seeking to find a new life filled with the older generation, specifically around healthcare.

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Jennifer is not a client of Root Financial Partners, LLC and received no compensation for participating in this video. His statements reflect his own opinions and experience and are not indicative of any specific client’s experience and are not a guarantee of results. No cash or non-cash compensation was provided, and no material conflicts are known.

Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.

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Ari Taublieb, CFP ®, MBA  is the Chief Growth Officer of Root Financial Partners and a Fiduciary Financial Planner specializing in helping clients retire early with confidence.

Transcript

Listener Guides And Email Support

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I hope you guys continue to enjoy these episodes with real guests sharing their stories, what resonates, what doesn't, and it helps bring clarity to you for your retirement. If you didn't hear on a previous episode I shared, you can always email me directly, ari at rootfinancial.com. My team responds to these messages. If you want more question, if you want more clarity, not more questions, because that wouldn't help anything. If you want more clarity on, okay, how do I keep my healthcare low? How do I optimize my superhero account? How do I know if I should do Roth conversions? Well, you can just go ahead and email us and put in the subject line conversion if you have questions on Roth conversions when they make sense. And we'll send you a free guide in a roadmap so you can see, okay, does it make sense for you? And if so, when? How to think through that. Same thing with healthcare. Email the word healthcare, withdrawal strategies, email the word withdrawal. If you want a guide on, hey, what's what are all those questions or things that I want to make sure I don't forget before I retire? Email the word retire. So you can go ahead and do that once again. This isn't being posted what I'm telling you right now on YouTube. So on YouTube, most people can just comment easily and then I can send them the guide. You're all listening on the podcast app right now. If you're listening to this, so you don't have a way of getting information other than going in the description of this episode, which of course you can do as well. But I want to make sure if you guys have questions, whether it's conversions, healthcare, whatever it may be, you can go ahead and email me directly. My team will go ahead and get you that guide as fast as we can, generally within 24 hours. And then, of course, more of these episodes with real people are on their way. Hopefully you guys enjoy. Thanks as always for supporting the show. Who taught you about finances and when did you start to go? Okay, I'm gonna plan.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Nobody taught me. I'm gonna be really honest. I grew up in a home where I I asked, but like I really did. It was kind of get married and just um lean on your husband. And then I just I I taught myself a lot of books, a lot of reading, a lot of research.

Introducing Retirement Reality

Jennifer Defines Retirement As Pivoting

SPEAKER_00 2:02

I would be up at night and studying and you know, learning about compound interest and passive income and what I'm doing in this new show, Retirement Reality, is having heartfelt, candid conversations with people who have already retired so you can hear from them what worked well, what didn't, and everything in between. I hope you enjoy. And if you're retired and you want to personally come share your story on a future episode, there's a link right below this in the description of this episode where you can apply to be a guest. Now go enjoy the episode. My guest today is not only the sweetest lady, she struggled with purpose. She talked about it. She was transparent, and she says if money was not an issue, she'd spend all of her time actually volunteering with older people because she loves their pearls of wisdom and shares that there's so much that people don't know they could actually do to help out, and that it's so fulfilling. She's been divorced twice and she talks about it and her struggles and what made her eventually get to the point where she's in a comfortable spot and how she's never giving up despite what life throws at her. I hope you enjoy this conversation. Jennifer, I'm really excited to have you on the retirement reality show. I put out a ton of content around healthcare and tax strategy and estate planning, and today is none of that. Today is we want to hear your story on your retirement, what you wish you did differently before you got there, what you're enjoying about it now, and everything in between. So I asked my guest the same question every time first. What is one word that you would use to describe your retirement so far?

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Ooh, one word, one word.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

One word.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Um pivoting.

SPEAKER_00 3:44

Oh, I think that's my favorite word yet. I like that. Pivoting. Okay. How long have you been retired?

SPEAKER_01 3:50

I would say maybe about off and on, about four years, four or five years.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

Okay, about four years. We've had guests say their word is awesome, scared, um, timid, dynamic, but pivoting. I love that. Let's dive into pivoting. Why did you choose that word?

