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When Are Your Golden Years? Thumbnail

When Are Your Golden Years?

We’re going to talk about the Golden Years today. And I promise no references to the Golden Girls TV show. This is a three-minute read. 

What Is It?

  • I picked this term up from a book titled Die With Zero. I will cover the book in another article, but there were some interesting concepts, with this being one that really caught my eye.
  • There are two main elements in his concept, but I will add a third.
  • The TL/DR (Too Long/Didn’t Read) version is doing things when you have the money and health. The bonus element is while there is time. Also, I threw up a video on my YouTube channel on this topic. 

Let’s Go Deeper:

  • Imagine a nice XY chart. 📈
  • X (horizontal line) covers your age, with the numbers getting higher as you move to the right.
  • Y (vertical line) covers things/activities you want to do, which increases as you move up the line.
  • Now, there is a line representing Wealth that starts at the bottom left/intersection of the XY lines. This line goes up and to the right as you get older. It represents how your wealth rises over time.
  • There is also a line representing Health at the top of the Y line. This line declines over time.
  • The Golden Years is doing things before your health drops so far below your wealth you are limited in what activities you want to do and still can do. 

Break It Down:

  • Your health is better when you are younger. However, your wealth may not be at its peak.
  • As you age the types of activities you want to do AND can do may not match up anymore. How many 70-year-olds are climbing Everest? ⛰️
  • Obviously, waiting until your wealth is at its peak is great to pay for these activities. But (and you know where I am going), what if your health does not permit it?

Time Component:

  • I will only mention a couple of comments here. First, we are all busy. Making the time is not easy to do. However, time is the same concept for all of us. 24 hours is 24 hours for everyone. 🕛
  • We also all have a story of someone we knew who was waiting until the right time to do something, but something happened and they never were able to. 

Final Thoughts:

  • I work with a lot of physicians. A trend I have noticed is they approach this concept of the Golden Years more aggressively than others.
  • Basically, they are not waiting until the time is perfect as time waits for no one.
  • Another common refrain from them is “Without your health, what does wealth matter.”
  • I do not have a silver bullet solution for you. Other than this is a concept that may cause you to rethink when your Golden Years are. 🥇
  • In my case, I realize my Golden Years are now. I can sit at a desk for another 30 years, but may not be able to do a Rim To Rim hike on the Grand Canyon in one day at 65.  
  • Simply, I am no longer deferring my life! Feel free to join me! 😎


I’m Dan Johnson, CFP®, founder of Forward Thinking Wealth Management. I run a flat-fee financial planning and investment management firm located in beautiful Akron, OH. Although I am in Akron, OH, I work with clients regardless of location. I cater to owners of equity compensation positions who are looking to organize their financial lives, keep more of what they make, and do the things they want in retirement and even now. 

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