Let's say you don't have the capacity to build a business to boost your wealth like the richest people on Earth. You can always just buy a business instead. The following post is by John, an early 50s retiree from ESI Money, a blog about achieving financial independence through earning, saving, and investing (ESI). He recently purchased Rockstar Finance, a leading curation site for the best personal finance articles.
One of the main questions I've received since I bought Rockstar Finance is simply, “Why?“
Sometimes it's phrased as, “I thought you were retired” or something similar, but at the heart the meaning is always, “why would someone buy a business after he retired?“
Since Sam talks about owning web businesses and the various options to pursue after retirement, I thought a guest post on Financial Samurai would be the perfect place to explain my reasoning.
Background
For those of you not familiar with my history, here's a quick summary:
- I retired in August 2016 at 52 after a 28-year career in business. I was actually financially independent in my early 40's and should have retired then, but that's for another post.
- I didn't really know what to expect when I retired, but I discovered there were several positive surprises awaiting me.
- After a year a series of events conspired to allow me to buy Rockstar Finance. I decided to proceed and finished the transaction in December 2017.
Now that we're all on the same page, let's get to the details.
What is Retirement?
Recently I did an interview and was asked, “How do you define retirement?”
My response was as follows:
I define it as the freedom to do what you want.
Back in the day retirement was generally defined as 1) you quit work and 2) you indulged in leisure activities like golf, bowling, traveling, and so forth until you eventually died.
Today I think “retirement” is getting rebranded, especially by those of us doing it earlier than the traditional age, to mean something else. Or perhaps I'm not “retired”, I'm just “financially independent.”
Whatever you call it, I don't work for an employer and spend all my free time on what I want — some of those things being investing and running a couple websites and some of them being more leisurely like traveling, reading, and so forth.
This is the gist of my answer for the “why?” question.
The definition of retirement is changing, even for those retiring at a more traditional age. People are living longer. And they are remaining in better health longer. So while retirees at 65 used to sit back and take it easy, these days they are having hips replaced and running marathons.
Today's early retirees are just an exaggeration of this trend. They have even more time, energy, fitness, and so on for activities. Some of their interests are recreational and some are work-related. The only difference now is that the work is something they choose to do versus something they have to do.
Here are the mains reasons why I bought a business after retiring.
Seven Reasons I Bought A Business
Let's dig in a bit and examine why I took the plunge. Buying and selling blogs is something you could do too.
1. I needed something enjoyable to do.
I remember my pastor used to say how he was never retiring because he'd be bored to death. He had plenty of hobbies, but felt that there's only so much time you can spend in recreation.
I used to think he was full of it. After all, who wouldn't want to sit around and just chill for the last 20 years of their life?
Uh, me. I wouldn't.
Once the stress of 28 high-power work years melted off (which took about six months), I realized that I needed something enjoyable to do with my extra time. In my case “enjoyable” and “challenge” go hand-in-hand. Owing a business seemed like a perfect solution for both.
You don't have to go far to see that I'm not the only one who thinks this way. For example, look at the author of Financial Samurai. Sam is certainly wealthy enough to retire now and do absolutely nothing.
And yet, if I'm not mistaken, he still:
- Actively manages his rental properties
- Coaches high school tennis.
- Consults with businesses now and then.
- Volunteers as a foster kid mentor.
- Publishes regularly on Financial Samurai.
- Spends at least 40 hours a week taking care of his son.
I'm probably missing one or two things but you get the idea.
You could classify at least three of the above as “work.” So I'm not the only one who has created jobs for myself after retirement. And I think as time goes on and retirement is further redefined by a younger set of people we'll see that some sort of job, business, or side hustle will increasingly become part of the equation.
Also consider the traits that it takes to become financially independent at a younger age and you'll notice that many of them are also qualities often required for business success. In that light a post-retirement business or money-making hobby seems very natural.
If retirement is truly about “the freedom to do what you want” and business is enjoyable to you, why would you NOT want to own a business after retirement?
2. I needed something to keep me sharp.
You've heard the phrase “use it or lose it”, right?
Well, that's what appears to happen with your mind. And retirement can be especially hard on the brain.
A major British study which tracked 3,400 retired civil servants found that short-term memory declines nearly 40 per cent faster once employees become pensioners. It appears that the lack of regular stimulation takes a heavy toll on cognitive function and speeds up memory loss and dementia, researchers warned.
Yikes! This is scary stuff! It turns out that I not only wanted a mental challenge but I need one too.