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Because I can see that for the last several years my net worth is I'm very blessed. I'm okay. I I but I can also see that you you can your money can if it's not growing, you you can go through your money very quickly. And so, and living here, I live in Orange County. Living here, it it just it's very expensive area. And so I've I you want to make your money at my age, you don't have a lot of chance to start over when as with opposed to when you're younger. And so I've I've pivoted from doing one thing for like a year and a half to searching out another thing and doing that for maybe six months. I did something else for maybe three years, and I think the pivot part is finding the purpose and the joy and the financial stability all in all of it. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_00 5:23

It does, and I love it. I want to go deeper. So these different things that you've tried out, is it mainly, hey, I want something to do? Is it mainly financial? Is it a little of both? How do you look at it?

SPEAKER_01 5:34

It's a little of both. It's definitely a little of both. So I want my money, I don't want to lose money, I want my money to grow. But the thing about being retired too, at my age, I'm 57 years old, is I'm too young to be retired, to be honest with you. And I'm single, and I you have to have purpose. You have to have something that, and I I'm I want to have something that I love to do. So actually, about three years ago, I I love design, I love real estate, I I grew up around construction, uh, know a ton of construction people. I decided to form a team of investors. Um, I decided to just on my own start looking for homes to rehab, not not knowing anything, not knowing anything about really the real estate, but just just like thinking, oh, I love design. I love to, I love to make things beautiful, I love to create, I love to bring people together. So I found a house that I thought this is under this is under market. I bet if we get this house, I I could get realtors, I could get construction people, I can get investors, I could collaborate, I could form a team. So I did that. I formed a team about three years ago of a couple realtors, a great construction crew, um, a couple investors, and I did the design, I found the homes. We did about nine homes in about a year and a half. We flipped, we rehabbed, we worked together, and it was it was great. It uh that was something that that really hit every checklist on my box as far as it was financially profitable, it was filling the purpose in my life, and I had passion for it. I loved it, and I loved people I was working with, and it was just a win-win for everybody. It was absolute win-win. And then, you know, you kind of look around, and it some of the people were not as um, you know, the the team was sort of, I would say they're pivoting again. There's that word, pivoting. They were pivoting here, they were pivoting here, the market was pivoting, and so the team kind of dissipated, you know, not due to really any big blub or anything like that. It just, it just dissipated. So that purpose was gone. Um, since then, I've I've been looking at a couple startups. I love startup companies. I love the process of doing the due diligence of um saying, oh wow, you know, maybe looking into something and see if it resonates with me, my heart, if it's something that I want to invest in um and help build and create. I love to create, I love to collaborate with other people. So I'm not sure if I pivoted off your question, but we're doing good pivoting today.

Her Work History And Starting Over

SPEAKER_00 8:55

In fact, I'd like to pivot my background to look like yours because you might be Ruth's next designer because I like your background right now, way better than mine. I want to learn more about the Jennifer backstory. Did you work a traditional job for 30 years, then retire at 53? Did you what was your story?

SPEAKER_01 9:12

No, I will be honest with you. I did not, I had a I had I grew up here in Orange County, got married young, young 20s, um, and the marriage didn't work out. Got divorced at 29. I was a single mom for 20 years.

unknown 9:30

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

So to be honest with you, I struggled. I I I was I worked in health and wellness off and on for about 20 years. I managed, um, I threw myself, I I got lucky. I got into a chiropractic office and they educated me like crazy. And so I took that education. I went to other chiropractic offices and I managed teams and I built up their revenue and their clientele. And that was really great. During that time as well, I also got my license to cut hair because that was something, again, with me, I like to create, I like to create beauty, and I like to be in community. So everything that you probably hear me say will be about creation, about trying to make something more beautiful than it already is, and being within community. And so hairstyling also hit those checklists about being with people, listening to people, um, creating, you know, having them walk in and walk out feeling better. And so I did that. I got my hair styling license when I was in my 30s. I did that for about 10 years. Um, I worked at a salon that was a really incredible salon. They actually, it was a one of a kind here in um actually in the United States. They did a reality show on us here. Wow and it was it was nutty. It was nutty, but it was fun.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

But it was a really creative you are a creative hustler.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

