Ray Loewe is now a regular contributor to the NASDAQ website. Under the News and Insights section for Financial Advisors, Ray’s articles will appear on a monthly basis. Topics center around change and transition in our lives and how to manage it. All too often people face change and are scared and resistant to it. But Ray believes that if people feel they are controlling the change, whether it is initiated by outside forces, or they desire the change themselves, it is easier to deal with.

Articles will talk about when to retire, whether to retire, the importance of staying engaged, the importance of maintaining health and fitness, managing personal time, re-entering the workplace after being away, jump starting your life, and many more topics.

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This year was our inaugural Friends Connection Conference at the Hyatt Atop the Bellevue in Philadelphia. The event was filled with informational an educational workshops and fabulous food and drinks. But above all, it was filled with friends that we were excited to reconnect with.

We opened with a panel discussion centering around the concept that we all need a passion project. It can run the gamut from family involvement to saving turtles, returning pandas born in captivity to the wild, and the captivating story of a secret, underground bullet factory that wasn’t revealed until 30 years after it was shuttered.

We learned about a personal assessment that results in “The Book of You.” Our guide on this journey, Sarah Brown, PhD. Explained how our interests, strengths and needs can be misunderstood. We discovered that understanding these three facets of ourselves can help us live a fuller, happier life because we know how to design our circumstances going forward to utilize all of these parts of who we are.

A Friday evening reception was a foodie’s delight, with a signature cocktail created especially for our group. Check out these photos!

Is that Beef Wellington? This is just a sampling. Needless to say, no one left hungry.

Saturday morning included several more workshops, with ample breaks to continue networking, reconnecting, and making new friends.

There was also a grand announcement of our Friends Connection Trip scheduled for October 2020. Watch for more details in upcoming blogs. We’re not giving anything away when we say it will be fabulous and fun.

We’re looking forward to seeing our attendees again next year at our second Friends Connection. If you missed it, think about putting it on your calendar. Stay tuned for more information as time goes on.

Everybody should have a project or two. I’m not talking about a project at work, or a project at home. I’m talking about a project that absolutely fascinates and motivates you. It should be one that adds new dimensions to your life.

I find I’m always evaluating potential projects.  I never know where the next good one will be. I’m quick to dismiss project threads that don’t meet my criteria. I ask myself,

• Am I passionate about the project
• Do I feel I can make a significant contribution based on my “unique ability”?
• Do I feel that people really value my involvement?

Sometimes I find I need to go inactive if the above criteria change within the project. And if the criteria are met in the future, I can jump back in. I value my time and want to be involved in only those things that feed my passion and make me feel valued by others involved.

I was lucky enough to find two, and hope there will be more on the way. The first was something I resisted for quite a while. My friend Jim Spotila is a university professor and scientist who became heavily involved in working to protect and study the Leatherback Sea Turtles in Costa Rica. Every time we met, he would prod me to come to Costa Rica and not only see the work his team was doing, but to participate. I had a hard time getting excited about turtles, though.

Finally, I relented. Jim began with an amazing tour of Costa Rica’s volcano, hot pools, jungle, and finally brought me to Playa Grande, the beach where he works. It was spectacularly beautiful. Then he urged my wife and me to get some sleep because we were going to be up through the night looking for and helping with turtles coming ashore to lay eggs.

It’s hard to put into words how life-changing the experience was that first night. Perhaps the fact that I have now been a board member and the treasurer for Leatherback Trust will tell you all you need to know about my passion for the Leatherback Turtles.

Often some great things happen as a result of involvement with projects that don’t necessarily have anything to do with the project specifically. For example, while I was there, I met a professional photographer who invited me to visit him at his studio in California when I returned to the States. I did, and got some invaluable tips on improving my own photography.

I’ve also found a purpose to my travel that greatly enhances my enjoyment. I discovered that I like educational travel, I meet many interesting people on these trips, and I have lots of great photos to look at from time to time and reminisce about a great time.

Take a few minutes and think about discovering your own projects. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and happy if you get involved.

Many times I’ve spoken about my ever-expanding goals and how checking one item off a list can present one or more additions to the list. For example when I realized I had visited 5 continents over my years of travel, I was motivated to make it a goal to visit Australia and Antarctica so I could check off all seven continents.

This journey began in a quiet way. My wife and I took a trip to the Galapagos Islands 15 – 20 years ago. Occasionally I have a short attention span, so I decided to take photographs of the animal inhabitants. When I returned home and began to sort through the photos, I felt they were OK, but not amazing. This made me want to be a better photographer.

I had met a professional photographer on the trip who lived in California, so I called him to ask if he would give me some time and share his expertise. My trip to his home was the beginning of my education. I got some great tips from him and came home energized.

From there I enrolled in some photography courses, began to upgrade my equipment, and my wife and I made a list of places we could go to see and photograph the wonders of nature.