Yes, you can keep you mind active from other sources. This is why I also read more than ever, write a ton of articles, listen to podcasts, and do my daily chess puzzles. They all help, for sure. But there's something unique about running a business that challenges the mind in an awesome and beneficial way.
Sure, my own blog could fill some of this need for me, but it wasn't enough on its own — I needed a more complex business to challenge me mentally. Turns out that Rockstar Finance was just the right fit.
3. I was looking for a great way to invest some cash.
Because I generate more than enough income from my website and rental properties to cover our living expenses (with zero drawdown of assets), I was starting to accumulate quite a bit of cash during retirement.
I had thought about re-deploying some money into buying more real estate, but the two markets I was considering (my current city and the one where my properties are located) are too, too hot for my taste. Prices are simply CRAZY!
My cash kept piling up in a “high yield account” (an oxymoron if there ever was one) earning a whopping 1%. It was killing me to watch it sit there. I had a load of money earning virtually nothing.
So I decided to take money that was yielding 1% a year and turn it potentially much more. Assuming the asset itself wasn't going to lose value, it seemed like a no-brainer. Even if the value of the site went to $0 it would not impact my lifestyle one bit. So why not?
An Online Business Is Lucrative
Generally sites are valued at two to three times annual profit. If a site earns $50k a year it's value is somewhere in the $100K – $150K range.
I ended up paying five to six times earnings and I still felt I was getting a good deal. The reason is that I estimated what I thought the site could make each year, discounted it a bit, and then paid roughly two-times THAT annual profit. In addition, I knew I could use Rockstar to drive traffic to my own site. My best guess is that ESI Money will earn an extra $10k this year simply because of both the traffic and relationships that Rockstar has. This is all gravy and was not part of my estimations.
It seemed like a great way to take low-performing dollars and transform them into high-performing dollars. Five months later, it appears this estimate was correct.
Sam's note: below is an income statement I put together guesstimating what a site like Rockstar Finance could or is making. If John bought the business for $100,000, he would make back his entire capital in just 2.6 years, assuming no revenue or profit growth. After 2.6 years, he would earn a 39% annual return for his efforts.
Related: Real Estate vs. Blogging For Maximum Returns
4. I wanted to help personal finance bloggers.
Most people outside the personal finance blogging community don't know this, but I began blogging in 2005. Yes, 2005. It was a looooong time ago.
Eventually it was discovered I ran that blog by people at work. I was the president of a company at the time. To say it was a bit awkward to have my money life open to all 800 employees is a bit of an understatement.
I still have that site but now simply post basic money stuff there. A few years after being outted I re-started my blogging escapades with ESI Money.
As a result of being around so long, I have made a lot of blogging friends and I love the personal finance blogging community. In particular I like helping new, motivated bloggers achieve their dreams and become better faster. Rockstar Finance gave me a platform to help others like never before. It's very rewarding.
One service we created at Rockstar was a VIB (very important blogger) program where site owners sign up (for a fee) and receive various benefits relating to site traffic and revenue generation. The program just started on March 1, but we have already seen some tremendous results. The future is very promising and I'm thrilled to be part of helping bloggers reach their goals.
At some point in your life simply giving back to others is the reward in and of itself. Owning Rockstar is a way I can do this on a much bigger scale.
The first blogger I helped out by purchasing Rockstar Finance was J Money from Budgets are Sexy. He is the founder of Rockstar who sold to me. He wanted to free up some time since he and his wife were about to have their third child. I was excited that this extra benefit was part of the sale — that I could pass along funds to a good man, help expand his legacy, and be part of his plan to achieve one of his life goals.
5. I wanted something I could pass along to my kids.
As I was considering buying Rockstar, one thing that kept going through my mind was that this site was something my kids could run one day. It's like career insurance just in case they can't get jobs after college.
My daughter is a very good writer and my son has some amazing creative skills, so both of them already have traits that would help them.
Now whether or not they want to take it over is another thing (they will need to learn quite a bit about money in the meantime), but at least this gives them something to think about.
There are many advantages to a web-based business and if one of my kids decided to rise to the challenge, they could own a site that can be run anywhere in the world, would pay them more than they will likely earn in their jobs, and would only require a handful of work hours each day.
They could literally “retire” (at least from working for the man) at a very young age.
Sounds great, right?
Related: How To Stop Worrying About Your Child's Future In This Brutally Competitive World
6. I wanted something that wasn't too much.
Piggy backing on the above comments a bit, Rockstar Finance is a perfect retirement business for me because:
- It only requires 3-4 hours each day. Yes, I have help (Steve from Think Save Retire runs the operational side of the site) but the revenue supports that. My commitment is a few hours a day on average — just enough to be enjoyable but not too taxing.