I don't know about that. Thank you. But it was interesting, it was it was a great time. It was a um fun time. So all the while while working in health and wellness and working in the beauty industry, you know, I was raising two kids and you know, and they're going back and forth, and you know, it was it being here in Orange County, that's a tough thing to do. Yeah. So I really was just paycheck to paycheck, and you know, but I saved when I could, you know, um, and you by the grace of God, you know we were okay, and a lot of angels came to help, and it was just, you know, I mean it was a 20-year journey, you know. And then I got married at 49, and um which I thought was gonna be like my forever everything. My I it was everybody's like, this is your Cinderella story. So that actually didn't work out. It was over within four years, and um, it's devastating. Um and it's hard to even talk about, to be honest with you, to this day. But I've moved on and because you have to, and you you have to I've learned in my life you have to start over, you have to I mean, you just have to keep starting over. Just if you have God you can do you can, you can. And so um that divorce happened about four years ago, and I found myself in the position where okay, at least I've saved some money, you know, and how can I make this money work for me? And that's when I bought a condo, bought a little condo, I fixed it up and lived in it for two years, and then I sold it for double for what I got for it. And that's when the real estate thing hit me and the creativity hit me, and the and I thought, oh, I love this. I thought I could do this, you know, and that's when I was able to form that team of people. And um it was it was great, great old gig for not quite two years. So, and then I just and then I just kept upscaling with the homes.

SPEAKER_00 13:53

I love your outlook on life because this love of transparency, Jennifer, is not underappreciated. You are not alone. There are so many people who reach out who are in a similar position of, hey, I I thought I had my forever and life changed and I found myself, and that turned out to be a blessing. So the fact that you're willing to share this, truly, we uh thank you. Now, I want to learn about who taught you to save along the way. I mean, here you are divorced in your 20s, who raising two kids on your own in Orange County, which I know very well. Many of the viewers here, you are aware I own a semi-professional soccer team in Orange County. And people ask me, all right, well, why did you do that? Like, couldn't you just go play soccer? Of course I could, but I want more time with my brother. So I'm paying money along with my brother so we get more time together. So not everything's a financial decision in life. When you're raising two boys, I can only imagine you'll hear people go, Yeah, you should save to a 401k, or you should save to a Roth IRA. And you're like, hey, that sounds good, but I've got boys who have football practice, or I have boys who want to make sure that they go to theater or whatever that may be. Who taught you about finances and when did you start to go, okay, I'm gonna plan?

SPEAKER_01 15:07

Nobody taught me. I'm gonna be really honest. I grew up in home where I I asked, but like I really did. It was kind of get married and just um lean on your husband, which there's there's nothing wrong with with that. I'm not gonna say there's anything wrong with that. Um with I love the family unit, I am for the nuclear family. I'm I love when moms are able to stay home with their children and they don't have I think it's fabulous. So so but I wasn't taught that. Um and so I actually money money can cause a lot of fear, you know. And I think if you don't have anything saved up, I mean, obviously you're you're you're gonna be in the throes of fear a lot. Um I went through a program, somebody we probably both know. Um, I did Dave Ramsey. I did um I did his program, um, learned a lot of valuable, a lot of valuable tips from Mr. Ramsey, you know, don't agree with everything, but there's a lot of wisdom there, you know, a lot. So um and and then I watched. I watched the people around me who knew more than me, who were more successful than me. I got around people who were doing better than me, who could teach me, who could guide me, who I wanted to be in rooms where I was not the smartest person. I did not want to be. Trust me, I'm not. So put me in put me in a room with people who were smarter than me. And then I just I I taught myself a lot of books, a lot of reading, a lot of a lot of research. I was be up at night and studying and you know, learning about compound interest and passive income and you know, yeah, and term terms that like were actually foreign to me, you know, um that nobody ever taught me. I never, I've never really even taken a business finance class. And it was really self-taught, but not really self-taught because I learned from others and their experiences and watching and listening and just trying to be quiet and absorbed.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Who does to you? Because it's so easy to go, oh, maybe I'm too late, or I never had a business class, so there's no way I can learn this. Uh, I went to business school and I graduated without having a Roth IRA. I was too embarrassed to ask because I thought, oh, should I already have one? If I ask if I should have one, does that mean I'm behind? Oh my. So by no means does going to a business class or business school put you in a better spot? It's okay, are you willing to listen? I forget what the quote is, but if you think you're the smartest person in the room, get out of the room.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Yeah, you're in the wrong room. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:13

