I Hope to Retire Someday

If you weren't aware, today marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 NASA mission's successful landing on the moon. This event was one of the most important milestones in human history and was undoubtedly the most stressful event in the lives of those involved. The often unheard of member of the Apollo 11 crew was Michael Collins, the command module pilot.

In a recent article at the Guardian, Michael recounted some of his personal fears during the mission and expressed his opinion on the feats they accomplished. On their successful completion of a then unimaginably dangerous mission, he said:

"Neil Armstrong was born in 1930. Buzz Aldrin was born in 1930, and Mike Collins, 1930. We came along at exactly the right time. We survived hazardous careers and were successful in them. But in my own case at least, it was 10% shrewd planning and 90% blind luck. Put Lucky on my tombstone."

So, what can this have to do with with retirement planning?

I am willing to bet that for any of us to successfully reach and sustain a happy retirement, it will require 90% shrewd planning and 10% blind luck.

Retirement planning is not rocket science, but a good deal of knowledge and preparation will be required by us to ensure that we make sound choices and take appropriate actions. While we honor and remember this prestigious achievement in human history today, let us acknowledge that while great actions sometimes succeed with the grace of luck, the conclusion to our lives' work should not be left to chance.