- The hours are flexible. I can work 7 am to 11 am, noon to 4 pm, 9 pm to 1 am, or any combination of hours I like in a day. I often work more on some days and hardly any on others (we went to Grand Cayman for nine days in January and I worked on the site maybe an hour during that time.) BTW, Steve was in Mexico at the same time, so we were pretty much on auto-pilot. But we had done the work in advance, so it all ran like clockwork.
- The business is location independent. If I had wanted to, I could have done everything site-related in Grand Cayman that I do at home. The internet was great down there and I had my laptop, so I was good to go. Don't tell anyone, but I may just test it out next year — my nine days could turn to three weeks if it all works out. Or if Sam would just buy that place in Hawaii, I could stay for free, and that would be even better! :)
When people hear that I bought a business in retirement I think much of their angst is because they assume I spend 40-50 hours per week in an office somewhere chained to a desk. No, it's nothing like that. If it was, I would not have bought it.
7. I wanted to give more.
I've talked about the balance between doing all you can to retire early versus slowing down that progress by giving along the way.
It's an issue that everyone needs to sort out for themselves, of course, but we decided to simultaneously give and save. In fact, we gave away 26% of our gross income while saving for early retirement. The world is a tough place for so many. We feel blessed to be where we are and want to help as many in need as possible as soon as possible.
I'd like to ramp up our giving in retirement and Rockstar gives me a great opportunity to do so. In fact, Rockstar has always had a large charity component as part of the site, and I want to lean into that heritage. This Christmas season we'll turn it up a notch or two in this area, so stay tuned.
For those interested, starting a Donor Advised Fund is one of the best ways to give more and tax-efficiently.
Buying A Business Can Be The Perfect Solution
In the end, retirement is about freedom of time and doing what you choose to do. Buying a business fit the bill for me. I hope you find the same in retirement.
Along those lines, what do you think you'll enjoy doing when you retire? Or what do you enjoy doing now if you are already retired? If you've ever bought a business, I'd love to hear how that went.
– John, ESI Money
Update 4Q2019: John sold Rockstar to an Uber employee, who then proceeded to neglect the site. It is baffling what transpired. At least John was able to make a nice profit in a short time.
Suggestions For Starting A Business
Start your own website. Every business needs their own website. Here's a step-by-step tutorial showing you how. Not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for starting Financial Samurai in 2009.
I ever would have imagined being able to engineer my layoff from a well-paying job in 2012 to just write and be absolutely free. You just never know what might happen if you try.
Back when I started, I had to hire someone for $1,500 to launch FS. Now you can launch in under 30 minutes for less than $50.
Here are also my reflections of running an online business since 2009. Personally, I would never sell my online business. It's fun, provides meaning, is educational, helps others, and generates positive cash flow.
Instead, I'm actively investing in private businesses and will hold mine forever!
Invest In Private Growth Businesses
Buying a business to operate and grow can be hard. Rockstar Finance got sold again and then got shut down. Instead, invest in private growth businesses that have huge upside where you don't need to do any work!
Check out the Innovation Fund, which invests in the following five sectors:
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- Modern Data Infrastructure
- Development Operations (DevOps)
- Financial Technology (FinTech)
- Real Estate & Property Technology (PropTech)
Roughly 35% of the Innovation Fund is invested in artificial intelligence, which I'm extremely bullish about. In 20 years, I don't want my kids wondering why I didn't invest in AI or work in AI!
The investment minimum is also only $10 while most venture capital funds have a $250,000+ minimum. You can see what the Innovation Fund is holding before deciding to invest and how much.
Subscribe To Financial Samurai
For further suggestions on saving money and growing wealth, check out my Top Financial Products page.
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Oh my goodness, I loved this! I so often in the past read the curated Rockstar Finance articles (and had a couple on it myself). I never knew all the history that went into it and running it. This was a great behind the curtains look.
I’m curious what the next rockstar finance like website will be of amazing curated articles.
Thanks for sharing!
Wallet Squirrel (aka Andrew)
Build your own business, might be better than buying one imo?
Two things to think about:
1. Failure rate of startups is very high. Online businesses are “cheap” if you factor this in.
2. Time versus money. I’m 62 and don’t have the time to fail. I also have the capital like John.
Great story, John @ ESI. You already won in the FIRE journey, so this was ripe for you. Your success track record begs more success. You wisely deployed the existing cash in a low yield account into a high margin business like RF – and have other positive reasons to make it a win-win – making this a great, potentially legacy business for your kids. I wish I could plan like you John, but learning a lot from this post!