So you're a great example of going, hey, I'm not too humble to listen to other people. I want to learn. My question is still there. How did you ask? Did you go to a friend and say, hey, I'm in this position. Do you mind giving me guidance? Because that's not easy.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

I did. I actually did. I actually went to a friend who I've who's been in my life for about 20 plus years. He was in the health and wellness field. And I said, I'm struggling. I'm struggling with purpose and um financial stuff. And he said, Let me get you around some people. And he made some phone calls, and we all met for lunch one day. And thus began sort of my quest for knowledge and community and uh purpose and financial resources and help with just my own walk in this journey of you know of living life and making sure that your financial needs are met. And even more so being able to even just like give back because that is that's huge to me.

SPEAKER_00 19:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

So yeah, I do go to friend.

Purpose Through Caregiving And Service

SPEAKER_00 19:33

I love that you did that because it's not easy. Many people know I talk about this a lot, but I hate the word retirement. I just don't like the word. It just feels like I'm done with no, no, no. I hope you never retire and do what you love forever. My mom is in her 70s and she works. Now, she wouldn't be working to the degree that she is if she had a financial plan, but she's lucky that she loves her work. She's made movies. She made one movie Jennifer called The Vow, which is the Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum love story. And she goes, Well, my marriage isn't that. And I firsthand witnessed my parents picker about money, probably was one of the reasons I became a financial advisor. So that wouldn't occur in my relationship. And so my mom is working in her 70s, but she does have that purpose. There's financial stress, but there's purpose. What I want to learn about is let's just assume we haven't done a full-blown financial plan, but let's assume you don't have to work ever again. Meaning, if you do, will it help? Of course. But let's just assume you don't for a second. And you can really do whatever you want. And if no money comes in, you're in a good spot. You will not run out of money. Pretend I could guarantee that. Would you go back and try to form a team again because you love doing it so much? Would you go, I don't know what I would do next? What would you do?

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Well, there's one thing that I did leave out. I can't believe I forgot this. But I also, while I worked in health and wellness and I I did hair, um, I did caregiving. And that, wow, what a testimony and story I have there. Please. Because um, I also did, I also worked for a small boutique recruitment um firm when I was in my, I'd say, early 40s. And I put biomedical engineers or engineers into the biomedical field. And then the dot com bubble burst and nobody was hiring anymore. So that that job was gone. And so it kind of my two kids, my daughter got married, my son went off to college, and I found myself like, job was gone, the kids were gone. Oh no, where what am I supposed to do? So I I knew I needed community around me. And I I started my own caregiving business. And it it literally blew up it like I did home health care I did it here in Orange Orange County and it was all by referral and I started with one person one lady she was a hundred years old and I gave her I gave her a crown on her 100th birthday I thought she deserves this tier you know yeah and so this will get twice in within this joy I I I love working with older people I am an old soul and I love being around older people so this this caregiving that business that I started I worked with Alzheimer's dementia you know then it then it brought me into working with kids that had disabilities um cerebral palsy brain damage um paraplegics you name it the diagnosis I've probably seen it done at hospice everything and I did this for many many years it got to the point where I put everything in storage it was have bag will travel and I just went from family to family to family to family and I will say that in that time what was built inside me was an incredible heart of gratitude and an incredible pearls of wisdom that were given to me from older people so I've I've learned a lot also from the people who have gone before us Ari you know they've lived generations before us and they had nothing and then maybe some of these people I've been in homes that are just like wow you know you know and then I've been in very small homes and you know it it's it's just amazing and I I gotta get back to your question because I think I got off track but um remind me again you that's okay if I didn't oh if I didn't have to work so that with that I guess you just hit me in the heart with the I have such a love for the elderly I have such a love for them. Right now I'm helping out a hospice couple at our at my church that I go to and um you know it's just there's there's something that changes you when you get around people they can't do anything for themselves anymore and I don't want anything I just want I just want to love on them. And God God gave me that gift to be able to do that. So if I never have to work again and if that's what he wants for me to do I'll do it.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

I'll I'll do that. You've lived 10 lives it feels like Jennifer the world is a better place with you in it.