I continue to work on improving my photography skills. I challenge myself to develop better techniques. And I continually look for new subjects to add to my photo gallery. It all started with a plan to combat potential boredom on a trip by taking pictures of the blue-footed booby.

I am not proposing that travel and photography is the answer for everyone. For me it has kept me engaged and challenged. There are many ways people can do this. I have a friend who has recently taken up pottery-making and now prowls gift shops, décor stores and kitchen stores to get ideas for vessels and glazes.

I challenge you to find something that will provide engagement, education, and personal enjoyment. Our Luckiest Guy in the World online courses can help you design the life you want and make it a reality.

To learn more about these courses go to:

http://theluckiestguyintheworld.com/courses/

As you try to get to know yourself to determine your strengths and special talents, one of the tasks in the first segment of the course is to ask others about how they see you.   Will, the subject of our last blog, took the interesting approach of identifying his personal challenges first, and was surprised when people described him as a “Sense Maker”.

When Will asked friends, colleagues and family what they thought his unique strengths and abilities were, learning they saw him as a Sense Maker was an eye opener!  People feel that he has the ability to make sense out of things for others.  Whether it’s a complex topic, a business decision, a way of simplifying things, or the ability to bring comfort during times of transition or change, Will’s strengths lie in explaining complex topics, to fostering further conversation, to taking a simple challenge and helping to drive complex solutions. People also described Will as having a broad perspective, with the ability to see things through from end-to-end, determine their impact and relate them back to an audience.  This unique ability allows him to formulate complete solutions and strategies that instill confidence in those around him.

As Will continues to interview for a new permanent position, he describes himself as more prepared than he has ever been.  Armed with this new information about himself, he is confident and ready to steer the conversation toward his special skills and his unique ability.  He is motivated to shine a light on his strengths even more now than before and is ready to recognize that if he encounters resistance, then the job might not be for him.

It is a powerful thing to have your passion and unique ability lead you to a working environment that embraces and values your contributions.  Will said that this exercise in Ray’s course materials has really prepared him to look at things holistically and he is more ready than ever for his next opportunity, as well as his future.

Learn how others would describe you…Find out more about our courses.

To learn more about these courses go to:

http://theluckiestguyintheworld.com/courses/

Will, who is married with two children, has been embarking on Ray’s courses.  When he was about halfway through the first course segment, he expressed how difficult it was for him to make time to sit down and focus, as he was busy searching for a new job.  With a little encouragement from Ray and his team, and guidance in breaking down the tasks in the course, Will was ready to dedicate the time.  We caught up with him a month later and he had a very positive story to tell.

As he was on the search for a new job, Will began to explore his talents.  He took an interesting tactic by first identifying his personal challenges.  He came to the realization that he wanted to live a similar work and personal life and that he no longer wanted a work persona that was vastly different from the “Will” persona at home.  Once this was identified, Will found it much easier to hone in on what his unique talents were.  Continuing through the course materials, with this as his goal, Will changed his approach from looking for a close match in his job description to looking for an interesting position that would give him the opportunity to utilize his personal talents and strengths.

Putting this method into action gave Will the confidence to think out of the box.  He told us that he had been able to secure a temporary position and that he feels much happier.  While he is able to utilize his expertise and interests in a whole new way, he plans on continuing to put his new outlook to good use.

Put your own plan into action…Find out more about our courses.

To learn more about these courses go to:

http://theluckiestguyintheworld.com/courses/

Some people approach retirement with eager anticipation. But in recent years, there are those who would describe their feelings with trepidation. Naturally there is the money issue. But often in spite of being assured by their financial advisor that they will be fine, clients experience some anxiety about what lies ahead.

Here are some questions that can help pre-retirees create their own strategies for an exceptional life.

Do you have a plan for staying engaged?

For many, their work provided regular contact with the outside world. Absent that, do you have another outlet or activity that will get you out and around other interesting people?

Do you have a plan for staying healthy?

Mens sana in corpore sano is a Latin phrase, usually translated as “a healthy mind in a healthy body“. The phrase is widely used in sporting and educational contexts to express the theory that physical exercise is an important or essential part of mental and psychological well-being. Keep in mind that your body is the house that your mind lives in. As we advance in years, maintaining health becomes critical in our enjoyment of living.

Do you have a plan to protect your time?

Who doesn’t want to ditch the alarm clock? Isn’t it nice to be able to have the whole day ahead of you to do whatever you want? The danger is if you don’t have a plan, you might find someone else has a plan for you. In some cases that could be fun, but it can be a slippery slope. You need to know what YOU want to do and make sure that others know your plans as well. Time is precious, we cannot manufacture time; we cannot buy time. Protect it.

Do you want to continue working but at a reduced pace? How do you make it so?