Very inspirational. I also have a blog. I am hoping to monetize it. doctoroffinancemd.com/2018/06/09/financial-success-physician-characteristics/ is my most recent post. I love the PF space. I am also trying to figure out this retirement thing. I am shutting down my medical practice at age 60. Out of nowhere my hospital offered me a part-time job with health insurance. The devil is in the details. Thanks for what you do.
I have not retired yet but my wife and I own and operate 6 physical goods ecommerce sites all purchased at roughly the multiples Sam outlined. The largest grosses well into 7 figures.
Finishing a 3 decade career on Wall Street at a job I love, I have little tolerance if anything changes. I also have the financial wherewithal to exit on my own terms.
Great article. Incredibly thoughtful!
I have not retired yet but my wife and I own and operate 6 physical goods ecommerce sites all purchased at the rough numbers Sam outlined. The largest tosses well into 7 figures in revenue.
Finishing a 3 decade career on Wall Street in a job I love, I have little tolerance for any changes. I also have the financial wherewithal to exit on my own terms.
Great article!
It’s interesting to hear your thoughts around purchasing the site and everything that went with it. It makes a lot of sense and am sure the ROI on it will be well worth it. Love the idea of leaving a legacy for your kids – something you can pass along to them if they choose to work it. Having just purchased a business ourselves, I think it’s a great way to go. Buying something that is already at full steam makes a lot of sense – especially if it is doing some good in the world!
It seems like Rockstar was a perfect fit for you. There are many benefits to buying an established business. The foundation was already established. You have taken a great site and are making it even better. Not to put any pressure you, but many personal finance bloggers are counting on you :-). Good luck.
Starting a small business, volunteering, teaching overseas :) etc … or some side hustle when you retire or a combo of the above are all valid options …international school teaching though gives you still 3 months of vacation for travel… and medical coverage for the early retiree or FI folks while working around the planet … Michael CPO
Love the idea of buying an established online business. Does anyone know where to find online businesses for sale though? I know of directories of listings for physical businesses but not for the online world.
Hoooow did I miss this post?! I follow you and Sam both religiously.
I’m just a small timer but even I see the potential of blogging – no…not blogging, better name would be brand building. It’s amazing how much potential there is, 2.6 years is just enough for a baby human to form sentences. That’s not long at all. Web properties should be the hottest business now.
I also want to leave something for my kids. I don’t think The Frugal Gene (heyyy that name would work!!!) although I’m not getting my hopes up. I heard kids sometimes turn out the opposite of what you want them to. But still…I want the option of leaving them something :)
Great post ESI!!
Glad you found it! And you’re off to a great start on your site.
Stick with it for several years and the links, Google juice, etc. will all build up to something powerful.
Sage mentor advice as always, ESI! I’ll keep you updated. I think I’m a good case study because…like “hey if this tomato could do it, you can too!”
*crosses fingers*
This is a great post! Thank you for the inspiration.
I don’t believe in the traditional retirement due the same reasons. Instead, I look at my work as a series of Start-Ups. I give it all I have, sell the concept and relax until the bug returns to pour my ALL my heart and soul into another project. As a fellow who grew up in poverty, I give this mindset all the credit for my current FI life.
I’ve been following the ESI blog more closely lately and it’s great to hear this story. I have a couple web-based businesses and a book behind me and I can’t recommend it as a business path enough. There are a lot of advantages (besides cash) that connect well to financial independence sensibilities.
Re: Staying sharp. I think a business challenge is a great idea in retirement. It turns out that crossword puzzles only make you better at crossword puzzles. They don’t make you generally smart or sharp. You’ve got to do the stuff you want to do. The mind is incredibly adaptable but a bit lazy. =)
John thank you for sharing your inspirational story. I also believe owning online businesses are a great investment option. My company currently owns 2 online businesses and I plan on purchasing more in the future. Thanks again for sharing your story and I’ll start reading your blog too!
Cheers,
John
Very, cool. Good luck with the acquisition.
Definitely agree with your new definition of retirement. Retirement has recently been redefined. Now a days we have a bunch of people using the U.S. government as their retirement (Example – Trump, his generals, Tillerson before firing)
It all depends what type of business. My brother was looking to buy a business. He was a high tech wiz during the dot-com boom, but he didn’t have a degree. When the dot-com boom busted, he was out of a job for theee years. All those with degrees were hired backfirst. He found it difficult getting back in the industry because he didn’t want to accept a lower salary, and his skills became obsolete.