SPEAKER_01 24:55

What are some of those pearls of wisdom that you heard I have so many stories I mean so many stories I would stay up nights listening to these people in their beds. I mean I nobody wishes at the end of their life really for stuff they want community they want they want their loved ones around them they people you know what people just want to be heard they want to be seen they would just want somebody listen to them I've got a lady right now she is so isolated with what she is going through so isolated and I just go around and sit with her because I know that her she is just she's heart she's heartbreaking her heart's breaking with what she's going through. So I just sit and um so I think you know if if that's something that I could do for the rest of my life it gives me an immense amount of gratitude and I know it's giving back which is a huge thing I think for everybody. I think I I think honestly every senior in high school or every kid in college needs to go spend six months doing caregiving I r with or to go sit and volunteer in a a home where older people are where they don't have anybody and just learn from them. Learn what that learn because I've learned it's it's been 15 years of being with these people and man there is such a need such a need for the older generation because I think here in America we have it a little bit backwards in in a lot of countries and other cultures they really esteem the elder people they bring their families in to live with them they honor them in a different way here in America we really are quick to just toss them in a home by oh you're you're taking care of it's okay we'll visit you once we get right off the checklist it's done and you know and I think we've got it backwards here and um it's something that just really tugs on my heart.

SPEAKER_00 27:24

I think you're right and there's a few thoughts right now first thought is this might be the power most powerful episode that I can think of recording and here's why. So a lot of people will reach out Jennifer that will say you know I'm really worried to retire just because I don't know what I'm gonna do. So I'm gonna work one more year. Yes, I know my health is being impacted negatively and I'm commuting and I'm dealing with that boss who's not ever made me feel heard or seen to your point. And so they're staying in a job that they don't want by the way that they might not even need financially just because they don't know what's going to occur and they have imposter syndrome of, well, there's no way I can help what could I do? So do you mind clarifying what are the skills that are needed if someone were to want to go and spend time just like you shared with the elderly to hear that wisdom because I think this could solve so many problems for people who to your point there's people that yeah you want to retire a lot of people do and they travel and they go on a big trip with their family and they love it and then they're home and it's a two o'clock and it's Tuesday and they're like okay well what the heck do I do now? So is that do you need to be a doctor? Can anyone just go help? Like what can people do?

SPEAKER_01 28:41

No, absolutely not I had no idea when I started my caregiving business I'm gonna be completely authentic totally transparent with you. The first clients I had were two little dogs okay I just this older couple needed to get away and they asked if I could watch their home but through that older couple I you know taking care of their dogs through that older couple I made a good rapport and they really liked me and I earned their trust and they they were in a uh I think a 55 and plus retirement community and um they put my name out. But you know there are so many different ways that you can do it. There are so many senior centers everywhere it you know I how how hard is it to just go sit with somebody and have you know and listen and just say just just go and say hey I want to volunteer for a couple hours can I volunteer here 10 hours a week I I guarantee you they will say yes absolutely um I'll be honest when I moved into my home here I wrote a letter to 100 residents that lived in my community around me and I just put resident on it. I didn't know who they were I wrote the address and I invited them to an open house here at my house and I told them I passed and I said if you know anybody I had pictures of all my old clients up and stuff like that and I fed I I had over 60 people come to my home and um we had name tags I had food and it was just this meet and greet and I'm like you know because I was new to the neighborhood and I wanted to meet people and I thought you know what it's it's different these days you know I said you're going to you have to you have to put yourself out there. So I said okay God you I'm gonna put myself out there so I mailed out a hundred invitations to people I didn't know I had about 60 people show up and from that even to today you know I I have people call me and say hey do you have time to you know do this but you can't you do not have I don't I don't have I have my health and wellness background but you know I'm not I'm not a medically licensed you know um I think our older generation just wants people to be there for them they just want to be seen they just want to be heard they just want to be loved on so you can I think I think they're so you can you can Google you can anything senior counsel agent in place you know all these senior centers um and just say hey how can I volunteer there's a great book and I don't know if you know about it. It's called The Go Giver. Have you heard that book? No giver and it's I read my my one of my friends during this transition of not knowing what I'm supposed to do you know what what's my purpose? And he said Jen I'm tired of hearing you say what to purpose here's your book and I said okay so um I read this book called The Go Giver and it's about this guy who's always trying to get the next best deal and and it's it's just falling through his hands he can't get it so yeah I don't want to spoil the story but I'm just gonna say when you begin to go out and add value instead of looking for your own val looking for your own value in your own life but going out to add value to others in the world it comes back it just is a natural trifecta effect that will happen.

