10 Years of Success

At times I take stock of my accomplishments, just to remind myself of what I can possibly accomplish in the future.

With the last decade coming to an end in a few days, it's appropriate for me to what I have accomplished in the last 10 years.

Personal Accomplishments and Adventure:

• Continued another 10 years of freedom to work either at my favorite coffee places or at home.


• Have traveled to New York, Las Vegas, Istanbul, and London in the last year.


• Finanally purchased the diggs that I have lived in for over 30 years. Despite purchasing the half-duplex for $325,000 with a down payment of $163,000 in 2007 at the height of the market, I will have it fully paid off by April 2011.


• Have continued to make an average of 4 trips a year to Vancouver, which I consider my second home.

Business Accomplishments

• Wrote How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free, which was rejected by over 35 Canadian, American, and British publishers. After self-publishing the book, I have earned a little over $405,000 in pretax profit from the book, which has now sold over 110,000 copies and has been published in 9 langauges.


• Wrote half of The Lazy Person's Guide to Success, quit at that point, and almost didn't finish it. I eventually finished the book which has been published in about 10 languages and has sold over 85,000 copies worldwide.


• Wrote Career Success Without a Real Job (called Real Success Without a Real Job in its original version).


• Just completed my new book The Joy of Being Retired: 365 Reasons Why Retirement Rocks (and Work Sucks!), which should make me tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If it doesn't I will use is as a Promotional Giveaway.


• Wrote and self-published 101 Really Important Things You Already Know, But Keep Forgetting


• Negotiated at least 70 more book deals for a total of over 107 book deals around the world.


• Had over 5 years where my pre-tax income was $100,000 a year. Not to bad given that I work 4 or 5 hours a day at my favorite coffee place and don't have to deal with corporate life.

I have also started over 25 websites including:

• The Friendship Cafe by Ernie Zelinski


• The Retirement Cafe by Ernie Zelinski


• The Money Café by Ernie J. Zelinski


• Sensationally Creative and Innovative


• Fun Things to Do at Work


• The Retirement Quotes Café


• Retirement Speeches on Squidoo


• Free Retirement Letters on Squidoo


• Retirement Poems on Squidoo
  
• The Best Places to Retire in the World on Squidoo


• Career Change on Squidoo


• My 101 Successes in Life


• Retirement Quotes on Squidoo
  

Here is the car I intend to purchase for Ernie Zelinski in 2010 as a reward for his accomplishments:

Retirement Sayings about Retirement Savings

Fewer Canadians are putting money into retirement plans, according to the Royal Bank's annual RRSP poll.

At the same time, the Toronto Star says, "Canada's pension system is inadequate and lags behind other advanced industrial countries in providing decent income security for retired workers. "

The RB annual RRSP polls says 32 per cent of Canadians have not started saving for retirement yet, compared to 24 per cent in 2008. The study also found only 36 per cent say they are planning or have planned for retirement, down from 42 per cent in 2008.

The decline is sharpest among those aged 55 and over, with 53 per cent doing any retirement planning compared to 67 per cent last year.

RBC also says just 35 per cent of Canadians have contributed to or plan to contribute to an RRSP for the 2009 tax year - the lowest percentage of contributors since 1996.

Here are some retirement sayings and retirement quotes to place retirement planning in perspective:

I retired early for health reasons — my company was sick of me and
I was sick of them.
— Unknown wise person

I’m now as free as the breeze — with roughly the same income.
— Unknown wise person

I’m retired. You on the other hand have to go to work.
— Unknown wise person

The money’s no better in retirement but the hours are!
— Unknown wise person

See:

Saving for Retirement

How Much Money Do I Need to Retire

The Best Places to Retire in the World on Squidoo

Retirement Income

Retirement Quotes by Ernie Zelinski