He tried multi-level marketing with some annuity company. I always joked and said he was going to his ra ra meetings. He didn’t like that. He was intelligent, but I thought that it was a scam. He then looked at a toy store, and a tow-truck company. The toy store ended up going bankrupt. Who knows about the towing company.
He then purchased a moving company which did great for the first year, and then the housing crisis hit, and no one was hiring moving companies. He ended up filing bankruptcy. Oh he also borrowed 300k from my dad, and stopped paying on it, so he helped my father reduce his amount in any inheritance which was over and above his share. We were not going to take him to court, so the estate absorbed the loss. Now my brother talks to no one in the family.
Check out my website, it just went on line a few days ago. Still need to work out a few tweaks/
Great story, John. I firmly believe that having a purpose (or better yet, more than one) in retirement is key to making the most of it. For me, even though I’m 68 and not in good health, my blog is something that keeps me thinking and learning as well as hopefully giving, and it’s something I can handle. Rockstar Finance sounds like it was the perfect fit for you, and it’s a great resource for the community. I really appreciate all the ways in which RF has been expanding and I look forward to seeing what’s next.
Fascinating story and perspective John. Particularly surprised that you were president of your company and blogging at the same time! I look at all the other senior people I work with, and just assume all of them are absolutely 100% devoted to their job – I could never imagine any of them having their own blog! it almost seems ‘unprofessional’ to have something like a blog as a senior business person, so your story gives me further confidence to keep both going :)
Awesome to see someone take a wonderful asset like Rockstar and seek to keep improving it for the benefit of others – keep up the good work.
Cheers, Frankie
Yes! Keep going! :)
I’m glad to hear the business is working out well for you and operating smoothly. Rockstar Finance is a great outlet, database and so much more for us.
I have a long way to go until retirement and I too believe in the use it or lose it philosophy. I’ll definitely need a schedule and tasks to occupy and stimulate my mind.
Your description of having an online business is spot on. It may help in financial independence. Additionally, it is location independent and often time independent. You can be anywhere in the world and you can work at any time or time zone.
I also liked your willingness to give back to the PF blogging community. Thank you for being helpful, generous, and an inspiration for all of us aspiring to create an online business through PF blogging.
With gratitude,
DMF
Appreciate your sentiment!
ESI, great summary of your experience and motivations! Your prior site came to my attention through Financial Samurai, actually. Really admire the way both of your are able to generate content, and give your readers the opportunity to share their experiences and data with you and each other. The ‘conversations’ that occur on your blogs are unlike (in the best way!) any FI/RE conversation I’ve ever had in real life. Thanks to you both, continued success to you!
Congratulations on the purchase! It’s really inspiring and exciting to read articles like these.
Also, you hit a major nail on the head as to why I fervently read so many personal finance blogs and why I recently started my own – the community. In the past year or so, I’ve seen firsthand just how helpful these blogs are, and just how much people like you and Financial Samurai care about helping others achieve their goals. It really is exciting to be a part of!
Welcome to the community! I hope to see you in the Rockstar forums!
After reading this, I’ve added Rockstar and ESI Money to my go-to list of sites ;). Thank you again for sharing!
Great read! Thanks for posting, ESI and Sam.
Rockstar is a fantastic resource for a new blogger, and the changes you have been making are going extremely well. Seems like the perfect retirement “job” for you.
Thanks! Appreciate that!!
There are so many wonderful aspects of this post.
Wheather you call it retirement or a career change does not really matter. Your outlook on this deal is so refreshing. Make more to give more, to potentially build something for your kids, to stay sharp and because you enjoy it.
Had J. Money offered Rockstar to the general public, I too would have been interested. I’m a bit younger than you and not as secure financially (yet) so while I’m not sure I’d have pulled the trigger, I’d certainly have given it serious consideration.
When I’m able to “retire,” I too want to own a business. Ideally, I’m looking to start a financial planning/coaching business to help others. Many of the same reasons you’ve listed here on top of my mind for my future plans.
Thanks for sharing!
You are well on your way. I love what you’re doing so far, so stick with that. ;)
I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently, as I recently went through something similar in my own business. I personally am an independent contractor for a bigger business, so I basically own a sub-business that sells the products (branded corporate apparel) that the bigger business manufactures. The bigger business was recently sold to someone very similar to ESI: He’s already wealthy, and just wanted a solid income stream so he didn’t have to go back to a corporate “job.”