A Calm Day In Retirement

SPEAKER_00 32:38

So fabulous book train changed my life wow wow I have felt that 10 million fold because all the content we post on YouTube is free. You know millions and millions of people watch and you know there's a a small small percentage that are actually paying clients that we work with and our goal is to help as many people as we can and sometimes that's working with people directly sometimes it's making a video like this so that someone can watch it and go, wow, this resonated so there's two more things I want to go into detail on Jennifer if that's okay. Now quick pause if you are watching this right now and you're resonating with this and this new show and Jennifer's love of transparency let us know. Put it in the comments below wow this really helped I just didn't even know that this was an option I thought I was gonna have to be medically licensed or wow you just walk in and volunteer and Jennifer you are a prime example of creating your own happiness because there's a lot of people who go I'm down on my luck and I've had it tough and it's just why me? And you're like, no, I'm gonna go mail out a hundred letters to a new place. I mean that's might seem like normal but that's not okay so kudos to you. So here's what I want to go into people love hearing what does a day in the life look like so I want to hear when you wake what time are you waking up what's your normal structure are you doing yoga do you work out in the evening whatever your day looks like and then at the end of the show I always like to be silent and I like to let you talk to young you. So you get to go Jennifer do you remember when you got married look at you now you should be so proud of yourself and help other people hear that wow you are going to go through different stages of life and you will come out on the better end if you put yourself first and it's not easy to do. So we'll get to that in a little bit but do you mind sharing you know what time are you waking up? What are you having for breakfast? You might think it's do people really want to hear this but they love it.

SPEAKER_01 34:32

All right. So it's I'm it's very non-dramatic. So I'm a very early to bed person. So um but I I get up about I wake up about six and it just naturally I wake up about six I kind of crawl out of bed about seven. Um I like to read in the morning I like to have a cup of coffee in the morning I like to read um I I read the Bible I do my I read and I pray um I like to I I like all as far as exercise I like to be outside so I love to I and I'm around a ton of hiking trails. So I love to go hiking I love to go walking I do do yoga sometimes I will do Pilates. I'm in some uh groups that are like empty nester groups these women groups and we'll go down the beach and we'll go walking and we'll have breakfast and stuff like that. And um I don't I have this role where I do not turn on the TV until after four or five o'clock and I'm not even racing to the TV. Actually my grandma told me like I was had to be in my 30s so she goes turn off the TV for like three months and I did it. I it just I didn't miss it. And I don't miss it to this day I I I will play music in my house but I I do my I have a lot of TVs and I don't even turn them on. So I do a lot of reading um like I said I do a lot of volunteer with the people at my church right now. And then I have I have some girlfriends and go to some cafes and I'm looking into a startup company right now that I'm passionate about and we'll see where that goes. So that's taking some time a little bit of due diligence and um you know and at night I'll do more reading I love to do research. I'm I'm like a research junkie. Nice so yeah so it's kind of not very exciting life but it's it but it's okay. It's a peaceful life it's a calm life.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

I think people are dreaming of what you just said there. And I'll let you see it in the comments because I'm asking you guys is that what resonates? Because there's so many people that go that's literally my dream life. I I don't need the the Bugatti I don't want to travel internationally I just want my life where I can choose what I want to do and I'm in control. So I love getting to hear that. So Jennifer what I'm gonna do now is I'm gonna go silent and I'm gonna let you you get to choose whatever you want in this kind of situation. You can go I'm just gonna talk to younger me and tell her how proud and the lessons that I wish you would have known earlier. You can talk to someone who's similar stage where it's they're single, they're divorced they are now they are let's say you three four years ago they're thinking about okay what is my next 40 50 years going to look like and it can be hey you're not gonna know but try things out put yourself first so I find people really enjoy speaking to their younger self but you can take this wherever you want. So I'm gonna be silent for the next minute two minutes and let you have the floor.