Some people love their job and their co-workers. They don’t want to suddenly cut that off, but they also don’t want to put in as many hours. Maybe they want less time on the road, or shorter workdays, or fewer workdays. There could be ways to work that out with your current employer, or perhaps by becoming a consultant.

Work has been my life, I don’t have hobbies. What will I do if I retire?

This is part of the control of your time issue, as well as the issue of staying engaged. There are myriad ways to stay active and busy. You can start a hobby at any age. Volunteer work is also a great opportunity to be with people. Find your passion and then find a way to make it a part of your life.

Will being around more put a strain on your relationship.

Many stay-at-home spouses have a daily routine that has been established for years. Add a retired spouse with nothing to do and that could spell trouble. Consider the wife who returned from grocery shopping to find her husband rearranged all her kitchen cabinets!

When I was working I didn’t worry about budgeting. I don’t want to live on one now.

On a recent trip to St. Petersburg and the Baltic, passengers were unfailingly checking the daily stock markets. They were worried about their investments. But Ray Loewe, The Luckiest Guy in the World, never did. That’s because he continues to work even at age 75. He knows there are lots of places to go and things to see. Work is the wild card that makes the impossible, possible for him.

If I move to a new geographic location, how do I rebuild my social community?

Florida and Arizona are filled with retirees escaping their frigid states. But before packing up the moving van, consider what you might be leaving behind besides the snow and ice. More than likely, you’ve built a strong network of friends and family over the years. Despite assurances that those you’re leaving behind will come to visit, daily life often gets in the way of good intentions. On the other hand, do you want to be the hotel for guests who use your home as a base of operations to go do other things?

If my social life revolved around my job, what will I do now?

It doesn’t have to end just because you stop showing up every day. But you need to make a plan and stick to it. Relationships take work.

Whether you know what you want, or you’re not sure what you want, come explore options through The Luckiest Guy in the World Online Courses. We’ve created a planning template just for you, based on 20 years of experience working with others as well as creating our own plans.

To learn more about these courses go to:

http://theluckiestguyintheworld.com/courses/

This is Ray Loewe’s mantra that is at the crux of his series of life-changing courses.  We’ve all heard the phrase “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”, and it can be true for some people.  However, it may still feel like work because, let’s face it, you’ll still have deadlines and you won’t be sitting on a beach under an umbrella.  The difference in Ray’s philosophy is that it is possible to find the right balance between work and play so that each one can be more rewarding.  And finding that balance can make all the difference between counting the years until your retirement and changing your career to suit your style so that you can continue to work, be challenged, be productive and enjoy it for as long as you like.

Enter David, who was introduced to Ray in recent years by a mutual acquaintance.  He and Ray hit it off right away.  They had a lot in common…they were both approaching retirement age and wondered how to handle tasks, careers, finances, etc.  Their early conversations focused around how to help people disperse their wealth in healthy, practical, fun and sometimes generous ways.  Whether it was spending some of their money for their own enjoyment, explaining to their kids in an honest way what they were going to inherit, or distributing their money in a philanthropic and charitable manner.

As they looked at their own situations, as well as others that they knew over the years, some similarities seemed to emerge.  They found that, often times, parents weren’t being honest with their children about their potentially life changing inheritance.  Maybe it was out of fear that if children knew what was coming, they might not have the motivation to work and be productive.   Or possibly the subject could cause siblings to squabble and argue about what the future would bring.  Alternatively, had children known what was coming, it might cause them to feel more secure about their future to be able to seize an opportunity or take a risk that they otherwise might not have had the confidence or financial security to do.

As their friendship grew, they shared with each other the comfort that each felt with change at any stage in their lives and they mutually embraced the notion of continuing to work, even in their supposed retirement years.  During David’s career, he always gave 110% to any job.  Even though he always liked what he was doing, stress was a big part of his everyday life.  Whether it was dealing with difficult people, worrying about day-to-day tasks or simply waking up in the middle of the night with ideas, he could never turn himself off.  While his wife didn’t really believe that he was ever going to be retired, David realized that what he really needed to do was to get away from the stress.

So, after a 40+ year career running performing arts centers in many states, David decided that 2010 was his time to retire.  It didn’t last a week when he got a call from the first theater he had ever run.  They needed help filling some gaps and asked David to volunteer to help secure some donors.  18 months later, David retired again.  This time, only three days later, a foundation called him and asked for his help and expertise.  David worked with them for five years and finally said that it was time again to retire.  But this time, he decided to work as a consultant to be able to control his time.  What he found was that he was working more hours than ever before.  So he finally said that was it, and he retired again.  While committed and determined to make this one stick, he got a call a month later and was asked to help as the interim CEO of a state historical society. Six months later, he is still working in that role. Apparently retirement isn’t his cup of tea, but he knew that about himself already.

Discover your work/life balance…Find out more about our courses.

To learn more about these courses go to:

http://theluckiestguyintheworld.com/courses/