I watched this new buyer get a fully-functioning, cash-flowing business from day #1 without having to pound the payment to find clients, build a brand, and go through all the mistakes when building a new business. It really opened my eyes to what I may want to do one day, when I have a few hundred thousand laying around, and want a new solid established income stream where good employees are already doing the work there.
(I didn’t buy the bigger business this year for these reasons: I didn’t have hundreds of thousands laying around to buy it. I didn’t want to go into debt to buy it. I possess all the knowledge to start my own bigger business for free if I wanted it that badly. And I’m currently too busy establishing other businesses I am more passionate about, such as: Real-estate and blogging, to take on another huge project. But if I was in a different life and financial position, which I will be one day, then buying this established could have been a great deal for me. Maybe next time I’ll do it as it can make alot of sense.)
If I was your age and had to do it all over again, I would have done this much, much sooner, so I’m tracking with you. And knowing you, you WILL make it work!
Congrats on retiring from the mainstream corporate grind and doing something that you love now! Running a business online does take work but when you love what you do with the perks of location independence, flexible hours and being your own boss it certainly doesn’t feel like work in the traditional sense. Exciting stuff, congrats!
Thanks for sharing. I was psyched to hear you bought the site and am excited to see where things go.
I’d always wondered why a bit. Makes sense. What’s your favorite part of running the site?
That’s an interesting question, as there’s a lot I like about it.
Helping new/younger bloggers grow quickly is probably my favorite.
It’s also fun every morning when people get featured on Rockstar Finance — they are so thrilled!
Very interesting posting John.
I agree with almost every thing you say but also think there is another point that’s worth making.
If you semi-retire and own/run a profitable small(ish) business, provided its profits at least equal your living costs, it takes the weight off your investments.
You no longer have to worry about market crashes or the equally dangerous threat of inflation.
For years now we’ve lived in an era of low inflation and most people now view it as the norm.
I wonder, let’s hope their right, but I personally didn’t and don’t want to take the bet.
Inflation of say 10% especially if it coincided with a serious market correction would quite possibly destroy the retirement dreams of someone in their late sixties or early seventies at a vulnerable time in their lives.
However if they were semi-retired with a decent income stream from a business whilst they wouldn’t be totally immune to the headwinds, they would certainly stand a better and less stress full chance of weathering the storm.
This as well as all the other benefits you list.
Regards,
Humbug
You are 100% correct!
Even better, all those assets can sit there and compound for the next 20-30 years (assuming my wife and I have that long) and grow, grow, grow.
Now…what to do with them…that’s a whole other major decision. :)
Thanks for the article. Buying online businesses can definitely be a great investment. I haven’t bought any sites, but I’ve sold several over the past ten years. Many sites aren’t run very well after an acquisition, but for those that are run well or even improved, it becomes a great investment.
Your point about having something to pass on to your kids is interesting. I have 2 young kids and I’ve often thought that it would be nice to be able to involve them in my business when they’re older, if they are interested. I’m self employed in internet marketing but I have no employees or partners, so it would be a change. I hadn’t really thought of buying another website or business for that reason, but that’s an interesting thought.
Yes, and you have time to think and plan for it as well.
My kids are older (college age) and a hand-off now could be harder than if they had grown up around the business, but we’ll see. It’s still too soon to tell.
Great post John. Now that I’m semi-retired for 7 months I’m finding that your pastor is right – you can only spend so much time in recreation. I’ve been working on my side hustles a lot in that time for sure, but I didn’t really increase my cycling and climbing outings as much as I thought I would. Mainly because I was making time to do those things even when I was working full time.
And your description of how much time you spend on RS Finance and why it’s a great business is ideal. Web-based businesses are amazing to me mainly for the location-independent aspect. I love the idea of retiring to a small town that might have zero traditional job opportunities, but as long as you have in internet connection you’re gold.
Sam has been beating the drum on web businesses for years…looks like he knew what he was talking about!
I am working out about the same, though I am walking much more, so over all, my fitness level is up, as is my “travel” level. ;)
This is great to see a real world example of finance sites changing hands. Here I thought they were meant to be for those frustrated writers Inside us. I also completely agree that you can’t actually ever stop working. Post retirement, working just becomes smething else. Learning and growing are a lifelong jurney.
Thanks for sharing
Yes, you have to find something you love to do in retirement and working for yourself is way better than working for someone else. :)