Web Site Updates and New Book Sections Posted

I spent a few hours on the website tonight, posting some of the recent blog items that are probably going into the book, including Going Down Swinging" and "Rich Dad, Poor Dad, My Dad."

But there's also a newly posted CHAPTER entitled "End Game." It's a perspective on the Boomer stage of life using a chess metaphor, and it's currently slated to be Chapter 1 of the book. The Introduction is also on the web site, and has been for a while,. Both of these are too lengthy to blog, but here's the first few paragraphs of "End Game":


Platinum Living - End Game

In chess, there is a term called “end game.” By the time you get there, you've been playing for a while. You've captured some pieces and you've lost some pieces, but often the game hangs very much in the balance. You don't have nearly as many options as you did when the game began, but with all those pieces gone, the board is quite a bit clearer, and you still have many ways you could go. You also have the experience of the game to help guide your decision making.


Our Remaining Options
When I picture the rest of my life, this “end game” metaphor is the one that seems to make the most sense to me. “Midlife crisis,” in its varied forms, is mostly about the realization that there are fewer options left, that some of our youthful dreams will never be anything more than that. No, you won't ever be a star athlete, a CEO, a famous singer or dancer.

But after a while, hopefully, we begin to realize that we still have many, many options available, and the “board is a lot clearer” now. And the “empty nest” has greatly increased our time flexibility. Perhaps an inheritance looms. A spouse may be able to return to work, and suddenly a couple may become DINKs (Double Income No Kids) again.

Even some boomers who are members of the so-called “sandwich generation” (taking care of both almost-grown children and aging parents) can take comfort that “this too shall pass” and the above prospects for greater freedom will soon appear on the horizon.



Experience of the Game

Then, there is the aspect of the “experience of the game.” Having lived with ourselves for half a century or more, we have a pretty good idea of our strengths and weaknesses. We have hopefully discovered things we are passionate about, things that work for us, and we certainly have discovered things that don't work for us.

Continue reading at www.platinumyears.net

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