SPEAKER_01 37:59

I would say I've had a lot of knockdown moments in my life um and my upbringing was rough I don't talk about it a lot and then um I've I've you know but I would I would say first of all my faith is what has gotten me through everything. And I I just have to I have to number one say that my faith has been the number one most important area in my life and it is what has gotten me through everything. So I lean on that for my strength. Um but if I look back at me being a young girl I would say there's probably a lot of fear that I grew up with in life you can either face fear or you can run from fear and I think or just surrender and just you know what get back up and and get and and push yourself out there because we're all gonna fail and it's not the worst thing if we fail. And if something doesn't work out move on to like I started this session with you pivoting move on to something else. If this doesn't work okay you know what it's not the end of the story. I'm still here pivot into something else and you know what if that didn't work out okay you know what I'm not done yet God's not done writing my story pivot on to the next thing because you never know I have I have so many different hats that I've worn in life and from each one of them I've received pearls of wisdom and lessons learned and so hard lessons learned are are tough you know but the pearls of wisdom hang on to those because they're gonna be valuable for your next pivot into whatever your next journey is and so like I would say if fear was a great part of my story just not knowing you know what is tomorrow going to bring is it going to bring purpose is it going to bring financial stability am I going to be okay am I gonna have community around me yes I am yes I'm gonna be okay yes I am going to have people around me yes I'm gonna be okay financially yes I am going to put myself out there and I'm gonna surround myself with good people and you know what it just ends up working out somehow you can face fear or you can run from it.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

I love that Jennifer you're a legend this was one of my favorite episodes of all time truly guys I hope you enjoyed this episode of Retirement Reality if you want to come on the show and share your story similar to Jennifer today because you think that you have stories or something that you wish you would have known earlier let us know. You can go in the description and you can apply to come on the show. And if you resonated with Jennifer's story specifically because it just hit home, let us know in the comments we do all of this for you guys and we appreciate you watching I get a lot of comments Jennifer from people who go, hey you put out a ton of case studies and you always say we and I used to go, what do they mean we? And they go, yeah, that there's a lot of people who are married and there's a lot of couples but there's also a lot of single people widows divorcees who go, we're not finding that content is directed specifically for us. So we're going to start putting out more content for you guys in what we have found tends to be an area where there's not a ton of content that goes into helping all of you. So thank you for tuning into the show and we'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_01 41:46

Thanks Jennifer thank you.

SPEAKER_00 41:49

If you enjoyed this episode of Retirement Reality check out how we help people retire with confidence. You can see we have an FAQ section on our website. If you just hover over the resources tab you can go ahead and see this FAQ section here and learn everything about what it's like to work with us including our personalized planning process, a quick overview of how everything works, do you have enough money to become a client? Where will your money be? Everything from tax planning to fees we are extremely transparent and want to make sure that you're working with someone that resonates with you. Hopefully you enjoyed this episode and if you once again want to be a guest on a future show so that you can share your story you can see that in the link of this episode. Thanks thank you all as always for listening to the early retirement podcast. I love getting to host these shows and make different content for you guys every single week. I've not missed a single week in years and that is because I love getting to do this. Now please be smart about this before you actually execute any strategy that you see me talk about or hear me talk about should I say please talk to your financial advisor, your tax preparer, your estate attorney please be smart about this. None of this should be construed as financial advice this is for fun, educational informational purposes only once again just quick disclaimer here guys please be smart about this appreciate you listening as always and you can of course submit a question on my website early retirementpodcast dot com if you of course want me to address a specific case study or topic I will not promise I can get to it but I respond to every single person and if I find it will be helpful for a lot of people I will absolutely make an episode on it at the very least give you some insight. That's it. Thanks guys