Reimagining retirement
how then shall we live? (part 2)
Wild Letters is a newsletter about self-exploration and building a right-fit life.
Thank you for being here with me!
This is the second essay in a multi-part series that explores how to live amidst the challenges of our time, with a focus on naming the realities of the current polycrisis and diving into possibilities for alternative economies/more imaginative forms of community care, inspired by the radical lived examples of all those who have long embodied an ethos of “enoughness” and interdependent thriving over one of individualism, supremacy, and exponential growth at any cost. Part 1 can be found here.
My dear reader.
A few weeks ago, by the bright light of the full moon, I logged into my Vanguard account and divested $190,000 from the stock market.
This decision — to go against mainstream personal finance advice and redefine “investing” for myself in a more values-aligned way — is one that took me about three years of reflection and study and conversation to make. Three years is a long time to be in deep introspection about the same decision, and oh my god the relief and joy I felt after finally taking action was so profound that all I could do for almost an hour afterward was lay on the floor and cry.
What follows in today’s letter is a recounting of how I got to that moment — the reflection questions that helped me shape my own personal vision for a reimagined retirement, because it’s this vision that I’m now using to guide my choices about money. As I go deeper in sharing these details and stories with you, I ask that you remember two core things:
None of this is prescriptive. I’m in no position to tell anyone else what to do with their lives/money, and I don’t think my decisions are the “best” ones or the “right” ones in any kind of universal sense. What I am doing with my money and my life is simply what feels best for me, based on the specifics of my own situation, my past experiences, my family setup, my particular identities and privileges, my current beliefs, values, and desires, etc.
I am choosing to share my real numbers with you below, because I don’t think any truly honest conversation about money can be had without them. However, I know that this kind of radical transparency can often bring up a whole range of feelings and judgements, and so I ask that you be mindful of that as you read (and especially if you choose to join the discussion in the comments), keeping in mind that some people will see these numbers (particularly the $190k I just divested from the stock market) and think, “Wow, that is more money than I have ever had in my life” while other people will think “That is less than I make in a single year” and everything in between. So what I’m really saying here is that I trust you to take what resonates from this essay and leave the rest, all while acknowledging how many factors (both personally and systemically) go into forming each of our different financial lives.
Okay, let’s dive in!